Jim Short, a fifth-generation Franklin farmer, is opening 48 acres of his family's land as a nonprofit regenerative farm, starting with a community volunteer build next week.

Armistead Farm, at 1740 New Highway 96 West in Franklin, is hosting a hoop-house build Monday, Oct. 5, through Saturday, Oct. 10. The high tunnels will allow year-round vegetable production on the property, which holds a Tennessee Century Farm designation. The nonprofit is seeking 16 volunteers per day. No experience is required, and sign-ups are available at armisteadfarm.org/volunteer.

Short, the farm's executive director, said in a statement on the farm's website that the project grows from deep roots.

"My great-great-grandfather purchased this land in 1887 and named it Westbrook," Short wrote. "My father grew up here … in the farmhouse my grandparents built in 1937, among corn and hay fields, dairy cows, and a kitchen garden that fed the family."

The Short family has farmed the same land since 1887. Short spent most of his career in education, first as a high school biology teacher and later working at the national level to improve science instruction. He wrote on the farm's website that hands-on learning in the classroom mirrors what happens on a farm.

Armistead Farm plans to launch a Community Supported Agriculture program in summer 2027, offering seasonal shares of vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs. Educational programming covering food growing, cooking and farm life is planned for 2028. Future operations could include pasture-raised egg production, an orchard and a sheep operation using agroforestry practices, according to the farm's website.

The 48-acre nonprofit farm sits within a larger 200-acre development called the Armistead agrihood, a partnership between the Short family and Franklin-based developer Character Development. The agrihood's website describes it as Middle Tennessee's first agrihood, where residents would live alongside working crop and livestock production.

Short's son Will represents the sixth generation of the family on the land.

What's next

  • Monday, Oct. 5 – Saturday, Oct. 10: Volunteer hoop-house build at Armistead Farm. Sign up at armisteadfarm.org/volunteer.
  • Summer 2027: CSA program launch.
  • 2028: Educational programming opens.