James is also the recipient of the Award for Excellence in Innovation, sponsored by Telstra.
James, together with his family, farms for pearls 200 kilometres north of Broome in WA and is a driving force not only within his own farming enterprise, which has expanded under his leadership to include a pearl farm in New South Wales, but also within the Australian pearling industry.
"Our family has been pearling on the Dampier Peninsula since the 1950s and while it hasn't always been easy, farming is in my blood and to know I can make a difference in the industry, and ensuring it has longevity and stability, means everything to me," James said.
"Plus I get to produce a beautiful end product in a beautiful place and help to support a unique Australian community including the Bardi Jawi, who we have lived and worked with since day one. That makes it all worthwhile!"
Ben White, general manager of Research, Kondinin Group, said it was James' forward-thinking approach to farming and ‘never give up' attitude that impressed the Judges and secured him with the award wins.
"James has a strong family farming legacy behind him but it is clear that he is crafting his own way forward in farming," Ben said.
"Pearling is a valuable agricultural industry in WA. We commend James on his innovative work ethic and outstanding determination to forge a path for the survival of his business and for the sustainability of the industry as a whole."
James has a deep passion for the marine environment, studying Marine Biology at James Cook University before returning to the family pearl farm, Cygnet Bay, and taking over the helm in 2000.
James has since purchased the majority shareholding of Broken Bay pearl farm in NSW, bringing his innovative approach to Australia's ‘newest' pearling region located one hour north of Sydney.
It is James' affinity with the marine environment that has provided him with the knowledge and tools to confront the challenges the pearl industry has faced over the last two decades.
"Between 2007-2009, the WA pearl industry encountered a bio-security challenge in the form of a suspected virus. Over a decade later, we still do not know what the causative agent is, but it is most likely an artefact of significant sea surface temperature increase," James said.
"Add to that the Global Financial Crisis restricting traditional wholesale markets upon which Australian pearl farmers depend, and we witnessed 16 WA pearling companies reduced to just a few.
"The industry was really suffering. To experience production and market failure at the same time was an extremely challenging point in my life."
James has also supported research into an un-named virus that has affected the pearling industry and has been a major contributor and collaborator in the development of an industry recovery research program involving the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) involving Cygnet Bay Pearls (WA), Autore Pearling (Northern Territory, formerly Ellies Pearling) and James Cook University.
The project's objective is breeding pearl shell in specifically designed hatchery facilities to increase resistance to JPOMS while gathering essential knowledge to instigate a selective breeding program targeting resistance.
Dr Ben Gursansky, Head of Rural and Regional Affairs at Telstra, said James' innovative attitude to farming, and in particular his approach to the bio-security challenges his industry has faced, were incredibly impressive.
James is the 11th winner of the Kondinin Group and ABC Rural Australian Farmer of the Year award. The annual awards program has been running since 2010 and continues to recognise excellence in farming and farming communities across rural and regional Australia. The 2020-21 Awards are supported by Platinum Sponsor WFI.
