Building an inclusive community through agriculture
Our mission is to build an inclusive community through agriculture — creating opportunities for people of all abilities to connect with food, land, and one another through seed-to-table education, hands-on learning, and real agricultural work.
Why we exist
Many neurodivergent youth and young adults age out of school with limited opportunities for meaningful work, social connection, and structured daily activities — at the same time, fewer opportunities exist for people to connect with agriculture, local food systems, and community.
The Empathy Farm exists to bridge that gap through agriculture: creating opportunities for skill-building, belonging, and community connection through real farm work, shared experiences, and connection to food and land. Agriculture is not a backdrop here — it's the foundation through which participants build skills, contribute to food production, and connect with community.
Meet the Farmers
Farmer Tristan
Farmer Nicolle
Co-Founder & Farmer
Tristan's spent years with his hands in the soil — over six years of growing vegetables and tending animals between Alabama and Serenbe Farms before starting one. But The Empathy Farm started with something he kept noticing: how few places there are for neurodivergent folks and people with learning disabilities once they age out of school. Farming turned out to be a pretty perfect answer — real structure, real teamwork, and a reason to show up every day. He runs the farm ops here: what gets planted, when, and how it all comes together season to season and ensuring our practices are beyond organic. When he's not farming, you can find him playing with his doggies, enjoying a trail, or fishin.'
Co-Founder & Community Builder
Nicolle spent 17 years in management consulting before trading corporate life for seed packets and soil-covered hands. What drew her to farming wasn't just the joy of growing delicious, organic food — it was the opportunity to convene people around it. To create a place where people gather over good food, work alongside one another, know each other's names, and feel like they belong. A place where everyone can belong. If you show up on a farm day, she's probably the one asking how your week's been. When she's not farming, you can find her likely cooking for her friends and family, makign sourdough pizzas for her community, hanging with her daughter, or enjoying a glass of (natural) wine - dreaming about the farm.
There's more growing here than vegetables
Through meaningful work and shared experiences, we're creating opportunities to practice:
Responsibility
"I have a job here."
Independence
"I can do this."
Confidence
"I know how to do something useful."
Connection
"I'm doing this alongside other people."
Food + Farm Skills
"I know where food comes from and how to work with it."
Belonging
"I'm part of this community."