Healthy Soil and Seasonal Recipes at Una Acre Farm
Step onto Una Acre Farm, and you may forget you're just a few minutes' drive from the bustle of Gallatin Pike. Tidy rows of crops and flowers, happy chickens, and a high tunnel full of plants are situated next to the neighbor's hay fields. A traditional farmhouse with a wrap-around porch completes the scene.
This idyllic farm is located within Neely's Bend, an area in Davidson County comprising several hundred acres of lush farmland. Farm owner Tonya Bradford and her neighbors have fought hard to keep development from taking over this precious resource, some of the last land in Nashville zoned for agriculture.
True to the area’s agricultural roots, Tonya and her husband Michael organically grow a bounty of produce and flowers. They also enjoy sharing creative recipes that spotlight the best of what’s in season.
The farming lifestyle is a welcome one for Tonya, a Georgia girl who spent sixteen years working in New York City restaurants. From her little slice of “Narnia,” as Michael has dubbed Neely’s Bend, Tonya connects with food and the earth in a more foundational way. Through her recipes and advocacy for her community, she inspires others to likewise value farmland, conservation practices, and delicious food.
Water health and sustainable farming are top-of-mind at Una Acre Farm, which is situated less than a mile from the Cumberland River on both its east and west sides. Organic no-till methods, mulching, ecological diversity, and crop rotation are important "tools'' for improving soil and plant health. The care shown by Tonya and Michael for the land and water they steward earned Una Acre Farm its River Friendly Farms certification status.
As a certified River Friendly Farm, Una Acre Farm ensures cleaner water, healthier soil, and food security not only for Neely's Bend, but for Nashville as a whole. Through its River Friendly Farms program, the Cumberland River Compact celebrates farms like Una Acre and their conservation efforts by highlighting their farming practices, offering marketing support, and connecting them with funding resources to further their sustainability initiatives.
Neely's Bend is one of the last agricultural zones in Davidson County, which means it is important for Nashville's food security and habitat preservation. Regenerative practices like those deployed at Una Acre Farm protect this vital land and the water that surrounds the bend so that future generations can grow food for our city.
One way Tonya helps bring awareness to her community's important role is by sharing her “farm-to-table” seasonal recipes, like her creamy Swiss chard.
Follow Una Acre Farm on Instagram. You can find Una Acre Farm at both the Amqui Station and 12th South Farmers Markets. Sign up for a Una Acre’s Winter CSA at their website.
