Business: D&D Farm Services
Owners: Charlie Daughtrey, Jr. and Jeremy Daughtrey
Location: 2130 Jenkins Mill Road, Suffolk
Phone: 757.617.2601 or 757.617.9693
The farm that Charlie Daughtrey, Jr. and his son Jeremy work is a century farm, which means it has been in the family for over 100 years. After decades of operating it as a row crop farm, Charlie and Jeremy decided it was time for a change. So two-and-a-half years ago, they transformed the operation into a grass farm for hay. The family farm now provides custom cutting for local horse farms and horse owners, as well as baling.
“We’ve got orchard grass and orchard grass/fescue mix, and we’ve got a little bit of Bermuda,” says Charlie. “Horses are like people in that they’re sometimes picky about what they like to eat. For this area, in my opinion orchard grass is prime-quality hay for horses, but some of them would rather have the fescue. Bermuda is good as long as you don’t feed them too much of it because it’s a fine hay, so you can also use that for bedding.”
If you’re in need of some quality hay, call Charlie’s cell phone (757.617.2601) and leave a message. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear back from him right away—in addition to the family farming business, Charlie also still works at International Paper, where he’ll be celebrating his 30th year of employment this coming April. “I’m looking to retire soon so I’m hoping this business will help supplement my pension and carry us through,” says Charlie.
You can also try Jeremy’s cell (757.617.9693), but you’ll need to be a bit patient with him, too. Jeremy is a full-time firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT) for the City of Portsmouth and often works 24-hour shifts. According to Charlie, the farm doesn’t have “normal” business hours, but if you call and leave a message, either father or son will make sure to get back to you as soon as they can.
“It’s a pretty ongoing thing,” says Charlie of the farm operation. “We have busy spells and some not-so-busy spells, but we usually get two good cuttings a year. Depending on the weather, we may get a less productive third cutting.”
With such a hectic schedule, Charlie is glad he can count on Bronco to be there when he needs them. “I joined the credit union when I first started with Union Camp 30 years ago because it was convenient to do what I needed to do right there at work,” says Charlie. Even now, Charlie lives only a few miles from the Franklin Office so he can take care of his business quickly and easily.
“The credit union has grown tremendously, but they still provide really good service,” says Charlie. And over the years Charlie has financed vehicles, mortgages and, most recently, a small business loan for hay farm equipment through Bronco. “I’ve never had any problems in all those years,” he says. “They’re a great bunch of people that you can count on to help you through whatever you need.”
