Marksbury Farm Market opened in northern Garrard County in August 2010, filling a pressing need in Kentucky’s fast-growing local food economy. As a local food hub, the 12,000-square-foot, USDA-inspected meat processing and distribution facility produces a wide variety of natural meat products from locally grown, humanely raised cattle, hogs and poultry, all free of growth hormones, steroids and antibiotics. The company’s logo reflects its commitment to maximizing the values of Kentucky’s rich forage base and strong farm family traditions through production of the highest quality local, natural meats.
The Marksbury processing facility and its nearby retail butcher shop produce traditional cuts of beef, pork and poultry, as well as a variety of value-added cured and cooked products. Marksbury targets retail consumers, restaurants, independent grocers, and institutional food buyers as its primary markets. The company is also pioneering an innovative method of local meat marketing through its Community Food Clubs, groups of friends and neighbors coming together in partnership around a shared commitment to the highest quality food. Marksbury also offers a full range of USDA-inspected contract processing services to dozens of farmers engaged in direct-marketing businesses.
It is Kentucky farm families producing the animals that truly set Marksbury Farm Market apart, according to founding partners Preston Correll, Greg Correll, Richard McAlister and John-Mark Hack. Marksbury currently works with several families from throughout the region, and is constantly looking to cultivate new relationships with farmers who share a commitment to the highest quality, locally produced meats. Marksbury Farm Market seeks to become a profitable marketing option for farm families looking to tap into the growing demand for local foods.
The four partners bring varied backgrounds, diverse talents and unwavering commitments to great food to their management of Marksbury Farm Market. Preston Correll and his wife Rachel have been direct-marketing farmers for several years at their home in Stanford, in Lincoln County, producing beef, pork, poultry, and eggs. Greg Correll, Preston’s cousin, is a resident of Garrard County and serves as General Manager of Marksbury after careers in education, banking, and managing a non-profit foundation. Richard McAlister is a stonemason, from Dumfries, Scotland, who founded and owns McAlister Stone, a small scale stone installation company based in Garrard County. John-Mark Hack, a Woodford County resident, has worked in Kentucky agriculture for over 20 years, and established the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy in 1998 during the administration of Governor Paul Patton. He also served as the first President of the Kentucky Tobacco Settlement Trust Corporation and the first CEO of the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund.
