A Love Story Rooted In Agriculture

By Taylor Harris
NC Department of Agriculture

ZEBULON, N.C. – A strong love, just like most crops, must have strong roots. Austin and Christina Wrenn, owners of Wrenn’s Farm in Zebulon, fell in love with agriculture at young ages. With childhoods steeped in agriculture, both Austin and Christina knew they wanted to spend their lives working in the industry. Some may say it’s even what brought them together and ignited their love story.

Wrenn’s Farm has been in Austin’s family for over four generations. “I grew up on the farm and worked here through my high school years,” he said. “I’ve always had a strong love for agriculture and known I wanted to be a farmer.” During his sophomore year of college at N.C. State University, Austin’s father became very sick, forcing the family to shut down the farming operation for a few years.

“I always say that Christina was my silver lining that year, because although my sophomore year was extremely hard, it was also when I met her,” Austin said. Christina, in much the same fashion, also grew up on a small family farm where she fell in love with agriculture. “My mom was a horticulture teacher at our local school, and my dad was an extension agent, so I was surrounded by agriculture at home,” she said. “I’ve always had a love for it, especially horticulture.”

As fate would have it, Christina and Austin met a few times at college events, but truly connected when Christina interviewed Austin at the farmers market for a class assignment. “About a month prior to that interview, Austin and I met at a pizza party and connected over study abroad programs and agriculture,” Christina said.

“When I needed an interview at the farmers market a month later, I knew that I could call on Austin, but I didn’t know that it would be the start of our journey together.” After the interview, Austin had one of his farm staff bail on a shift at the farmers’ market the following day, so he asked Christina if she would be interested in helping. “That day at the market was so rainy, that we ended up sitting on the tailgate and talking all day,” Austin laughed. As they say…the rest is history!

In 2018, Austin restarted the family farm with greenhouse strawberries, field strawberries, and cut flowers. “I always knew that I wanted to come back to the family farm and keep this land in the family for future generations,” he said. “Once Christina graduated, she also came to work full-time on the farm, starting our life in agriculture together.” Austin and Christina were married in 2020 and moved into a beautiful house on the farm, where they continue to live today.

Wrenn’s Farm is home to 8 greenhouse bays, 2.5 acres of outdoor strawberries, 2 acres of cut flowers, 3 greenhouses and 5 high tunnels. In addition to offering their products at local farmers markets and through their on-site farm store, Christina and Austin also host many agritourism events throughout the year to invite community members out to the farm. “In the spring, we offer pick-your-own strawberries for families and friends to enjoy, as well as homemade strawberry ice cream on the farm,” Christina said. “We also offer many summer classes surrounding our cut flowers, like flower arranging and garden tours.” All classes and events can be found on their website and social media platforms, so follow along and sign up for one later this year! “We love teaching children and adults alike about agriculture and horticulture when they visit the farm,” Christina said. “It’s rewarding to see their eyes light up as they learn where their food comes from, pick their favorite flowers, and leave with an arrangement they are proud of.” Products from Wrenn’s Farm can be purchased on-site at their agritourism events, the farm store (open seven days a week starting in April), the Rocky Mount Farmers Market, the Clayton Farm and Community Market, or by messaging them on their social media accounts.

For some couples, working together every day might seem like a daunting task, but Christina and Austin say that it has improved their communication and strengthened their marriage in many ways. “Although we manage everything on the farm together, we do have our separate focus areas,” Austin said. “Christina handles most of the marketing, sales and admin responsibilities alongside all of the cut flower operation, while I am responsible for the strawberry crop, quality checks, and maintenance on the farm.” In addition to working full-time at their family farm, Austin also works part-time at a farm in Wilson and serves as a volunteer firefighter in their community. “So, we do get small breaks from each other,” Christina joked.

From waking up on the farm and working together each day to attending commodity conferences and travelling to visit other strawberry farms across the world, Christina and Austin have rooted their life in agriculture and treasure what they have built together. “Agriculture and marriage have a lot in common when you think about it,” Austin said. “Both take consistency, commitment, teamwork and loyalty. No one can do it all by themselves. Christina and I are a team, both on the farm and off the farm.” Christina echoes his sentiment by concluding that both farming and marriage take hard work, faith and communication. “We have a commitment both to each other and to our farming operation that drives us day in and day out,” she said. “It’s a choice that we make every day, no matter what season we are going through, to stand by one another and work hard toward our goals.”

When they are not working on the farm, Christina and Austin enjoy travelling, beekeeping and attending their local church. “It’s funny to think about our ‘down-time’ activities, because we are almost always involved with agriculture,” Christina said. “Even when we are travelling, we often stop to visit farms in the area and learn about their operations. Agriculture truly is one of our strongest roots and biggest passions.”

Reprinted with permission from the NC Department of Agriculture