Kate is originally from central Kansas where she grew up on a farm raising cattle and sheep along with various crops. She received her B.S. in Agribusiness from Kansas State University, her M.S. in Agribusiness from Illinois State University, and her Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University. Brooks served as a faculty member at West Texas A&M University from August 2010 to December 2012 and joined the UNL faculty in January 2013.