Ripe old age
UGArden marks 15 years of growing food and community with gala
UGArden, UGA's student-powered, sustainable community farm, celebrated 15 years of growth and harvest at the Garden Gala on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Over 100 people gathered at Flinchum's Phoenix in Athens to celebrate, reminisce and enjoy a farm-to-table dinner. The event raised crucial funds for the farm.
UGArden, UGA's student-powered, sustainable community farm, celebrated 15 years of growth and harvest at the Garden Gala on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Over 100 people gathered at Flinchum's Phoenix in Athens to celebrate, reminisce and enjoy a farm-to-table dinner. The event raised crucial funds for the farm.
Happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday dear UGArden!
Fifteen years ago, what is now a thriving, 10-acre teaching farm began as little more than a beat-up cattle run, according to UGArden founding member Mary Carlson Streiffert. Today, UGArden is not only a model of sustainable agriculture at the University of Georgia: It’s also a cherished community garden built by and for students, where they can learn to grow food organically, connect with the land and serve the broader Athens community.
In 2010, Streiffert, the first president of the UGArden Club, was one of a small group of students passionate about the environment and sustainable agriculture. They formed a group called the Campus Community Garden Initiative and created the proposal for a student teaching farm.
With the support of the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the UGA Grounds Department, the group's dream took root on a vacant, sunny plot of land just 2 miles down the road from the main campus next to existing horticulture greenhouses. A year later, through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Higher Education Challenge Grant, UGArden began offering formal courses.
The mission of UGArden is simple yet meaningful: to build a community of students grounded in sustainable food systems. That mission heralded programs like UGArden Herbs — a student-led business selling medicinal teas and spice blends — as well as partnerships with organizations such as Campus Kitchen at UGA, Concrete Jungle and Fresh Express to address food insecurity in the Athens area.
The teaching farm also serves as an interdisciplinary research site that provides a wide range of opportunities for teaching faculty and research scientists.
Since 2010, UGArden has donated more than 150,000 pounds of produce to food-insecure individuals and families in the community. The farm has served more than 4,000 students, hosted more than 15,000 tour participants, welcomed 7,000 local schoolchildren, and engaged more than 8,000 volunteers who have contributed over 42,000 hours of service.
Honoring the student community farm’s legacy, a merry collection of past and current UGArden staff, students, interns, volunteers and faculty attended last month's UGArden Gala to celebrate.
MrJordanMrTonks, the eponymously named collaboration between longtime Athens musicians William Tonks (left) and Tommy Jordan.
MrJordanMrTonks, the eponymously named collaboration between longtime Athens musicians William Tonks (left) and Tommy Jordan.
Happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday dear UGArden!
Fifteen years ago, what is now a thriving, 10-acre teaching farm began as little more than a beat-up cattle run, according to UGArden founding member Mary Carlson Streiffert. Today, UGArden is not only a model of sustainable agriculture at the University of Georgia: It’s also a cherished community garden built by and for students, where they can learn to grow food organically, connect with the land and serve the broader Athens community.
In 2010, Streiffert, the first president of the UGArden Club, was one of a small group of students passionate about the environment and sustainable agriculture. They formed a group called the Campus Community Garden Initiative and created the proposal for a student teaching farm.
With the support of the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the UGA Grounds Department, the group's dream took root on a vacant, sunny plot of land just 2 miles down the road from the main campus next to existing horticulture greenhouses. A year later, through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Higher Education Challenge Grant, UGArden began offering formal courses.
The mission of UGArden is simple yet meaningful: to build a community of students grounded in sustainable food systems. That mission heralded programs like UGArden Herbs — a student-led business selling medicinal teas and spice blends — as well as partnerships with organizations such as Campus Kitchen at UGA, Concrete Jungle and Fresh Express to address food insecurity in the Athens area.
The teaching farm also serves as an interdisciplinary research site that provides a wide range of opportunities for teaching faculty and research scientists.
Since 2010, UGArden has donated more than 150,000 pounds of produce to food-insecure individuals and families in the community. The farm has served more than 4,000 students, hosted more than 15,000 tour participants, welcomed 7,000 local schoolchildren, and engaged more than 8,000 volunteers who have contributed over 42,000 hours of service.
Honoring the student community farm’s legacy, a merry collection of past and current UGArden staff, students, interns, volunteers and faculty attended last month's UGArden Gala to celebrate.
MrJordanMrTonks, the eponymously named collaboration between longtime Athens musicians William Tonks (left) and Tommy Jordan.
MrJordanMrTonks, the eponymously named collaboration between longtime Athens musicians William Tonks (left) and Tommy Jordan.
Guests enjoyed bespoke cocktails featuring herbs from UGArden — the drink in the foreground, called "April Flowers," contained Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka and mint. The bourbon cocktail was dubbed the "Lower Barn."
