UGArden is supported by a wonderful group of student volunteers, UGArden Club members, interns, a farm manager, Americorps Volunteers, UGA faculty, Master Gardeners and community members. The continued success and growth of UGArden is the result of the dedication and hard work of these people. The people that make up the UGArden community give freely of their time and energy. Without them, UGArden is just a roadside field.
UGArden Staff
Ty Brooks, Farm Director (he/him) ty.brooks@uga.edu is a Double Dawg with a bachelor’s in Wildlife Biology and master’s in Agricultural and Environmental Education. He is an experienced farmer who is passionate about organic growing practices. Ty loves spending time outside with his wife Anna Belle, their 2 daughters and their dogs, Elvis and Luna.
April McCoy, Farm Manager (she/her) april.mccoy@uga.edu graduated from UGA with a degree in Ecology, a certificate in Organic agriculture, and a minor in studio art. She is interested in environmental education with groups of all ages and experience levels. April enjoys working with medicinal plants and hanging out with the farm’s cat, Tulsi.
Tulsi, Farm Cat (she/her) is a the farm cat. She has special interests in Integrative Pest Management (IPM), meeting people, and taking long naps in the office when it is cold.
Student Workers
Faith (she/her) is a 4th year Horticulture student. She loves working at UGArden because she enjoys being outside and working with plants. She also cares about the mission of UGArden and being able to impact her local community! She also loves to pet Tulsi, the farm cat. A fun fact about her is that she creates new themes for her phone homescreen for every season.
Office of Sustainability Interns
HORT 3920 Interns
We welcome a new group of interns to the farm each semester (fall, spring, and summer). No prior farming experience is necessary and we usually receive interns of all backgrounds, majors, and levels of experience.
Learn about our current interns and see what they’ve been up to on our Instagram!
Master Volunteers
Donald Fowler, Resident Builder (he/him) is from Cordelle, GA. He is a retired contractor. Donald is our resident tiny house finisher, shelf builder and general handy-man.
Dr. Peter Hartel, Mushroom Guru (he/him) is a retired UGA soil microbiology professor who has a passion for organics, especially chickens and mushrooms. He has constructed a very efficient shiitake mushroom growing area at UGArden as a demonstration. Peter teaches classes in mushroom production (shiitake and oyster mushrooms) to students and volunteer.
Bert Richards, Master Composter (he/him)is a Master Gardener Extension Volunteer and helps at the UGA Trial Gardens, State Botanical Garden of Georgia, and UGA Horticulture Farm. He recently completed the Master Composter course and currently oversees composting at UGArden. He retired from Georgia State University as Lecturer in Accounting in 2013.
Rand Young, Compost Manager (he/him) retired from his career as a cartographer/geographer in 2021 and soon after began volunteering at the UGArden. He was hooked right away. “There are a hundred reasons why I keep showing up at the UGArden. These are 3 big ones: First: The staff, faculty and students who I meet and work with there. Their knowledge, energy and the camaraderie are wonderful! Second: They grow tons of organic food and they share it with people in the local community who need it. Third: I always wanted a big, productive garden. Now I get to work in one, and I get to share the experience with others who love gardening too.”
Faculty Advisory Committee
April McCoy
Ty Brooks
Kate Cassity-Duffey
Leonardo Lombardini
Jennifer Thompson
David Knauft
Julie Campbell
Kevin Kirsche
Shannon Brooks
Amanda Tedrow
Jennifer Cruse-Sanders
Elizabeth Little