SMALL SCALE FARMS IS GROWING, AND HERE'S WHAT'S COMING NEXT

If you've been following Small Scale Farms for a while, you've probably noticed that I've been talking about a lot more than groceries lately.

And there's a reason for that.

What started as my own journey into farming has grown into something much bigger than I ever imagined. But the more I've learned about our food system, the more I've realized how much work there still is to do.

We have farmers struggling to make a living, families struggling to afford groceries, young people growing up without practical skills, and communities that have become increasingly dependent on systems they have very little control over.

I don't believe we need to sit around waiting for someone else to solve all of this.

I believe we can start building something better ourselves.

And that's exactly what I've been working on.

Small Scale Farms: Building the Infrastructure

Small Scale Farms remains at the centre of everything we're doing.

We work with farmers and food producers to get their products into the hands of customers, whether that's through our store in Thorold or our home delivery network.

But what we're building is about more than selling groceries.

It's about creating an infrastructure that makes it easier for smaller producers to participate in the food economy.

A farmer shouldn't have to become a marketing expert, delivery driver, website developer and retailer just to earn a living growing food.

And a family shouldn't have to visit six different farms to purchase their groceries directly from producers.

That's where Small Scale Farms comes in.

We bring products together, make them accessible to customers and create more opportunities for farmers to sell what they produce.

The goal is to strengthen this infrastructure so it can support more farmers, serve more households and eventually help establish similar food networks in other communities.

Red Maple Farm School: Bringing Practical Knowledge Back

One of the biggest things I've learned through farming is just how much we don't know anymore.

Many of us grew up learning how to purchase what we need, but not necessarily how to produce it.

Growing food, raising animals, preserving harvests, understanding soil, making herbal preparations and learning to work with the resources around us are all skills worth passing along.

That's why I created Red Maple Farm School.

Our goal is to make practical education accessible to people of all ages.

We're developing workshops and learning opportunities that help people become more capable and confident.

And I'm especially excited about our plans to help more people establish their own small farms.

Imagine what could happen if we helped 100 households or aspiring farmers turn a piece of land into something productive.

Not necessarily enormous commercial farms.

Small, manageable operations designed around the land, the people and the resources available.

And imagine if those new farmers also had access to an established distribution network ready to help them sell what they produce.

That's where education and infrastructure begin working together.

The Resilience Network: Learning and Building Together

I've also been working on the Resilience Network.

The idea is to bring people together who want to learn practical skills, become more self-reliant and contribute to stronger communities.

Because resilience isn't simply about storing supplies for an emergency.

It's about knowing how to grow something.

How to repair something.

How to prepare for disruptions.

How to share knowledge.

And how to work with the people around you.

Through the Resilience Network, we're developing opportunities for ongoing education, workshops, growing guidance and connections between people who want to become more capable.

You don't need to own a farm to participate.

You just need an interest in learning and doing more for yourself.

Friendly Neighbours: Reconnecting Our Communities

Another project I'm particularly excited about is Friendly Neighbours.

We're starting with 12 municipalities across Niagara and the surrounding region.

The idea is simple.

Every community has people with skills, resources, ideas and a willingness to help.

But how often do those people actually know one another?

Friendly Neighbours is being developed to help change that.

We're creating community groups and opportunities for people to connect, share information and take part in initiatives that make their own towns stronger.

We're also building the Community Compass, a directory intended to make it easier to discover the people, businesses, organizations and resources around us.

I want people to stop feeling as though they have to figure everything out alone.

And I want communities to recognize how much they already have when people start working together.

Give to Grow: Turning Everyday Purchases Into Community Support

Give to Grow is another piece of this work.

The concept is to help schools, businesses, community organizations, faith groups and other teams raise money through everyday grocery purchases.

Instead of relying entirely on donations or traditional fundraising campaigns, participating teams can share selected products through Small Scale Farms.

When customers purchase qualifying products through a team's page, 10% of those sales goes back to that team.

The customer receives groceries they already need.

The team receives financial support.

And Small Scale Farms continues purchasing products from farmers and food producers.

That's what makes this model interesting to me.

We're not asking people to spend money on things they don't need.

We're looking at how the money already being spent on food can accomplish more along the way.

And the more participation we create, the more opportunities there are for everyone involved.

Farm Credits: Rewarding Participation

We're also developing Farm Credits.

The idea is to create a way for customers to earn credits through eligible purchases and participation within the Small Scale Farms ecosystem.

These credits can then be used toward eligible offerings as the program develops.

It's another way of recognizing the value of people supporting a shared food infrastructure.

I want people to see that their everyday decisions can contribute to something bigger.

Because every purchase helps determine which businesses, farmers and systems continue to exist.

The Bigger Picture: More Farms, More Producers, More Opportunities

This is where everything starts coming together.

Small Scale Farms helps distribute food.

Red Maple Farm School teaches people how to produce it.

The Resilience Network helps people build practical skills.

Friendly Neighbours connects communities.

Give to Grow creates opportunities for community teams to benefit from everyday purchases.

And Farm Credits gives us another way to encourage participation.

Each initiative serves a different purpose, but they all support the same larger goal.

Building a food system in which more people have the knowledge, opportunities and infrastructure to participate.

I also want to help create more opportunities for new farmers and independent food retailers.

Because if we're serious about strengthening our food system, we need more people producing food and more places where that food can be sold.

Not just more conversations about the problems.

Actual opportunities for people to get involved.

We're Still Building

I want to be clear that not everything I've described is fully launched.

Some programs are already operating.

Others are being developed, connected or prepared for their next stage.

And there are still plenty of pieces to work through.

But I think it's important to share what we're building while it's happening.

Because I don't have all the connections, resources or answers needed to accomplish everything on my own.

And I don't believe I'm supposed to.

There are people out there who know things I don't know.

People who have access to resources I haven't found yet.

Farmers looking for opportunities.

Businesses that want to contribute.

Educators with knowledge to share.

Community leaders who can help open doors.

And people who simply believe we should be doing more to strengthen our own communities.

Those are the people I want to connect with.

Here's Where You Come In

If you've supported Small Scale Farms by purchasing groceries, sharing our posts, attending a workshop or telling someone about us, you've already helped us get this far.

And I appreciate that more than you know.

But as we move into this next stage, I'm looking for more than customers.

I'm looking for connections.

Introductions.

Ideas.

Partnerships.

And people who can see the potential in what we're building.

Maybe you know someone who wants to start farming.

Maybe you own a business that could support practical education.

Maybe you're involved with a school or community organization that could benefit from Give to Grow.

Or maybe you have a skill, a resource or a connection that could help move one of these projects forward.

I'd love to hear from you.

Because the next stage of Small Scale Farms isn't just about growing a business.

It's about seeing how much more we can accomplish when we start connecting the people, knowledge and resources that already exist around us.

We've spent years proving that a different approach is possible.

Now I want to see how far we can take it.