A Life Redirected

Nursery crops and horticulture are a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States with farmers growing and selling everything from pansies to pine trees. What about the plants at your home? Well, some of them may have come from an Alabama farm whose owner wasn't quite planning the career he's had.

Spring and summer are in full bloom at Wright's Nursery and Greenhouse– one of Alabama's most successful grower operations. Wright's is a production powerhouse, turning out more than 4 million plants a year. Many are grown in the farm's 92 thousand square foot greenhouse. But this farm success story comes, in large part from owner David Wright's ability to turn tragedy into triumph. At the looks of him, you may think something is missing, but David disagrees.

He says, "I attribute me having this one arm to everything that we have today, because that was the beginning."

In 1966, David lost his right arm in a farm machinery accident. That's when his dad decided that some changes on the farm might create a new future for his son. He explains, "My daddy decided to build a greenhouse to sort of give me something to do."

David's wife Martha tells a story, "Well we got married, this greenhouse was a small greenhouse, a family thing, and we all worked together and built it up to a two acre business."

Four generations are at work on the Wright family farm including David's mother, who has a special title herself. Adelle Wright says, "Yes'um just anything that comes to hand. (Laughter) I have been president of the company; I'm the janitor now, the baby sitter, working here on this. Or whatever comes to hand, I do."

But even with everyone pitching in, profitability comes from knowing your products and your market. David Wright the third, "Davy" to his friends, handles sales. His wife, Heather, oversees office operations. David Wright the third explains, "Vegetables are big right now, mainly because the economy, I believe. But I believe that they will continue to increase. More people want to plant vegetables, buy local. You can't get more local than your backyard."

And "turning a profit" these days means "turning out crops" faster than in the past. A new transplanter speeds up the process. David says, "Our product has a three-week window of opportunity, in order to make a profit; you need to put another crop in as soon as it gets out."

The Wright's also grow 1400 acres of timber, harvesting some of the trees each year. And they connect with their customers – answering horticulture questions online at their website.

The family farming connection even includes Davy's son, Noah, the next generation to plant his hands and heart in the soil. David adds, "But the best thing is that you're working around your family and friends. So I just love the people. I love the plants. I just love everything about this industry and this business."

The Wrights consider their operation a "farm to family" business, delivering something from the earth to those who appreciate it. Martha adds, "It gives you a good feeling to know that you've worked hard, and people need to have plants in their yard, and they need to do things that are green. I think, environmentally I think that's the main thing."

David says, "At 14 I didn't think having one arm was too good. But by the time I was 20 years old, I realized that that's the best thing that ever happened to me."