Callaway Roots Run Deep

By the 1940s much of Georgia’s farmland had been severely depleted by years of sustaining cotton crops; the once-fertile landscape was scarred with gullies of red clay. And as the land eroded, so did the economy, and the spirit of Georgia’s farmers.

Enter Cason Callaway, a Georgia native and successful industrialist with the soul of a farmer. Callaway had made his fortune from cotton, yet the situation caused by that very crop disturbed him. He saw the desperate condition of the land he so loved, and, being by nature a problem-solver, was inspired to experiment with alternative methods of farming. The innovations he developed rejuvenated the soil and led to significant improvements in the health of Georgia’s crops...and their profitability.

The Story Unfolds

They also marked the birth of the legacy which included the Georgia Better Farms Program, created to help farm operators develop sound farming and business practices; the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation, devoted to promoting conservation, restoration and research on native plants and wildlife; and ultimately led to the beauty and inspiration that is Callaway Gardens.

...and continues

In developing EarthHold and MoistuRx, two new products which directly address the problems of small farmers, gardeners and homeowners, Cason’s grandson Ken Callaway blends his powerful family ties with the land with his personal lifelong passion for "figuring it out"-- a trait he also clearly inherited from his famous grandfather --plus a couple of decades working with surface active chemistry and absorbent polymer technology.

"In his time, my grandfather experimented with grasses and terraced planting as techniques for erosion control. So figuring out how to prevent red clay from washing into our crystal streams and ponds is in a way a family calling’, reflects Ken.

That "calling" was seen in the impact that Ken’s grandfather had on Georgia’s landscape and its farming industry, and in the love that his grandmother Virginia had for the native flora of Georgia, and for the simple beauty of wildflowers, shrubs and trees, both of which led to the creation and development of Callaway Gardens.

"For while Cason was a creative gardener, shaping landscapes and moving masses of Georgia soil into new forms and patterns, Virginia was a creative horticulturist, a lady with a green thumb and 20 years experience in the floral possibilities, the shrubbery, the trees, the natural wildflowers and cultivated exotics that thrive in Harris County in the Pine Mountains" (from "Cason Callaway of Blue Springs" by Paul Schubert)

And just as Cason Callaway responded to each challenge with passion and innovation, Ken Callaway is leading his team to discover new products that meet the needs of farmers, gardeners, and homeowners in Georgia and beyond. In addition to EarthHold, a truly revolutionary soil erosion control system that is economical, easy to use and helps the environment, Callaway Industries has introduced MoistuRx, a life-saving spray-on treatment for root bound and drought affected plants.

And in striving to make their products earth-friendly and responsive to a new mandate to conserve precious resources like water, Ken Callaway is taking the Callaway legacy into a new age.