Jeremy Allen
Arkansas Farmer of the Year 2025
Jeremy Allen of Bismarck has deep family roots in Hot Springs County. His grandfather started a dairy in the 1950s, and his parents were poultry farmers who built three chicken layer houses. Jeremy bought his first set of cattle at the age of fourteen and began doing custom hay baling after high school. “After Magen and I married,” he said, “we continued with the hay and cattle business and later purchased two layer houses of our own. Up until 2021, we were managing over 600 head of cows.”
The Allens have had many other enterprises through the years to diversify their assets. As each one garnered profits, they were able to sell them off and transition to their current feed, trucking, and hay businesses on 1200+ acres.
JA Farms Cattle is the base operation centered around 500 acres of Tifton Bermuda hay along the Ouachita River and 220 head of beef cattle. Jeremy said, “We grow hay to feed our cattle and horses and what’s left over we store in barns and sell through our retail store – an average of 400 bales per week during peak season. We baled over 10,000 square bales this past season.”
Another component, JA Farms Trucking, LLC, was formed in 2007 when Jeremy bought the first semi-truck and live floor trailer to haul—for himself and other local farmers—cotton gin trash as a possible feed source. The fleet has since grown to four trucks and additional employees.
This expansion led to the establishment the same year of JA Farms Feed, LLC that evolved over time to 22 custom feed mixes (all listed on their website: www.jafarmfeeds.com). The mixes include rice, rice bran, corn, dried distiller’s grain, molasses, cottonseed hulk, oats, beet pulp, vitamins and minerals, soybean meal and alfalfa, to name a few. Jeremy said, “We’ve expanded our facilities seven times since 2008, adding a robotic system in 2013 to speed up the process of bagging and stacking the 50–pound bags, thereby increasing production.” All mixes are available in bulk bags or by the truckload for cattle, equine, swine, goats, sheep, chickens, and wildlife.
Jeremy said, “In 2021, we added on another 10,000 square feet of feed storage and a pellet mill operation. We bought our first pellet mill from an existing Louisiana operation that had closed, and we began making pellets in January 2020. By June 2022, we ordered a new pellet mill. This operation helps reduce the amount of waste that’s taken to landfills from the grain processing facilities in the state. By taking a raw product that’s not a great feed source on its own, we can process it into a desired feed source for livestock. We use over 4500 tons of ground peanut hulls and over 5000 tons of rice products each year that aren’t being left to rot in fields. So it’s a real benefit to the environment.”
A third business was created in August 2022 when the Allens opened JA Farms Feed & Mercantile, LLC in Bismarck, a 20,000 square foot facility that sells all their feeds, hardware, plumbing, farm parts, greenhouse supplies, tack, clothing, gift items, and more. In January 2024, they added another component called Independent Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts Store. Besides direct sales onsite and sales to 25 other feed stores and two distribution companies, the Allens use Facebook and Instagram as marketing tools. As Magen Allen noted, “For three decades, our family has worked to build an agricultural operation that serves our family’s needs and the needs of our wider community.”
On the local level, Jeremy is a charter member of the Bismarck FFA Alumni and a former long-term member of Hot Springs County Farm Bureau and member of the Hot Springs County Fairgrounds Executive Board. On the state level, he’s a past member and chair of the Arkansas Farm Bureau State YF&R Committee and a board member of the Arkansas High School Rodeo Association. On the state level, Magen is a current board member of the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation and secretary/treasurer of the Arkansas AG PAC.
Jeremy and Magen have four children: Lane, age 20, Brody, age 17, Evelyn, age 11, and Eli, age 10. The eldest three have been enthusiastically involved in rodeo competitions locally and nationally. Lane now works full-time on the farm. The family is active in their church, Caney Missionary Baptist Church in Bismarck. And, with time permitting, they enjoy being at a Lake Hamilton house they’re remodeling on the Ouachita River. Jeremy said, “We just like to play in the water—swim, kayak, ski, and relax and have fun together.”
In his thirty years of farming and ranching, Jeremy has learned the importance of being flexible. He noted, “I’m always looking for the next opportunity because what works this year might not work next year. I’ve owned a lot of businesses over the years and volatility—be it in weather or prices or the economy in general—is always a factor. So you can’t stress about change because it’s the most natural thing in the world. You just have to keep pushing the reset button.”
Jeremy Allen was nominated for Arkansas Farmer of the Year by Rachael Bearden, County Extension Agent, Hot Springs. She said, “The success of agriculture depends on a strong, united agricultural community—one that lifts up, shares knowledge, and works toward a common goal. The Allen family exemplifies this spirit in every way. By building a thriving operation from the ground up and embracing new technologies to maximizing efficiency to investing their time in youth development and agricultural advocacy, their impact has been far-reaching.”
She added, “Jeremy dedicates time to guiding beginning farmers and ranchers locally, helping them develop sound business plans and sustainable operations. Magen serves as a powerful voice for agriculture, sharing their story with media and lawmakers to advocate for the future of the industry.”
A distinguished panel of judges will visit Jeremy Allen, along with the farms of the other six state finalists, the week of August 5–8. The judges include John McKissick, retired Ag Economist UGA; and Charles Ed Snipes, retired Weed Scientist Mississippi State University; and Kevin Morgan, retired Executive Assistant to the President Florida Farm Bureau. Judges typically serve for three years before rotating off the team.