Bowles Farming Company in California: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Bowles Farming Company is an 11,200-acre farm at Los Banos in Merced County whose roots go back to 1858. It was the 2024 California Leopold Conservation Award recipient, honored for stewardship of soil, water and wildlife habitat, and it grows tomatoes, corn, herbs, garlic and cotton next to the Grasslands Ecological Area.
| Location | Los Banos, Merced County, California |
|---|---|
| Founded | Farm established by Henry Miller in 1858; present company formed in 1965 |
| Sectors | tomatoes; corn; herbs; garlic; cotton; native seed; habitat |
| Scale | 11,200 acres (California Ag Today); 640 acres of managed wetlands; nearly 10 percent of farmland certified organic (California Bountiful) |
| Why it is elite | 2024 California Leopold Conservation Award; Audubon habitat partnership; long-running large Central Valley farm |
| Ownership | Bowles and Lawrence families; entering its seventh generation; Cannon Michael is CEO |
| Official website | Bowles Farming Company official site |
History of Bowles Farming Company
According to the company, Henry Miller established the farm in 1858, and the Bowles and Lawrence families have cared for the land for 166 years. The present company was formed in 1965 when the two families united to preserve the original farm's footprint. It is entering its seventh generation of operations.
Cannon Michael, a sixth-generation San Joaquin Valley farmer, serves as CEO and has also worked on water policy as a leader in regional water bodies. He has partnered with Audubon California for about a decade on habitat corridors and wildlife-friendly crop management.
What Bowles Farming Company Grows and Raises
The company grows tomatoes, corn, herbs, garlic and cotton, with cotton used by apparel brands. It uses drip irrigation, cover cropping, precision technology and solar power that generates about 2 million kilowatt-hours a year, and a composting center that processes about 1,800 truckloads of green waste annually.
Habitat is part of the business model. The farm manages 640 acres of natural wetlands with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and converted more than 200 acres of former row crops to native grasses and flowers through Great Valley Seed. Bird surveys have documented more than 50 species on the farm, and the farm holds Bee Friendly Farming status.
How Bowles Farming Company Makes Money
Row crops
Processing and fresh vegetables, herbs, corn and cotton are the commercial base, sold into food and apparel supply chains.
Organic production
Nearly 10 percent of the farmland is certified organic, giving access to premium organic markets that average U.S. farms rarely reach.
Native seed and habitat
Great Valley Seed collected more than 70 native plant ecotypes for restoration work. The company says it has paused independent operations, and the work continues under Bowles with partners.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Bowles Farming Company
Bowles shows that large conventional farms can run conservation as a core operating practice. Wetlands, native plantings, solar and compost reduce costs or open new partnerships while earning public recognition.
Another lesson is partnership. Years of work with Audubon, agencies and neighbors created habitat corridors no single farm could build. Michael also notes food safety audits can limit wildlife habitat, so growers should talk to buyers and auditors before restoring habitat near food crops.
Few farms can say that their crop report includes both tomatoes and Sandhill Cranes. At farm.FM we love farm satire about the humble wildlife audit, where a heron signs in at the gate. The farm humor team calls it ranch humor for people who like to be early, and the farm jokes about cotton, birds and very patient auditors are on the house.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
How to Contact Bowles Farming Company
Website: https://bfarm.com/
Only the official website is listed here; use the contact options on the company's own site. Visits are by arrangement, so confirm before traveling.
Bowles Farming Company Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Bowles Farming Company official site - The company's own website
- California Bountiful: Caring for the Land - Magazine feature on the farm's history and practices
- California Ag Today award report - Coverage of the 2024 Leopold Conservation Award
- Audubon California profile - Habitat and workforce partnership with Audubon
- California Department of Food and Agriculture - State agency for agriculture
Bowles Farming Company FAQ
Where is Bowles Farming Company?
It is at Los Banos in Merced County, California.
How big is Bowles Farming Company?
California Ag Today describes an 11,200-acre farm.
What did Bowles win?
It received the 2024 California Leopold Conservation Award.
What does it grow?
Tomatoes, corn, herbs, garlic and cotton, with part of the farmland certified organic.
Bowles Farming Company is a model for large-scale farming that carries conservation and long family history together. For more on the state's farm economy, read the California farms guide and the other profiled operations.