Brookwood Community Farm
Staff

HANNAH HELFNER Farm Manager (she/her)

Hannah is a grower and educator with extensive experience in small-scale annual vegetable, flower, and herb production. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Food and Farming from the University of Massachusetts’ Stockbridge School of Agriculture, where she worked at the UMass Student Farm during her undergraduate degree. Since 2014, she has worked on farms ranging from ¼ acre to over 30 acres in Western Mass, Vermont, Washington, and California until beginning at Brookwood in 2019. Advancing from Field Crew to Farm Manager throughout the years makes her a well-rounded leader for the farm. In her free time, Hannah volunteers with The New Garden Society educating incarcerated students on how to grow food, enjoys swimming in the sunshine, learning martial arts, and traveling during the off-season.

DEVEN MERRELL Assistant Farm Manager Senior Grower/Market Manager (they/them)

Deven joined the Brookwood crew in 2018 and has loved growing and learning in the intervening years. Their favorite parts of farming are the requisite creative solutions to unique problems and the reward of late-season crops like leeks and celeriac. Deven is excited about rainy days, both on and off the farm, and the wonders of purple veggies. They are a non-binary trans person and are often happy to answer questions and educate folks about trans vocabulary and justice.

Megan suda Farm Administrator (she/her)

Megan is the newest year-round addition to the Brookwood crew in 2022! Taking over for Imge as CSA Manager, and running events on the farm, she is looking forward to integrating into the community. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Event Planning and Management from Plymouth State University and has a colorful portfolio of jobs related to events and sustainability. Growing up with a home garden and compost, she’s always ready to get her hands dirty and dig in!

sharon engel Assistant Farmer (she/them)

Sharon is an assistant grower returning this spring after joining the team last summer. She is from central Pennsylvania and studied anthropology & environmental studies in college. Sharon is passionate about food justice, clouds, orange vegetables, and critters of all kinds! She is excited to grow and learn from the land as we farm into the future. 

Rachel eber Assistant Farmer (she/her)

Rachel grew up in and around Boston and has been working at small farms in Massachusetts and Iowa since 2014. This is her first season at Brookwood! Her favorite parts of farming are learning about seeds, eating tomatoes and radishes, and sharing veggies with her friends and family. Outside of farming, she loves to play music, cook, and spend time near bodies of water.

Bonnie McCullough Assistant Farmer (she/her)

She is an artist, a vintage collector, a cat lover, a Swiftie, and a New England lifer. Art school brought her to Massachusetts from NH and she's been there ever since, currently residing in Rockland with her husband, daughter, golden retriever, four cats, and a turtle. She came by way of Brookwood while looking for free activities to take Hazel to, and found a lovely storytime at the farm. It wasn't soon after that that she signed up to be a workshare. After many seasons of doing that, she officially joined the staff for the 2023 season. She loves it, even when it's time to hand weed rows of beets in the hot sun, get scratched up while harvesting the squash, or get blisters while trellising tomatoes for the first time. The camaraderie of the staff and the vegetables are her favorite parts of the job, and driving the tractor is pretty cool, too.  

Martha Cano Assistant Farmer (she/her)

I was born and raised in Medellín-Colombia. I have always lived in the countryside, surrounded by animals and orchards with vegetables, fruits, and flowers. I love life in the country and I have always liked eating organic products and fresh eggs. It is a pleasure to be part of this entire process. I love watching the sunrise and sunset. In July/2023 I began to be part of the BrookWood community, and the love with which we work here fills me with happiness. We feel like family, we laugh and learn about crops and our cultures. I am deeply grateful to be part of this beautiful community.