Introducing our new Farm Director, Ty Brooks!
The UGArden team is excited to welcome Ty Brooks (he/him/his) as our new Farm Director!
An Athens native, Ty is a double dawg with a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology and a master’s of Agricultural and Environmental Education. His time as a student sparked an interest in sustainable agriculture that would inform his career moving forward.
“Studying wildlife as an undergrad, you start to get an understanding of a lot of the environmental impacts that human beings have,” Ty said. “One of the biggest being agriculture.”
Living in Chicago, IL, and Boulder, CO, after college, Ty explored the agricultural field as an arborist, IPM technician and even seasonal park ranger. These experiences, along with his time working with local flower growers 3 Porch Farm after returning to Athens, inspired him to learn more about organic farming practices.
The opportunity to do so came during his graduate studies, when Ty chose to pursue a certificate in organic agriculture. This program brought him out to UGArden for the first time.
“I ended up interning here… [and] I loved it,” he said. “I loved the people, I loved everything that it was doing.”
Most recently, Ty worked as farm manager for Winder nonprofit Wimberly’s Roots. There, he was tasked with converting the fields surrounding an old middle school into an impressive community farm. The once abandoned building currently houses several non-profits including the Wimberly’s Roots’ Community Farm, now equipped with a barn, high tunnel and even a teaching kitchen. He also helped to establish the Barrow County Farmers Market during this time.
Once the pandemic hit, Ty stepped down from his position so that he could be at home with his young daughter. But this was far from a pause in his agricultural career. He started Lazy Summer Farm growing vegetables, winter squash, pumpkins and even peaches – becoming a familiar face at Athens-area farmers markets.
As he takes on his new role at UGArden, Ty has lots of hopes for the farm. For example, he wants to revitalize UGArden Herbs. But first, his focus is on increasing awareness of everything happening on the farm already.
“All the work [UGArden does], I don’t think it’s widely known,” Ty said. “So, trying to get more people aware of it. That’s probably my main thing to get going here.”
When he’s not launching community gardens or harvesting peaches, Ty loves spending time with his family. His wife, Anna Belle, is a therapist with a private practice. The pair have 2 daughters, who are 7 and 4 years old, and a chihuahua-daschund mix – AKA a Chiweenie – named Luna.
UGArden is looking forward to the leadership and expertise that Ty will bring to the farm.
