Cultivating Change: New Year Resolutions for 2025 with Fancy Farmerettes
Welcome back to the Fancy Farmerettes blog! As we bid farewell to 2024 and embrace the fresh beginnings of 2025, it’s time to reflect on our journey—the laughter and tears shared, the lessons learned, and the bonds deepened in our thriving Norfolk County community. This past year has been an incredible exploration of growth, resilience, and connection, highlighting the values of community, stewardship, and empowerment that define the Fancy Farmerettes. As we embark on this new year's journey, let’s set meaningful intentions to thrive, honour our past, and create a better future together.
Before we delve into our resolutions, let us take a moment to acknowledge that we gather on the traditional and unceded territories of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. We recognize their enduring connection to the land and commit to honoring their culture and contributions as we cultivate our own practices.
What a challenging and reflective year 2024 has been! Beekeeping is not an easy hobby. Mother Nature, Climate Change and luck all play such an integral part in the success or failure of honeybees. We had losses for sure, but we also modified some of our sustainable beekeeping practices, including using organic mite treatment and full Integrated Pest Management techniques, while clawing back the number of hive inspections from once a week to once every two weeks. We aim for less disturbance to the bees while we still take responsibility for their health and welfare.
We totally abandoned our fruit, vegetable, and herb gardens last summer because there was not enough time to seed, plant and cultivate our produce. We did, however, remove an invasive burning bush from our property, and we continued to compost our chicken manure and food scraps. Our pollinator gardens are taking shape, as we reconfigure our beds and prioritize native species, while still growing a few non-native flowers that we (and the bees) love. We are using hemp more and more as mulch in our gardens, and we are so pleased to see that hemp’s versatile use is beginning to appear on social media more and more.
Like many other small businesses, this year we have been affected by the challenging Canadian economy. It’s hard to grow a business when consumers are tightening their belts. We have been lucky to have maintained reasonable sales, but we are really crossing our fingers for a better 2025. We remain so grateful to every customer who made a purchase this year. When you’re small like us, you celebrate every sale, and we thank everyone who has shown interest in our products and our story.
As we discussed in one of our past blog posts, "On Growing Weeds," not all challenges are barriers; some weeds can enrich our gardens by introducing unexpected benefits. Just like the diverse weeds that can bring richness to our soil, the challenges we've faced this year have only deepened our roots and strengthened our resilience. The stories of the forgotten WW1 and WW2 Ontario Farmerettes inspire us to embrace tenacity and creativity in nurturing our vibrant oasis.
Top Resolutions for Fancy Farmerettes in 2025:
- Continuing Our Sustainable Practices:
Inspired by our commitment to sustainability and stewardship, Veronica and I resolve to integrate more eco-friendly methods into our business routines. We commit to running THREE workshops on regenerative farming and livestock keeping practices that show the importance of mindful stewardship of our land, much like learning to manage weeds as part of a healthy ecosystem. By respecting and nurturing our environment, we honour the legacy of the women who came before us and those who continue to steward this land. Just like managing weeds, small, focused actions can lead to substantial results over time.
- Deepening Our Skills:
Growth comes from embracing new challenges, and as we discussed through our experiences, we need to cultivate our skills effectively. Veronica and I resolve to attend at least TWO workshops in 2025 that expands our knowledge base—perhaps diving deeper into organic gardening, or exploring innovative micro farm renewable energies, or re-naturalizing our property with native tree species. By nurturing our skills, we strengthen our ability to face the metaphorical weeds that may arise along our paths.
- Enhancing Community Involvement:
The joy of seeing our products sold in local Norfolk County and Haldimand County community businesses reminds us of the rich connections that grow from engaging with those around us. This year, Veronica and I aim for more collaborative projects within our communities. We will certainly continue supporting the EAT LOCAL movement in Ontario, which promotes buying locally grown and produced foods, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting local farmers. But we also want to seek out other community members who have adopted micro-farming, a sustainable and innovative approach to agriculture that can provide a steady supply of fresh produce while minimizing environmental impact. According to the Ontario government, there are over 1,500 farms operating in Norfolk County, and 1 in 4 farms in Ontario are now using sustainable practices. By embracing these movements, we can foster a stronger local food system, support rural economic growth, and promote environmental stewardship. Just as weeds can contribute to biodiversity, our diverse contributions can strengthen the fabric of Norfolk and Haldimand, celebrating each member’s role in cultivating a vibrant and inclusive space.
- Financial Prosperity:
This year, Veronica and I focus on our business’s financial stability by exploring new revenue streams reflective of our community insights. Inspired by others who share on social media, we can discover innovative ways to diversify our farm—be it through value-added products, running workshops or engaging in Agri-tourism initiatives. Resilient income streams will support our ability to flourish, just as the right balance of weed management supports healthy plants.
- Sharing Our Stories:
Your journeys inspire us! Let’s resolve to share our experiences from 2024 and how we plan to cultivate our dreams in 2025. Use the comments below or tag us on social media with #FancyFarmerettesResolutions. Just like our vibrant narratives about weeds, our stories reflect growth and resilience, reminding us that we are all part of a larger ecosystem where every voice matters.
As we stand on the brink of 2025, let’s carry the spirit of collaboration, learning, and purpose that defined us in 2024. Together, we can cultivate not only our crops but also meaningful change in our lives and the world around us. This New Year, let’s honour the untold stories of our past while committing ourselves to a future rooted in connection, resilience, and fulfillment.
Here’s to a flourishing New Year for every supporter of the Fancy Farmerettes business!
Sincerely,
Irene and Veronica
P.S. Call-to-Action request
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