Before becoming a farmer, I worked in natural health, and my curiosity about medicinal plants eventually became part of my farming journey. When did we become so familiar with purchasing medicine but so disconnected from the plants around us? From dandelion roots and nettles to herbal tinctures and traditional preparations, perhaps it's time we rediscovered the practical knowledge that generations before us understood.
From helping Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and Welland become Bee Cities to keeping my own bees at Fairview Cemetery and Happy Rolph's, protecting pollinators has been an incredible journey. Along the way, I've made lifelong friendships, worked with wonderful communities and learned some profound lessons from the bees themselves. They're a superorganism, a biological indicator of environmental health, and perhaps one of nature's greatest examples of what we can accomplish together.
We've become very good at teaching people how to earn money to buy what they need. But how much time do we spend teaching people how to produce something of value? From growing food and developing practical skills to starting financially sustainable farms, perhaps it's time we rethink what education should accomplish and how it can help build a more capable, resilient economy.
