Save Our Bacon Act needs to be excluded from federal farm bill
As a family-run operation tucked into the hills of White Sulphur Springs, Middle Mountain Farmstead believes agriculture succeeds when decisions remain close to the people who steward the land. Our farm was built on generations of hard work, personal responsibility, and a commitment to raising food with integrity. Every growing season reminds us that farming requires resilience, innovation, and local knowledge. Those values have allowed responsible family farms like ours to endure changing markets, unpredictable weather, and rising farm input costs without asking the federal government to dictate every aspect of agriculture.
This is why it’s essential that the Save Our Bacon Act needs to be excluded in the next federal Farm Bill. The Save Our Bacon Act would prevent states from setting commonsense standards on certain livestock products sold in their marketplaces. It would also overturn state laws that protect livestock from disease and infestation including the serious threat from screwworm.
The Farm Bill should focus on strengthening American agriculture, supporting farmers, expanding market opportunities, and ensuring a stable food supply. It should not become a vehicle for more federal government involvement in decisions better handled by individual states and communities.
West Virginians understand that communities across America often have different agricultural traditions, economic realities, and preferences. The Save Our Bacon Act ignores those differences. States are fully capable of addressing issues within their own borders without creating another layer of federal oversight. America’s food system is strongest when farmers are free to innovate, compete, and respond to customer demand instead of navigating additional mandates from Washington.
Middle Mountain Farmstead was founded on the belief that honest farming means caring for the land, honoring our neighbors, and leaving something better for the next generation. This is achieved through stewardship and local decision-making, not unnecessary federal overreach.
Congress should keep the Farm Bill focused on its core mission: supporting American farmers. The Save Our Bacon Act does not belong in the bill or anywhere else. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Jim Justice will have a key role in determining what’s included in the Farm Bill. I urge him and Senator Shelley Moore Capito to reject the Save Our Bacon Act in large legislative packages like the Farm Bill.
