Reposted from: http://vnews.com/2025/09/26/letter-keep-farming-local-stop-federal-overreach/
September 26, 2025
The mission of my diversified, family-run farm, Bascom Farm, is “Keep It Local,” which is now under threat by federal legislation. I’m writing in strong opposition to the Food Security and Farm Protection Act and the Save Our Bacon Act. Far from protecting farms or food security, these bills threaten the ability of states like New Hampshire to uphold basic standards for the food we grow, sell and consume.
These proposals would prevent states from setting their own food and farming standards. They would eliminate long-standing, democratically enacted laws that protect public health, the environment and animal welfare. Decisions that currently reflect the needs and values of our communities would be handed over to the largest, most industrial players in agriculture.
This isn’t just a policy disagreement, it’s a serious threat to local control. Across the country, states have passed laws to limit such harmful practices as extreme animal confinement, antibiotic overuse and pollution from industrial agriculture. These laws reflect a commitment to food safety, ecological stewardship and consumer trust.
If these new bills are enacted, those protections could disappear. That means more factory farming, more contamination of water and soil and fewer choices for consumers who want transparency and accountability in how their food is produced.
Bascom Farm stands firmly against this federal overreach. If you care about food sovereignty, local agriculture and states’ rights, these bills should concern you deeply.
We urge our elected officials, Sens. Shaheen and Hassan and Rep. Goodlander, to reject both of these bills as well as any attempt to add them to the upcoming Farm Bill. The future of responsible farming in New Hampshire, and across the country, depends on preserving the right of states to be champions for the needs of their citizens.
Donna Bascom, Charlestown