Southall: A Resort Experience That Protects Our Waterways

Regenerative farming and sustainability are key tenets of Southall Farm & Inn, an upscale resort and farm situated on 325 acres just outside of Franklin, Tennessee.

Regenerative farming is best defined as a “closed loop system,” or one in which nutrient inputs and outputs stay on one piece of land. Nutrients cycle into the soil in the form of compost, cover crops, or manure; they cycle out of the soil in the form of nutrient-rich food.

Southall, as most people call it, strives to minimize its environmental impact and “close the loop” through such initiatives as an intensive composting system and a property-wide rainwater catchment-to- irrigation setup.

“I’m passionate about water conservation,” says Southall founder, Paul Mishkin. “I insisted from early on that Southall remain self-sufficient for its irrigation, disconnected from the municipal water supply whenever possible. I’m happy to say that Southall has achieved that goal.”

Responsible stewardship of waterways is evident as soon as you arrive at the Southall property. A picture-perfect creek flows through before emptying into the Harpeth River just over a mile away. Its pristine condition is largely due to a “riparian buffer,” the strip of native and deep-rooted plants surrounding the creek. Lucious and inviting, the riparian buffer along Southall’s creek is proof that a healthy riparian zone is both beautiful to the eye and functional for the ecosystem. Also important for water health, animals and composting areas are kept at least 100’ from waterways to ensure that excess nutrients, sediment, and other refuse stay out of the creek. Instead of using chemical fertilizers, which notoriously pollute rivers, Southall nourishes their production fields with natural fertilizers and cover crops. Cover crops are plants that are grown to keep the soil covered while replenishing and mining for nutrients. They are not eaten or sold, but are strictly used to enhance the soil’s health.