Guests enjoyed bespoke cocktails featuring herbs from UGArden — the drink in the foreground, called "April Flowers," contained Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka and mint. The bourbon cocktail was dubbed the "Lower Barn."
Appetizers included zucchini and squash puffs, pickled vegetable skewers with basil from Winterville's Woodland Gardens, and smoked mushrooms on baguettes from Athens' own Independent Baking Co.
Appetizers included zucchini and squash puffs, pickled vegetable skewers with basil from Winterville's Woodland Gardens, and smoked mushrooms on baguettes from Athens' own Independent Baking Co.
Key figures from UGArden’s past and present stand together in celebration of its legacy and growth. From left: Peter Hartel, former professor and early advocate for mushroom cultivation at UGArden; David Berle, faculty founder and former director; April McCoy, current farm manager; Noelle Joy, who transformed the herb program into a successful product line; JoHannah Biang, longtime farm manager whose Ph.D. research focused on the internship program’s impact; and Ty Brooks, current UGArden director.
Key figures from UGArden’s past and present stand together in celebration of its legacy and growth. From left: Peter Hartel, former professor and early advocate for mushroom cultivation at UGArden; David Berle, faculty founder and former director; April McCoy, current farm manager; Noelle Joy, who transformed the herb program into a successful product line; JoHannah Biang, longtime farm manager whose Ph.D. research focused on the internship program’s impact; and Ty Brooks, current UGArden director.
India Barfield, executive chef and sustainability coordinator for UGA Dining Services, prepares a tray of smoked mushrooms on baguettes from Independent Baking Co.
India Barfield, executive chef and sustainability coordinator for UGA Dining Services, prepares a tray of smoked mushrooms on baguettes from Independent Baking Co.
With a menu of fresh herbs and vegetables grown at UGArden and sourced from local farmers to a hog roast served family-style, dinner was presented by the hard-working, committed volunteers and community partners who have supported the teaching farm.
“A lot of interns who come out here don’t necessarily know what to expect,” said Ty Brooks, UGArden director. “They might have some preconceived notions about farming, but once they’re here, many discover new interests. Some think they won’t be into equipment, and then they get on a tractor for the first time and everything changes.”
Brooks, a former UGArden intern himself, sees how working on the farm helps build students’ confidence and belief in themselves.
While UGArden is part of CAES, Brooks said students from across the university find their way to the farm through word of mouth.
“It spreads far beyond anything we could do through advertising,” he said. “Hearing directly from other students is what inspires new interns to join us.”
Brooks and April McCoy, UGArden’s farm manager, emphasize that UGArden is a fully operational small farm — one that balances educational programming with day-to-day production.
“We host tours, teach classes and work with volunteers,” McCoy said. “But we’re also managing harvests, planting rotations and staying on top of everything a real farm requires.”
UGArden Farm Manager April McCoy makes remarks during the gala.
UGArden Farm Manager April McCoy makes remarks during the gala.
Chef Gregory Zock, formerly of Heirloom Café, prepares grits grown from corn and stone ground by students in Ocilla, Georgia, at the Center for Agricultural Study and Excellence.
Chef Gregory Zock, formerly of Heirloom Café, prepares grits grown from corn and stone ground by students in Ocilla, Georgia, at the Center for Agricultural Study and Excellence.
Smoked chicken, hog and tofu were prepared in a smokehouse on-site.
Smoked chicken, hog and tofu were prepared in a smokehouse on-site.
Through a recent Kubota Hometown Proud grant, with additional funding from the UGA Office of Sustainability, UGArden opened a solar-powered farm stand equipped with refrigeration to preserve fresh produce. The stand operates on a “pay-what-you-can” model and is already seeing steady demand.
“This helps fill gaps where other relief programs can’t,” McCoy said. “Sometimes it’s about timing or eligibility; people might not qualify for assistance but still need access to healthy food. Here they can come when they’re able, pay what they can and leave with what they’ll actually eat.”
Brooks added that UGArden avoids operating a traditional farmers market in order not to compete with local growers.
“This isn’t about making a profit,” he said. “It’s about making fresh produce accessible.
Chef Marcos Muñoz of Independent Baking Co. prepares fresh fruit to top the pavlova served for dessert.
Chef Marcos Muñoz of Independent Baking Co. prepares fresh fruit to top the pavlova served for dessert.
As the gala evening wore on, guests sipped herbal tea blends crafted from UGArden herbs, sweetened with honey from the UGA Bee Lab. Stories flowed as freely as the tea, highlighting the countless ways UGArden has impacted the lives of students and the Athens community.
UGArden isn’t just a place to learn how to grow vegetables organically. It’s a place where students learn about themselves and find new interests, start small businesses, tackle food insecurity and find community — all while learning to care for the environment and each other.
Happy birthday, UGArden.
Here's to many more.
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