CL-Nov/Dec_2024 - 12

COOPERATIVE FOCUS
Community Roots
Tradition runs deep at Maryland Christmas tree farm
by Katie Luckett, Contributing Writer
Charlie Cawley inspects
the needles on a pre-cut tree
for sale in their pavilion.
Amy Cawley proudly holds
two wreaths for sale, made
fresh from trees on the farm.
C
harles " Charlie " Cawley and his wife, Jane, aren't
just tree farmers. Th ey are also the creators of holiday
memories.
As the proud owners and operators of Cawley Family
Farm, a Christmas tree operation in Denton, Md., and a
staple on the Eastern Shore, the farm's slogan " Experience
a Family Tradition " stems from Cawley's fond memories of
cutting Christmas trees with his family growing up - one he
hopes to share with other families who visit his farm for the
holiday season each year. " Growing up, dad couldn't aff ord
a tree, so we had to go out to the woods and cut one down, "
he remembers fondly. " I can still smell those trees. "
Th e Cawleys' farm is located just across from Choptank
Electric Cooperative's headquarters and was purchased by
the Cawley family in the early 1900s as a dairy farm. Charlie
and Jane purchased the adjoining farm in 1988 and started
planting Christmas trees in 1996.
Th e farm was one of the fi rst residences to get hooked
up to electricity by CEC in 1940. " Back then, granddad
and dad kept dairy cows, and they even ran a milk route in
Denton in the 1940s, " Cawley says. " But one day in 1963
when I was 10 years old, I came home from school and
all the cows had been sold. It was a strange feeling, but
10 * Cooperative Living * November-December 2024
they later bought 200 feeder pigs to keep us all busy. "
Last year, the farm became connected to Choptank
Fiber's high-speed broadband internet. " Choptank Fiber has
helped our sales system on the farm as we can now process
digital transactions and allow speedy credit card payments
from a mobile app, including Apple Pay, " says Cawley.
" Th at's important because we are the last tree farm leſt on
the Eastern Shore, and we draw customers from all over. "
Tradition and farming run deep for Cawley, who continues
to manage the farm with his wife Jane and his daughter Amy.
His father, Wayne Cawley Jr., was the Maryland Secretary
of Agriculture from 1979-1991. His grandfather, Wayne
Cawley Sr., was on the original CEC board of directors
during its founding, leaving legacies and impacting the
agriculture and electric cooperative industries.
" Our farm is directly across from Choptank headquarters,
so it stands to reason that we would have a connection, "
Cawley says.
Cawley was a state and local community leader for many
years before operating Cawley Family Farm. He served as
an administrator for Caroline County, Md., worked for the
Maryland Department of Agriculture, and was the Finance
Director for Maryland Broadband Cooperative. Cawley
co-opliving.com
PHOTO COURTESY EDWIN REMSBERG / REMSBERG.COM
PHOTO BY MCKAYLA KIERNAN
http://www.REMSBERG.COM http://www.co-opliving.com
CL-Nov/Dec_2024

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