Pittsburgher Highland Farm is a 142-acre regenerative farm in Mt. Pleasant. We raise 100% grass-fed beef, lamb and pastured pork. When we bought the property, sections of it had been strip-mined. The soil was drained of nutrients. Our sheep and cattle restore the land to health through careful rotational grazing. Our farm tours, events and overnight stays support the local economy.
We work hard to raise our animals humanely and to be transparent to the public. The Save Our Bacon Act (SOBA), Section 12006 in the draft Farm Bill, was written for the benefit of large-scale CAFO operations and would harm small farms like ours by replacing local standards with a one-size-fits-all system that favors large industrial operations.
According to analyses, SOBA could jeopardize Pennsylvania regulations, including testing for tuberculosis in cattle, pseudorabies in swine, scrapie protections for sheep and avian influenza controls for poultry. These state-level disease protections keep our animals and Pennsylvania’s food supply safe.
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler serves on the House Rules Committee. He has been a defender of states’ rights in the past, and now is his opportunity to do that again: 5,500 farms across District 14 need him to protect local control from corporate consolidation.
Mark Harvey Smith
Mt. Pleasant