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By David Walsh

Photo: Cal Turner Jr. and his Micro Sheepadoodle puppy, Maggi, in front of pictures of Turner’s parents, Cal Sr. and Laura.

BY LANDON WOODROOF

If there is one piece of land in Brentwood that seems to attract in equal measure admiration, devotion, nostalgia and speculation it is Cal Turner Jr.’s Green Pastures Farm.

The farm clings to a place in the public imagination like dew to dawn grass. The strength of the emotions that are invested in this piece of land, the part it plays in any conversation about the future of the city, make it appear almost more symbol than place.

But it is a place. A uniquely beautiful one perhaps, but a place nevertheless, and more specifically a property belonging to Cal Turner Jr. and his family. And as much as the Turner family has enjoyed sharing it with so many in the past—and plan on continuing to share it in certain ways with the Brentwood community in the future—they have decided now the farm needs to go back to being first and foremost their home.

“We’d like to reclaim Green Pastures as a residence,” Turner said in an interview at his Burton Hills office. “With the broad use of the land by lots and lots of people, we feel that it’s time for it to return to the status of being our land.”

Right now, that means no more horse boarding, as was mentioned at Monday night’s City Commission meeting and subsequently reported on by the Brentwood Home Page.

“The ownership of the farm was not the same with all the various horse operations on the land,” Turner explained.

The decision was a personal one, and, contrary to some theories posted online in recent days, had nothing to do with any desire to develop the land.

“We don’t have any plans for development,” Turner said.

Turner’s deep affection for the land is evident in talking to him. When discussing it, he mentions his family frequently, and how the farm ties into a multi-generational love of land ownership.

“The Turners have always been interested in land,” he said. “In our past, it was farmland. In our present, it is unusually placed farm land. And we decided that the time for sharing our land in such a broad-based way needed to come to an end so it could return to being our land.”

As further proof of his connection to the place, Turner mentions the fact that Green Pastures has not exactly been a moneymaker for him over the years.

“It’s a family property,” he said. “Why would I have lost money every year on owning that property except that I consider it something for the Turner family?”

For all the talk of family, though, Turner appreciates the special role his farm plays in the hearts and minds of not only Brentwood residents but many others who drive on Concord Road or Franklin Road on a regular basis. The connection they feel to his farm, makes Turner consider them almost like family as well.

“Now, I’ll admit that the Turner family has expanded a great deal and now seems to include the whole community,” he said. “And I feel good about that. I like that.”

Turner has sought to cultivate that sense of community ever since he purchased the land.

“We’ve always maintained the land in what we consider to be a community-pleasing way,” he said. “And we consider that our responsibility as owners of the land. We continue to consider it our responsibility.”

One way Turner has woven Green Pastures into the fabric of the community is through the mural that is placed each Christmas on the pavilion at the farm. The pavilion was built after the barn that once stood on the same site was damaged in a storm.

“My guess is that only Turners would spend the money to put up a new structure whose sole purpose is to hold up our Christmas card for the community,” he said, explaining how the pavilion was specifically designed to fit the mural on it. “That’s one way we hope to continue sharing the farm with everyone. At Christmas.”

As for what will become of the farm in years to come, Turner is not sure, although he did mention that his grandson, Cal Turner IV, loves farming.

“It was originally a horse farm,” he said. “What it will be in the future I don’t know. But at least for now it’s time for it to be our residence.”

What he does know is that whatever is eventually decided for the land will not be to everyone’s liking. 

“There are many opinions about what should happen on that large property, which makes me know that there’s no plan that would please everybody,” he said. “I understand that. Years ago I announced that I had no plans for being a part of the development. I still don’t have any plans.”

Turner’s decision has already led to an outpouring of emotion on social media, with some lamenting the fact that they will no longer have horses to gaze at during their morning commute. Others, though, have left messages more bittersweet, focusing not on what is being lost, but on what they were able to enjoy for so long.

“Thank you, Turner family,” Susannah Dwyer, who has boarded her horse at Green Pastures, wrote on Facebook. “My horse Lily has loved her time here. As have I. Thank you for the amazing memories.”