African American farm owner continues legacy with Ruby’s Happy Farm

CROSS PLAINS, Tenn. – At Ruby’s Happy Farm, there are more than just crops being produced here. Meaningful relationships are being built, and generations are being inspired.

Ashley Brooks, owner and operator of Ruby’s Happy Farm, says, “As we know, sharecropping in the early 1900s was not ideal. Farmers worked for land owners and had to split the profits from the sale of the crops with the land owners, and it just trapped families in poverty for years. But in 1958, an opportunity became available for my grandparents to purchase their own ten-acre farm. And here we are 68 years later.”

Brooks is an African American female farm owner making a massive difference in the world of agriculture by continuing her ancestors’ legacy in a re-imagined way.

She says, “When I started farming, I noticed that all my farming coworkers were men. I’m like, ‘okay, we need to get into this, right?’ You still can wear your nails, your makeup, and still be girly and be a farmer. So we have evolved or expanded our ag education programming.”

One of Brooks’ top priorities is education, because of the impact and many lessons learned along the way.

“It’s important to prepare the next generations just like my grandparents prepared and laid the foundation. I want to do that for future generations, because it’s so important to know where your food comes from and how it’s produced.”

Along with the fresh crops that are produced at Ruby’s Happy Farm, the 10 acres of land have also created a space for people to connect.

She says, “We are honoring heritage and celebrating legacy together. So we’ll have a farm-to-table dinner on Friday night. So delicious. And then Saturday, all day, the festival will have a drumline out here banging on drums, getting our hearts pumping. We’ll have live entertainment, vendors, and food. And then this year on Sunday, we’re closing out with a laid-back Sunday cookout and on Father’s Day.”

“There are several opportunities for you all to come out and enjoy the fun events happening here at Ruby’s Happy Farm, visit its website.