Farming should reflect a commitment to consumers, animal welfare, environmental stewardship and the health of our community. That’s what we believe at Two Creek Farm, and that vision is at the heart of our mission. 

All that we do is driven by our desire to enhance human and ecological health by fostering a deeper connection between people and nature. We practice regenerative farming, harnessing the power and complexity of nature to revitalize our ecosystems while producing delicious, nutrient-rich food. We also integrate grazing and forestry on the same land, providing our animals with diverse nutrition, shade and shelter while promoting a vibrant natural environment.

Importantly, our approach to farming prioritizes animal welfare, recognizing the crucial role that animals play in our lives. We respect our animals’ natural behaviors and ecological functions by ensuring that they enjoy choice, movement, socialization and play. Tragically, this way of farming is under serious threat in the House Farm Bill currently under consideration in the United States Congress. 

The House Farm Bill contains language designed to undo California’s Proposition 12 and other laws like it in a dozen or so other states—red, blue and purple. Proposition 12 was passed by a two-thirds majority of California voters in 2018, setting modest standards regarding the sale of certain animal products such as pork, eggs and veal. Proposition 12 reflects the public’s strong desire for improved animal welfare, human health and safety interests, and ethical farming practices. 

If this is a California law, what does this have to do with Pennsylvania? The answer is: a lot. The language contained in the House Farm Bill would strip states of their rights to set their own agricultural standards, including those that promote animal welfare. It also threatens democracy by allowing the will of voters to be overridden. 

We’re disappointed that Rep. G.T. Thompson (R-PA, 15), who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, is involved in pushing this language through, because we know, as many other Pennsylvania farmers do, that it’s bad for those of us who have committed to providing wholesome, healthy and humane products for a growing market in our state and throughout the nation. 

It’s therefore critical that other federal elected officials, from the state, such as Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey and Congressman Matt Cartwright, oppose any language in the Farm Bill that undermines state and local agricultural standards and dismisses the will of voters. Farmers, voters and consumers alike deserve to see their shared values of consumer choice, sustainable farming, humane treatment of animals and local governance reflected in the final version of the Farm Bill.

Brent Habig owns Two Creek Farm, a regenerative USDA-certified organic farm in Lakewood, PA.