Welcome to Field Good Life!

Jennifer James is a fourth-generation rice, soybean, corn, and wheat farmer from Newport, Arkansas, where her family has been working the land for over a century. She serves as CEO/ CFO of H&J Land Co. and Auvergne Grain Co., overseeing a diversified operation that includes value-added row crops, a grain warehouse, a soybean cleaning plant, and an automated container loading facility. She also manages Delta Soy, a specialty soybean brand that contracts with farmers to grow for the Japanese natto market.

Jennifer is a proud advocate for agriculture, especially rice farmers, and she’ll talk to anyone who’ll listen. She writes a blog and hosts the "Field Good Life" podcast, aiming to connect real farm stories with consumers and policymakers. She’s testified before the U.S. Senate and House Ag Committees, always carrying the message of family farming and the future of American agriculture.

She has a career of industry board service, but a few highlights include being the first woman elected to the Riceland Foods Board of Directors, Director at Merchants and Planters Bank, and Vice Chair of the Arkansas Rice Farmers Board. She’s also a member of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Agribusiness Council and the EPA’s Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee.

In 2017, Jennifer was named Field to Market’s Farmer of the Year for conservation leadership, and in 2019, she was recognized as USA Rice Farmer of the Year. Her family’s operation takes pride in being an Arkansas Century Farm and continues to adopt practices that conserve natural resources and provide overwinter habitat for waterfowl.

A University of Arkansas grad, she holds a degree in Agricultural Business and was honored as the 2024 Outstanding Alumna of Bumpers College, where she gave the keynote address at commencement. Jennifer is also a graduate of The Executive Program for Ag Producers (TEPAP) and the USA Rice Leadership Program.

She and her husband, Greg, farm together and are proud to have their son, Dylan, working alongside them as the fifth generation. When she’s not advocating, managing, or farming, you might find her walking the turn rows, traveling with Greg, or trying to sneak in a hunt or fishing trip.