J.G. Boswell Company in California: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
J.G. Boswell Company is a major Central Valley farming company whose land lies in the old Tulare Lake bed near Corcoran in Kings County. It is known for cotton, and a 2023 employee memo cited by GV Wire described planting tomatoes and safflower, with cotton to follow, during the Tulare Lake flood.
| Location | Tulare Lake basin near Corcoran, Kings County, California; headquarters in Pasadena per GV Wire |
|---|---|
| Founded | Founding date not stated in the sources I read |
| Sectors | cotton; tomatoes; safflower; field crops |
| Scale | Acreage not published in sources I read; widely described as among the largest farming companies in California (general knowledge) |
| Why it is elite | Large-scale Central Valley producer and a long-running subject of California water and farm history |
| Ownership | Company; led by President and COO George Wurzel per GV Wire |
| Official website | GV Wire news profile (no official site found) |
History of J.G. Boswell Company
The company is associated with James Griffin Boswell, who built a large cotton farming enterprise in California's San Joaquin Valley and whose life is covered by Wikipedia, Farm Progress and Cotton Grower. The story of the company and the Tulare Lake basin is also told in the book The King of California.
Tulare Lake was once among the largest freshwater lakes west of the Mississippi in general knowledge, but its bed was farmed once rivers were diverted. In 2023 heavy runoff refilled part of the basin and tested the farm's levees.
What J.G. Boswell Company Grows and Raises
Per GV Wire, a March 2023 memo told employees that tomatoes, safflower and later cotton would be planted where land was not planned for flooding. Boswell land deep in the old lake bed stayed dry while higher ground flooded.
Water management is central. Company officials spoke at the Kings County Board of Supervisors in April 2023 on levees and flood response, and water resources chief Mark Unruh is named in coverage. Cotton is a long-running crop of the Central Valley.
How J.G. Boswell Company Makes Money
Cotton
Cotton is the company's best-known crop and a commodity sold to mills and merchants.
Processing tomatoes and safflower
The 2023 planting memo mentions tomatoes and safflower, which diversify beyond cotton.
Land and water assets
Large landholdings and water rights are core assets in the Central Valley, though the sources I read do not detail them.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from J.G. Boswell Company
The 2023 flood shows the importance of elevation planning and flexible crop plans. Boswell planted only on land not planned for flooding and shifted its crop mix.
Large operations also depend on local government relationships, as the levee dispute showed. Growers should keep up with groundwater and flood rules and talk early with county officials.
When a lake that vanished for a century comes back to the farm, the cotton has every right to feel nervous. At farm.FM our farm satire desk can only salute a company that watches the Tulare Lake like a forecast. The farm humor staff are sure the ranch humor in Kings County involves a tractor learning to swim, and the farm jokes are drifting in.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
How to Contact J.G. Boswell Company
No official website was found; this is a 2023 news article on the company. Contact the company through public business directories.
J.G. Boswell Company Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- GV Wire on Boswell - 2023 coverage of flood response and crops
- James Griffin Boswell on Wikipedia - Biography of the company's longtime leader
- Farm Progress - Trade coverage of Boswell
- USDA NASS California - State agriculture statistics
- California Department of Food and Agriculture - State agency for agriculture
J.G. Boswell Company FAQ
Where does J.G. Boswell Company farm?
In the Tulare Lake basin near Corcoran in Kings County, California.
What does it grow?
Cotton, tomatoes and safflower, according to 2023 coverage.
Who leads the company?
GV Wire names George Wurzel as President and COO.
Where is it headquartered?
GV Wire reports Pasadena.
J.G. Boswell Company is part of the story of large-scale California farming and water. For more context, read the California farms guide and the other profiled operations.