Traverse the countryside of our fast-growing region. Notice how many home communities have “farm” or “farms” in the name?

It’s no mystery as to why. Land that was once used for crops is now raising houses as succeeding generations of farming families pivot in a different direction.

Ashley Brooks is bucking that trend and blazing a trail as a female owner of an agricultural enterprise.

She is now the third generation of her family to farm their land in Cross Plains and has even given it a name in tribute to her grandmother, Ruby Richmond. This is Ruby’s Happy Farm.

Why have “happy” in the name? Let Ashley explain.

“You can’t help but to smile when you hear the word happy!” she laughs. “It just makes the world a better place. We really do exude happiness in everything we do on this farm, and we want to spread that joy to others.”

With that positive mindset, Ashley, who splits her time between Cross Plains and her home in the Chicago area, is focused on expanding Ruby’s Happy Farm beyond growing a variety of crops into an agritourism destination. Ashley has already hosted a well-received event, the inaugural Ruby’s Happy Farm Juneteenth Festival on June 17.

More than 500 attendees came from as far away as Louisville and Chicago, and dignitaries such as U.S. Representative Mark Green and Nashville Vice Mayor Jim Shulman also came to support the day’s activities. The festive mix included live music, an African drum/dance group, food trucks, vendor booths, a kid’s corner, and even a presentation on beekeeping and the importance of pollination.

“I wanted to be sure there was an agricultural element to the festival,” recounts Ashley. “There was something for everyone.”

On Aug. 5, Ruby’s tranquil setting was the site for “Let Grow to Grow,” which included meditation, yoga, and massage.

These two events are only the tip of the iceberg for what Ashley has in the works, though. Plans include farm-to-table dinners, “glamping,” movie nights under the stars, and more.

The farm also rotates between raising pumpkins, sunflowers, and hemp and offers an assortment of “farm to bottle” hemp products at www.rubyshappyfarm.com.

“There are so many wonderful opportunities that hemp offers to help people live their best lives,” says Ashley, who earned her undergraduate degree at Tennessee State University and graduate degree in Public Health from the University of Kentucky. “I’ve done a lot of research on the plant and its many, many benefits and have educated people since many don’t know that much about it.”

From above, Ruby is smiling at what her granddaughter is accomplishing. It’s enough to make a person, well, happy!

And Ashley is soaking up every ounce of this fulfilling, family-fueled experience. With a positive mindset, of course.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift— that’s why they call it the present,” she says.