Jody bought his first cow in 2006, shortly after Sam was born. He slowly added more cows to his herd and by
2008 I knew this "hobby" that began when he spent Saturdays working cows with his Dad and uncle Randy,
was growing into something bigger. I mentioned to Jody that we needed to come up with a name for what was
clearly becoming a business.

He constantly pushed the idea aside and wouldn't offer any input or ideas when I discussed it with him. By early
2010, a name was a requirement as the herd continued to grow and Jody's cattle began to gain interest outside of
Johnston County. Ranchers and farmers across the state were contacting him, not only to purchase cattle, but to
inquire about the detailed feeding regimen he had created for his herd, the breeding practices he used to
optimize the genetics in his livestock and his process for optimal pasture maintenance.

The fast success and sudden interest in his cattle wasn't a surprise to me. I have known since early in our marriage
that God blessed Jody with an incredible business mind and the ability to make anything he invested his time and
talents in not only work, but work well. Although l'd seen his talent, work ethic and success for years, I saw
something new in Jody through the growth of the cattle company. I saw him following his heart, his passion and
those two things paired with his brilliant business mind, made it clear to me where our future would be found. Not
at a bustling, loud, busy scrapyard, but in vast, quiet, grass-covered pastures.

​

I approached Jody with a request, a dream...that he use his God-given talents to follow his passion and his heart.
“Name the company. Grow the herd. Share your wealth of knowledge about cattle with others. Expand beyond
just selling cattle to offering healthy, locally raised food to our community. If we are successful, let's build a
storefront on our property for our customers and potentially for our community. This is your gift, Jody. I
support you. I believe in you. Dream big and then let's do the work to bring it to fruition.”

He finally realized the importance of us naming our dream. Five J's was a name originally created to
represent Jody, Joe and the middle initial of our three boys, Samuel John, Jack Johnson and William Joseph. I
was so happy to finally have a name, it never crossed my mind that we wanted another baby. Luke Jody was born
in 2013 and I said the "J" for Jody would have to represent him and Luke. I wasn't happy with that at all
and was so adamant that the name accurately represents all the people individually that I asked Jody if we could
change the name.

The name was well established by now and Jody understandably refused. I realized l'd have to let it go,
even though I knew I'd never really be happy with the name again. People would ask me who the Five J's were
and I hated explaining how there were two Jody's but only one J for them. (Silly, I know. But important to me
nonetheless.) For four years, I regretted choosing the name l'd once loved.

And then we were sent an angel. A baby girl we didn't plan for, expect or even dare to hope for. Naming her was
easy...Marie after Jodyʼs Mema, the sweetest soul l've ever known, and James after Marie's mother, Ree's
great-great-grandmother, James Emily Barbour. The arrival of our 5th “J” ensured our company was named
after the very ones we work so hard for, our children.

​

When the concrete was poured underneath the shelters of our biggest dream, our new barn and Five Jʼs
storefront, I gathered all five of my babies and helped them carefully place their hands in the wet concrete.
Tears of gratitude filled my eyes as I traced their initials above their names. There they were. The Five J's. The
name we chose almost a decade prior, that didn't make sense for years, now made perfect sense. All our dreams
came true in five little handprints, because God knew there would be Five J's all along.