Correll Farms
Sustainably-grown seasonal produce & farm-fresh eggs.
Vendor Story
David & Cheryl Correll
Generational generosity is as much a part of Correll Farms as the land itself.
Fifth-generation Correll farmer David recalls how his dad and uncle held firm to the place until they were sure he wanted to go into farming.
His wanting it was critical, to their minds. And he did want it, earning a degree in animal science at N.C. State before coming home to what was then a top North Carolina dairy farm.
Today, David and his wife Cheryl bring that same openness of spirit to the choices of their own college-aged kids: Josie, named for her great-great grandmother; and Talton, whose namesake is that original Josie’s youngest son, Eubert Talton.
“Our goal is to ensure that if they want to farm, they can,” David says. Josie is studying agricultural communications, Talton poultry science.
It was their great-great-great grandmother Martha who purchased the farm’s original 42 acres in Rowan County in the 1880s, as a future living for her young son after her husband died. Over time the farm has grown to 195 acres, supporting the family and a few seasonal employees.
“Sustainability is a word that is passed around pretty liberally. Profitability is part of that. Land and water and air is the farm,” David says. Correll Farms is now protected by conservation easement, which will ensure that it will be farmland in perpetuity.
Recently, Correll switched from overhead irrigation to drip, resulting in a massive drop in water usage. They are using cover crops to protect the soil, and to enrich it with extra organic matter. Such stewardship of “unique and important soils” is of upmost importance to their family. Correll’s are designated as a North Carolina Century Farm.
In the day-to-day of farm and market—Correll Farms is a vendor from Davidson Farmers Market’s earliest days—relationships with customers underpin all that they do.
“We are a seasonal farm and we have a lot of customers,” says David. “We’ve fed their family over the years, and it’s great to go to the market and to watch families grow.”
