So do we start talking about New Year’s resolutions now? The start of a new year is certainly a time for goal evaluation and setting… for me, 2014 is a year for farming.

We are currently working to plant out more of the land at the Fabbioli estate. We are planting four more acres of grapes, more hops, more veggies and more berries. This past year a lot of wineries, including us, were looking to purchase grapes that just were not available. The solution for the long term is that we use local land to grow what we need. Of course this means that we need to train more people to farm.

The organization that I started this past year, Piedmont Epicurean and Agricultural Center, (PEAC) is set up to help develop new farmers and farming enterprises. The demand for local farm products continues to grow. The people in our region already seek out locally grown products, and are willing to pay a little more to support the local economy.

In conjunction with PEAC, I have begun looking into the project that Mike Rowe (of “Dirty Jobs” TV series fame) is spearheading with his Mike Rowe Works Foundation. He has recognized a gap in skills and work ethic here in America today, where young folks are unwilling to get their hands dirty on skilled jobs. This dovetails right in with our needs here in Western Loudoun, where we need to grow more smart and dirty farmers. All of this fits together in a way where we are working hard, feeding ourselves, making a living and creating economically sustainable jobs that support our families and our community.

Now if I can pull each of these pieces together through hard work, leadership, good communication and collaboration, I think I will have achieved my New Years resolution. Two websites to look at for more information are PEAC’sepicureancenter.com and Mike Rowe’s website at  profoundlydisconnected.com.

Cheer this effort on, buy local and get dirty yourself in 2014.  Happy New Year!

Written by: Doug Fabiolli