I'll support our local farms, and not corporate factory farms

Agriculture isn't just an economic sector in Tioga and Bradford counties—it's an integral part of our communities and the beautiful landscape of this region, our heritage, and our rural way of life. From our dairy, beef, and hog producers to our orchards and vegetable growers, family farmers are the true stewards of Pennsylvania's Northern Tier. Yet today, our local family farms face unprecedented pressure not from fair market competition, but from burdensome regulations, corporate mega-agribusiness, and federal policy decisions that consistently favor industrial factory farms over the families who have worked this land for generations.

We see this administrative disconnect right here along our main transit corridors. When Route 15 was re-designated as Interstate 99, it created an immediate roadblock for our dairy producers shipping products to central and southern parts of the state. Standard annual permits no longer cover transportation on the interstate, forcing farmers to apply for specialized I-99 permits capped at a 95,000-pound weight limit. Forcing lighter loads means more trips, higher fuel bills, and escalating logistical costs at a time when dairy operations are already struggling simply to break even. Our transportation policies should support local commerce, not penalize the people feeding our state.

Our local beef producers are facing a similar threat from federal trade policy. After years of tight margins, area cattle ranchers have finally seen market returns that allow them to expand their herds and reinvest in their operations. But just as our family farms are beginning to regain their footing, Washington is pushing a plan to import 300,000 tons of foreign beef. Dumping government-subsidized foreign beef into the domestic market artificially depresses prices and threatens to wipe out the small-scale cattle farms that drive our regional economy.

This dynamic highlights a growing divide between corporate factory farming and independent family agriculture. Multinatonal agribusinesses have the capital to absorb regulatory fees, navigate bureaucratic red tape, and profit from global trade distortions. Small family farms cannot. When an out-of-state factory farm faces a downturn, a corporate board adjusts a spreadsheet; when a family farm in Tioga or Bradford County closes, our community loses a piece of its heritage and economic self-reliance. and that family suffers devastating loss.

Fighting back requires two clear priorities: unyielding policy advocacy and a renewed commitment to buying local. We need leadership that will challenge federal trade decisions to prevent foreign beef dumping, demand commonsense hauling allowances on I-99 for local producers, and cut the red tape that stifles small agribusinesses. Simultaneously, we must strengthen local supply chains by connecting our schools, businesses, and residents directly with Northern Tier producers.

Our family farms do not ask for government hand-outs. They just ask for a level playing field and a government that works with them rather than against them. By standing against corporate factory farming, fixing broken transportation rules, and choosing locally raised beef, dairy, and produce, we can secure an agricultural future where family farms in Tioga and Bradford counties continue to feed our communities for generations to come.