Kim was born in New Mexico and raised in central Arizona. Although his parents weren't farmers, farming was in his blood. While in high school, he was active in FFA, and, in 1966, served as a state officer in the Arizona FFA Association. He spent most summers during his teen years on his uncle's farm near Clovis, New Mexico. Armed with degrees from Eastern Arizona College and New Mexico State University, Kim worked for several farm publications before finding his way "home" to The Progressive Farmer.

He joined The Progressive Farmer as an associate editor in 1978, establishing an editorial field office in Lubbock, Texas. He later served as Western Regional Editor, before being named director of The Progressive Farmer's custom publishing division in March 1995. In addition to being one of a team of The Progressive Farmer editors to earn the Writer of the Year award from the American Agricultural Editors' Association, Kim is a recipient of an Oscar in Agriculture given by the University of Illinois. He has also attained Level IV in AAEA's Master Writer Program.