Thank you to everyone who joined us on September 23rd, 2025, for our membership meeting hosted by Hillary Doucet of Broken Shovel Farm, located in South Knoxville at 4907 French Road. It was a pleasure to gather in person at this beautiful working farm and share time with members, volunteers, and staff in the field. Hillary welcomed us with warmth and openness, leading a tour of the farm’s layout, sharing her vision, and speaking about the farm’s practices, challenges, and opportunities. Meetings like this help ground our Alliance in the real, day-to-day realities of growing, stewardship, and innovation.
Broken Shovel Farm is known as a small, family-run operation that leans into sustainable practices. According to Three Rivers Market, the farm uses no-till practices, avoids plastic, and relies on manual irrigation and harvest. threeriversmarket.coop The farm grows a variety of herbs, garlic, onions, cucumbers, and more. threeriversmarket.coop They also integrate animal systems—goats, chickens, and bees help with weed control, pollination, and overall farm ecology. threeriversmarket.coop Broken Shovel also makes its name as a learning and community hub: the farm is used for homeschool learning and community engagement in sustainable growing. threeriversmarket.coop Additionally, it is listed in the FarmSouth / ASAP local food directories, showing its connections to regional markets.
One of the highlights our group took away was the announcement that Broken Shovel hosts Farm Fridays, when the farm is open to the public (visiting, learning, purchasing). We encourage all Alliance members and neighbors to stay in touch with Hillary and the farm—she’s always looking for volunteers and permanent land stewards. Whether you’re interested in hands-on growing, ecological restoration, or outreach, this farm offers meaningful ways to get involved.
We are grateful to Hillary and the Broken Shovel community for hosting our gathering, and we look forward to more field-based meetings that connect us deeply to the soil, the seasons, and the people who make Knoxville’s growing community possible.