As Western Growers marks its centennial anniversary, few milestones feel as significant as celebrating 100 years alongside the members who helped build it. In 2026, the organization stands as one of the most influential advocates for specialty crop growers, shippers and packers across California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.

Throughout its 100-year history, Western Growers has been a trusted source of guidance and support by the agricultural community. This can be attributed to the strenuous and persistent work of our members and employees who came before us, who continue to fight for the benefit of the farming industry.

Among these members is one who has distinguished itself for unwavering dedication—Jack Bros., Inc.—one of Western Grower’s initial founding members. Established in 1914, the company’s origins trace back to a series of unlikely turns that would eventually reunite the brothers in the Imperial Valley.

“My grandfather, Earl Jack, was almost 20 years younger than his brother, Alvin Jack,” explained Alex Jack, a third-generation farmer and owner of Jack Bros.

Earl’s mother died in childbirth and his father remarried shortly after. When he was two, Earl’s father passed away, and his stepmother no longer wanted to care for him. “Alvin was out West when he got the news his brother was put into a foster home,” Alex said. “He reached out to his aunt, who lived in Texas, and she adopted Earl and raised him.”

The two continued to live separate, distant lives. At 16, Earl went off to serve in World War I. Meantime, Alvin was out panning for gold in the Colorado River in Yuma, Ariz. “It didn’t pan out for Alvin, no pun intended, and Earl had to come home at the end of his first year after he was shot in the leg,” said Alex.

This led to the brothers meeting up in California to work as fruit peddlers. “They started going to farmers markets, mostly in the Imperial Valley, then took the two-day drive up to Los Angeles to sell the fruit,” said Alex. After doing that for upwards of a year, the brothers started to farm themselves.

“Earl was receiving some money for serving in the war, and they used those funds to buy their first ranch, northwest of Holtville, marking the official start to Jack Bros.,” Alex said.

During the period when the Jacks arrived and years following, the Imperial Valley was undergoing a profound transformation. Irrigation systems carrying Colorado River water across the basin allowed productive farmland to replace what had long been barren desert.

With the Valley over 200 miles away from major cities, railways had given farmers like Jack Bros. a lifeline to sell to distant markets. Without this service, produce shippers would be forced to make the grueling trip by wagon, or be cut off from the market altogether.

Because crops grown in the desert heat were highly perishable, farmers depended on iced refrigerator railcars to transport produce to distant markets. That meant the railcar needed to be packed with large bunkers of ice to keep produce shipments cool, as it could take a day or two to arrive. Railroads charged shippers fees for icing, re-icing (if needed) and the labor to load the ice, among other fees.

With limited alternatives—and railroads holding significant leverage over the everyday farmer—they were stuck with no choice but to pay the exorbitant fees.

Individually, they appealed to the federal Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), an agency created in 1887 to regulate railroad carriers and the rates they charged, but saw little success.

“Earl, Alvin and other Western shippers decided it would be far more beneficial to team up together, to unify under one voice to fight back against these unfair regulations,” said Alex.

On March 9, 1926, shippers across Southern California and Arizona rallied in the Imperial Valley to form the Western Growers Protective Association (WGPA), a fortified effort to fight for fair transportation rates for the agricultural industry. Through this collective clout, the men were better positioned to challenge railroad pricing, petitioning the ICC for fair freight rates and services. This couldn’t have come at a more pivotal time as Congress had recently ordered the ICC to investigate and review their freight-rate structure.

In the following years, challenges far beyond railroad disputes would arise, ones that threatened the very survival of family farming operations, including the economic collapse of the Great Depression.

“Once the Great Depression hit, my grandfather and great uncle went completely broke,” said Alex. “It was an extremely difficult time.”

During this turbulent period, Western Growers championed policies that helped members like Jack Bros. stay viable.

WGPA, as it would be known until 1942, was instrumental in securing federal protections for produce shippers, pushing for fair payment standards and helping lay the groundwork for the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act of 1930. The law introduced safeguards against unfair trading practices and provided growers with greater stability in an increasingly volatile marketplace.

At the same time, WGPA worked to protect operations from disruptions that threatened harvest and distribution. Jack Bros. played a pivotal role in these initiatives, with Alvin Jack serving on the Board of Directors for eight years, including as Chairman in 1929 (the fourth in the association’s history).

“While new challenges have always emerged, that first group bonded together and created something lasting. What Western Growers has done throughout the years is a testament to that foundation.”

Though the Jack brothers managed to keep the business afloat through the greater part of the Great Depression, Alvin’s health took a turn for the worse in the later years, and that’s when Earl took the reins. With the economy still in shambles and the markets in upheaval, it was impossible to depend solely on the Jack Bros. income to survive.

“Earl had to rely on his wife, Carol, my grandmother, to get through this unprecedented time. She was a school teacher, and it was her salary that gave them the lifeline they needed to keep the farm and their family afloat.”

For farming families, resilience is less a choice than a necessity, and for the Jacks, this period of hardship did more than test their tenacity. It defined Earl’s leadership skills and deepened his sense of responsibility to others in the industry.

He would serve on the Western Growers Board from 1948– 1953 following this tumultuous time, solidifying the Jacks as contributing leaders. Earl eventually passed the torch to his son, Neal, who brought both military discipline and innovation to the Jack Bros. operation.

“My father served in World War II under Gen. George S. Patton, working closely with tanks and infantry,” said Alex. “He learned it was far easier to communicate with car-to-car radios than by hauling someone in a trap wagon behind a truck. It saved a lot of time.”

Continuing to grow and build Jack Bros. as a close partner with Western Growers, Neal served on the Board twice in the 80s. As Alex eventually took over, he would follow in the footsteps of the other Jack men by serving in a leadership role.

“I enjoyed my time on the Western Growers Board immensely; it was an experience of a lifetime,” said Alex. “I’m just so extremely proud of my father, my grandfather, my great uncle and our history with the organization.”

Just like when his grandpa Earl led the company, Alex also faced an unprecedented crisis, when COVID-19 disrupted supply chains and upended normal operations across the agricultural industry in March 2020.

Alex said Western Growers played a critical role in addressing the strict regulations that were preventing food from being harvested.

“All it took was a phone call or two from Western Growers to make lawmakers realize how unworkable some of the regulations impacting food production really were.”

For Alex, the experience reaffirmed a truth his grandfather understood decades earlier: our strength is found in unity. From railcar disputes in the 1920s to regulatory battles during a global pandemic, the challenges have changed but this principle has not. What began as a fight for fair freight rates has expanded into advocacy on water policy, labor reform, food safety standards, trade negotiations and technological innovation.

The Jack family’s journey reflects that same arc of transformation in many ways. Through economic collapse, war, shifting markets and generational transition, they adapted while remaining grounded in the values that brought them together in the first place. Their continued involvement with Western Growers speaks not only to family legacy but also exemplifies the remarkable dedication that sets our members apart.

Though the road ahead presents increasing complexities for growers, shippers and producers, Alex says one constant remains: Western Growers stands ready to support its members.

“Western Growers always seems to come through, whatever the fight or concern. They just put their A-team on it and get things done.”

A century ago, a small group of shippers united to solve a shared problem. One hundred years later, that same resolve lives on in members like Jack Bros. and in the collective voice of Western Growers. As the organization enters its next chapter, the mission remains clear—to defend, uplift and strengthen the people who grow our food, today and for the next hundred years and beyond.