100 Years of Boswell

Tulare Lake Land Company) merged with J. G. Boswell, bringing the Paloma, Santiaga, and Buena Vista Ranches along with it. Around that time, Boswell also took on leases for other properties like Roberts Farms (Kern Lake).

In 1980, the company launched PhytoGen, aiming to lead the way in developing high-performance cottonseed varieties for the future.

Then in 1982, after decades of lawsuits regarding acreage limitations on federal water, the Reclamation Reform Act was passed. The act allowed for the company’s water to be stored and delivered from US Army Corps projects without acreage limitations. The new law required that the Boston Ranch be sold, as it was in a federal water district. In 1984, JG II stepped down as president and CEO, while remaining chairman of the J. G. Boswell Company. Over his remarkable thirty two years at the helm, he had transformed the business into one of the largest and most innovative agricultural operations in the world. Even after retiring, he stayed connected, serving on the company’s board of directors until his passing in 2009.

The torch was passed to Jim, his son, to carry on the family legacy. The company that was founded by his great-uncle and expanded by his

PhytoGen cotton seed

JG II at Yokohl in the 1990s with fellow board members (on the right is Marty Williamson)

100 Years of Boswell

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