“My grandfather spent all of his money buying ground. My father basically spent all of his money improving the ground. And then I am the one who gets to play with it,” said Alex. Since Alex took the reins in 1989, he has implemented numerous groundbreaking projects in an effort to create a solid foundation for the next generation. To date, he has put in approximately 1,100 acres of underground piping for drip irrigation, installed electric pumps throughout the ranch, and eliminated nearly all of his diesel booster pumps, which were previously used to power the farm’s sprinkling operation and drip system. “Not only are we trying to be a better farmer, but we are also trying to stay greener, be smarter with our water and predict what food safety regulations are going to look like in the future,” he said. “In a few years here, I don’t think regulators will allow water to touch the plants so I’m just trying to position us to be in an ideal situation.” Additionally, Alex has tapped everyday organisms to help the farm achieve a more sustainable future. He is currently using earthworms to combat soil diseases
and reduce the need for pesticides. Alex has invested $130,000 into building a worm farm where he will use their castings, or poop, as an organic form of fertilizer for his crops. The castings will be put into bags to percolate in water and the resulting “black tea-like” mixture will be injected into the drip system to protect the soil and crop. “Worms are fabulous for crops because they help fight soil diseases and suppress whitefly and aphid,” he said. In addition to the worm farm, Alex has been working with algae to minimize the number of commercial fertilizers used on his crops. He is currently on round two of building a farm for algae, which, when infused into the irrigation water, will enable soil particles to release more phosphates and therefore require less fertilizer. Alex is also in the midst of installing geothermal heating technology to naturally heat and cool his buildings while significantly reducing the impact on Mother Earth. Alex credits “the University of YouTube” for many of his ideas, but gives praise to Western Growers for allowing him to focus on building and sustaining his business while having the peace of
mind that industry-wide issues are being expertly handled. Founding Member Counts Western Growers among Keys to Longevity and Success Twelve years after Earl and Alvin established the Jack Bros. empire, they once again decided to partner to launch a new type of enterprise. At the time, the farming industry was in flux and growers were faced with an onslaught of transportation issues. The Jack brothers, along with a handful of other growers, knew that the industry needed one united voice to battle and overcome these challenges. On March 9, 1926, this small group of pioneers established the Western Grower Protective Association. The association, now known as Western Growers, has grown from a transportation-focused advocacy agency into a well-rounded support system that provides specialty crop farmers across California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico with a wealth of resources and assistance. In addition to continuing to promote fair trade in the industry, Western Growers is now a powerful voice in Sacramento, Phoenix
Custom-built algae farm will minimize commercial fertilizer use on crops
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NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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