Nashville is home to Neely’s Bend, one of two agricultural communities within Davidson County, TN. Zack Howell is the third generation of his family to farm in Neely’s Bend at Riverview Farm. For nearly a century, the Howell family has raised crops and livestock on 113 acres hugged by the Cumberland River, just a few miles from the bustle of Gallatin Pike.
Zack always felt pulled to the land, even as other career opportunities drew him into the music industry. In his grandfather’s twilight years, the farm sat largely fallow and untended. The banks of the ponds eroded inward, and noxious weeds began to sprout. When the land came to Zack’s hands after his grandfather passed away, it was in need of attention and care.
Zack reinstated a beef cattle operation, and with it, he brought a vision of renewed stewardship to his beloved family land. Where invasive weeds, untended fields, and overflowing ponds existed, he envisioned lush pastures, towering shade trees, a robust riparian area, and healthy cattle rotating between paddocks.
Working with the Soil & Water Conservation District
Zack’s first order of business was to get in touch with the local conservation district. The Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) brought together experts from National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) to create a conservation roadmap for the farm. The conservation district connected him to the Cumberland River Compact due to its River Friendly Farms Grazing School, a program that enables farmers to learn about and obtain funding for conservation projects that enhance soil health and improve water quality on livestock operations.
Cattle at Risk
One immediate concern for Zack was the existing fence that ran along the Cumberland River at the edge of his property. The fence was not sturdy enough to properly contain cattle. Calves were able to slip through the strands of barbed wire, and their mothers would either chase them down the steep banks to the river, endangering themselves, or low in distress until Zack could find the missing calf. This was not only a heartbreaking and perilous occurrence, but it was also detrimental to water quality.
How Cattle Impact Waterways
Cattle are drawn to bodies of water to drink and cool their body temperature. Unfortunately, these heavy animals erode stream banks as they make their way into the water, filling the water with dirt particles (sediment) that can harm or even kill aquatic wildlife. Sediment can also be a vehicle for chemicals and heavy metals, and when a waterway is overloaded with it, it has cascading effects up the food chain.
Pathogens also commonly enter water bodies through cattle manure, creating health risks for both wildlife and people who use them as a drinking source.
According to the most recent data reported to the Environmental Protection Agency from the Tennessee Division of Water Resources and Kentucky Division of Water, pathogens and sediment are the top two pollutants in the Cumberland River watershed. Because of these risks, soil and water health experts recommend that livestock farmers use alternative watering methods, such as troughs or tanks.
The Solution: Exclusionary Fence
Keeping calves out of the water at Riverview Farm was of prime importance to protect the Cumberland River. In June and July of 2025, Zack installed 4,000 feet of exclusionary fencing: fencing meant to exclude livestock from sensitive areas, such as creeks, rivers, or sinkholes. The new, sturdy fencing is built of welded wire, treated wooden posts, and metal t-posts. It will stand for decades to come, protecting the river and the cattle.
The Cumberland River Compact paid for a portion of the fencing materials through its cost-share program for managed grazing projects.
Comprehensive Conservation at Riverview Farm
This conservation project extends beyond Zach’s work with the Compact. The SWCD and TDA’s Agricultural Resources Conservation Fund also stepped in to help pay for cross-fencing and heavy use areas.
The cross-fencing serves to divide up pastures for use in a rotational grazing system, allowing the grasses and soil at Riverview Farm more downtime to regenerate. Rotational grazing is extremely beneficial for land and water health; it builds up the grasses’ root systems and microorganisms in the soil, which leads to healthier soil, capable of withstanding drought, flood, or other disturbances.
Heavy use areas are essentially concrete pads installed around watering or feeding troughs where cows like to gather. The concrete prevents muddy areas from forming due to the damage from cattle’s hooves, which in turn prevents erosion and keeps sediment out of waterways.
Laying the Groundwork for Improved Riparian Habitat
The new fencing at Riverview Farm is the first step toward protecting the Cumberland River and its tributaries in Neely’s Bend. The second step is to enhance the riparian area, or the buffer of trees and shrubs between Zack’s pastures and the river.
In the winter of 2026, the Cumberland River Compact’s Root Nashville campaign will provide large trees for the riparian area at Riverview Farm, which has been widened through the strategic placement of the new exclusionary fence. Trees are a Swiss army knife for water quality: They absorb runoff coming from urban or agricultural lands and capture rain as it falls, improving water infiltration. They stabilize stream banks with their root systems, mitigating potential erosion, and they keep the ground cool and help regulate humidity.
At Riverview Farm, increased tree canopy will also help keep Zack’s cattle cool on hot days. Trees will be planted sporadically throughout the pastures to serve this same purpose.
Zack has agreed to keep the trees watered throughout their first of life, ensuring their success.
A Thriving Future
The new infrastructure and conservation plan in place at Riverview Farm marks a crucial first step in realizing Zack’s vision of a thriving family farm. This collaboration between SWCD, TDA, NRCS, and the Compact showcases the power of non-profit and government organizations working in tandem to support farms—not only for the farmers themselves, but for the preservation of working lands and waterways on which we all rely.