Frank Kornegay was Danny’s father and the founder of our operation. He passed away in 2014, but just as Frank was never far from his fields, he now is never far from our minds and hearts. We keep his spirit alive through the retelling of his stories and striving to live the life lessons he taught – both as a farmer and a man.
Frank helped his father on a small, successful farm as he was growing up. They used mules on their farm and one day Frank decided there might be something out there better than a mule. He worked several jobs in the neighboring city of Goldsboro. One of those jobs led Frank to meet his wife, Helen. Frank eventually ended up at the Universal Leaf Tobacco Company as a floor supervisor. Working with the “golden leaf” renewed his passion for farm life. His father gave him some land, and Frank began farming at night after his workday in the city was over. A family friend has commented that, “Frank plowed more tobacco land at night than most farmers did during the day.”
Although, Frank enjoyed his day job, the farming life was where he belonged. So in the 1960s, Frank bought 60 acres of farmland. Then, like he and his father, Frank and his son Danny began farming together.
Over the years, those 60 acres of Johnston County farmland became over 6,000 acres of diversified crops. Danny married his high school sweetheart, Susie and they had two children, Kim and Dan – who help manage the farm and packing facility. There are now 5 grandsons that make up the fifth generation of the farm.