Correll  Farms

Talton, David, Cheryl & Josie

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A little Farm History

 In the late1880's Martha Correll, a widow with a young son, purchased land so that Franklin would have an inheritance.  That simple act of love was the beginning of our family and farm.

Franklin Correll married a lady named Josie and they had 8 children. Their youngest child,

Eubert Talton (E.T.) inherited the farm.

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E.T. was born May 20, 1905; as the youngest child, he cared for his parents and the farm while several siblings had to go away to war and others were married and moved away. E.T. was dedicated to the land and his family and over the years he made changes in the operation to make sure it could sustain his family. He was also very concerned about conservation and keeping the land a working farm. In 1938, the farm became

a Grade A Dairy. He saw this as a way to adapt and have a continuous revenue source. 

E.T. and his wife Sadie Sharpe had two children, Samuel Edgar in 1943 and Eubert Talton in 1944.  Growing up on the farm, Sam & Eubert learned the importance of family and stewardship.

As teenagers desiring spending money, their dad suggested they grow a crop of tomatoes.

That decision helped set the course of the farm for many years to come.

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 In the late 1970s, with the retirement of E.T., Sam & Eubert changed the farm to Correll Brothers Farm and continued to work together growing field corn, soybeans, tomatoes and dairy cattle.

The family were partners in Rowan Milk Transport and produced several crops of tomatoes each year.

They served on many local, state and national agriculture boards and committees to help improve

Soil & Water Conservation, milk marketing, tomato varieties and much more.

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In 1996, Sam’s son, David graduated from NC State University with a BS degree in Animal Science

and returned to the farm full time. In the next few years, the dairy flourished and

was recognized as one of the top milking herds in the SouthEast. 

In 1997 David married Cheryl McCoy, a fellow NC State alumni. 

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Farming is a business that must evolve and change in order to remain sustainable.  One of these major changes happened in 2001 when Sam and Eubert sold a tract of land.  The 100 acres of land was not connected to the farm originally purchased by Martha, and they wanted a clear path forward for the home farm to remain in the family as a working farm. The sell of this land changed the farm from Correll Brothers Farm to Correll Farms, LLC. and created a partnership between David and his parents.  Eubert semi-retired but has remained an integral part of the operation.  As the US dairy economy continued to decline, in 2005, a decision was made to sell the dairy herd. This was not an easy decision for David, as most of his life had revolved around studying and working with dairy cattle. However, as a father and husband, he knew he

had to make decisions just as his great grandfather had, to ensure that the farm

could sustain and remain in business.

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In 2015, David was honored as one of the

Top 10 Outstanding Young Farmers in the US

and in 2019 the farm was recognized as the

Conservation Farm Family of the Year 

these are just two of the many recognitions the farm has received over the years

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Today, David & his wife Cheryl operate the farm and their children Josie & Talton are the 6th generation

of Corrells to live on the land. Currently, they raise over 100 varieties of vegetables, several types of potatoes, melons, all kinds of tomatoes and a flock of laying hens that produce colorful and delicious eggs.  

We are in the 10th year of our Old Fashioned Home Delivery service, operate at several farmer’s markets, work with Fresh List to supply restaurants with local products and wholesale tomatoes, peppers and potatoes.

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David follows in the footsteps of his great grandfather, grandfather, father and uncle before him and has worked diligently to improve and sustain the farm.

David has served on and continues to serve on numerous boards that work with agriculture at the local and state levels. Currently, he is the VP of the Rowan Farm Bureau Board, serves as the Agriculture Manager for the Rowan County Fair Association & serves on the Salisbury Farmer’s Market Board. Cheryl is always working to AGvocate for Agriculture and currently is elected to serve as a Soil & Water Conservation Supervisor for the Rowan District.  She is also a member of the Farm Bureau Women’s Committee and serves on the Historic Salisbury Foundation Board of Trustees. Together the family creates the Got to Be NC Ag display at the county fair, works with FFA students, hosts school fieldtrips and groups at the farm,

speaks about the farm and importance of agriculture and much more.

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As the 6th generation attends and plans for college, we hope that they will consider returning to the farm to continue the tradition but ultimately that is up to them.  No matter their decision, our farm will never be developed; we are currently in the final stages of placing the land in a Conservation Easement

that will preserve the farm for perpetuity. We can’t think of a better way to honor the traditions of the

past and advocate for farmland preservation in our community and beyond.

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David on  The Queen's Garden-an Oral History of the Piedmont Foodshed