Barrentine’s life shows that nice guys don’t always finish last
June 15, 2026
By Mary Hightower
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts
- Barrentine remembered as mentor, servant-leader
- Barrentine served as agronomy department head, Cooperative Extension Service agronomy section leader
- Barrentine established scholarship-funding golf tourney for Arkansas delta students
(678 words)
UNDATED — Ensuring the success of others was Jim Barrentine’s prime mission.
Barrentine, who headed the department of agronomy at the University of Arkansas and led the agronomy section of the Cooperative Extension Service, passed away May 26. He was 84.
Born in Alligator, Mississippi, Barrentine would go on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas and a Ph.D. from Purdue University.
Barrentine's career covered more than half a century of contributions to the agricultural industry, which began with his extension appointment in 1965 as area agricultural chemical specialist.
The following year, he joined agricultural chemical company Elanco. By 1989, he was appointed director of North America crop technical services, development, and registration, and in 1993, Barrentine became a research fellow in DowElanco, the highest-level research scientist in the company.
All during his private sector time, Barrentine maintained contact with Arkansas researchers and farmers.
In the late 90s, he felt the call back to education, joining his alma mater as a professor and head of what was then called the department of agronomy and is now the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences. He was also appointed agronomy section leader of the Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
One of Barrentine’s proudest accomplishments was helping establish the Delta Classic Golf Tournament in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, which raised scholarship funds for students from eastern Arkansas pursuing higher education. Since 2001, the tournament has provided life-changing educational opportunities for numerous students, including through the James Barrentine Scholarships established in his honor in 2013. Scholarship funds support students in the crop, soil and environmental sciences department in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
Barrentine also served his industry. He was a member of the Southern Weed Science Society and Weed Science Society of America for more than 35 years, during which he served as director, vice president and president.
Barrentine served and chaired numerous committees for both societies and was honored with the SWSS Distinguished Service Award in 1995. He was honored as a WSSA Fellow in 1998. He was a member of the board of directors and executive board of the Foundation of Agronomic Research. Barrentine was a member of Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and the Arkansas Crop Protection Association.
Servant leadership
Darrin Malone was a driving force in having the Delta Golf Classic renamed in Barrentine’s honor. Malone is regional business manager-southern region for AMVAC.
While he wasn’t a classroom student of Barrentine’s, “I really was a student in every sense of the word, taking notes of how to be a positive influence on people and be a servant leader,” Malone said.
“My memory of Jim is his servant leadership and his ability to bring people together from a collaboration standpoint to maximize their talents,” he said. “His love for East Arkansas was the reason we started this Delta Scholarship Golf Classic, which was renamed a few months ago to the Barrentine Golf Classic. I know he was very proud of this accomplishment.
“Most of all, Jim was just a good guy who really loved mentoring and creating success for others,” Malone said. “Jim was just one of those guys that you didn't want to disappoint, and you wanted to work hard for him because you knew he wanted the best for you. Jim ran the race and served others along his journey while leaving many footprints on our hearts with whomever he touched.”
Jeff Edwards, now dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Science, was a student when Barrentine was department head. Through not a student of Barrentine’s, Edwards recalled that “Jim was always available to students.
“Whether it was mentoring, career coaching, or just a sympathetic ear about a class that was not going well,” Edwards said. “I always appreciated this about him when I was a student and have tried to emulate his caring nature as an administrator.”
Rick Cartwright, retired extension director and plant pathologist remembered Barrentine “as one of the good ones” noting his work ethic and sheer love of agriculture.
Cartwright recalled a time when he set off from Little Rock at 4:30 a.m. to get to the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station in Marianna by 6 a.m.
With a smile on his face, Barrentine looked up from his plot and said, “you finally got here.”
“There he was just bouncing around like it’s the best day in the world to be in his cotton plots at 6 a.m.,” Cartwright said. “He’d just driven over four hours from Fayetteville.
“It seems like in this world, people don’t seem to think you can be a good person and still be a successful career person. He was genuinely a good person,” Cartwright said. “Just talking to him, I felt better the rest of the day because he was just so exuberant about life and agriculture and doing good things for people.”
Donations may be made to the Dr. James L. Barrentine Endowed Scholarship Fund. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land-grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 22 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Nick Kordsmeier
Nkordsme@uada.edu