Pennsylvania Farmers Union

10/18/2026

Governor Shapiro and Secretary Russell Redding have released a comprehensive strategic plan for our Commonwealth’s largest industry, and the Family & Independent Farmers who drive it!

10/10/2026

Exciting News from the Pennsylvania Farmers Union!

We are proud to announce our sponsorship of the Good Food Fest as a Cream of the Crop Sponsor! 🌽

At the Pennsylvania Farmers Union, we are committed to supporting family farmers and agricultural communities across our great Commonwealth.

Agriculture is one of the most meaningful ways we connect with and strengthen our local and regional economies. When we support local farmers, makers, and producers, we invest directly in the people, businesses, and communities that make Pennsylvania thrive.

The Good Food Fest celebrates this connection by bringing together hundreds of small businesses, farmers, food makers, and producers, creating opportunities to connect consumers with the people behind their food.

We are thrilled to support an event that shares our commitment to strengthening Pennsylvania agriculture, supporting local food systems, and celebrating the incredible people who feed our communities.

We can’t wait to see you at the Good Food Fest! 🌾🚜

FamilyFarmers BuyLocal

10/07/2026

A message from our wonderful Vice President during our most recent visit to our nation’s capital! 🇺🇸🌾

We had the opportunity to take part in many meaningful meetings and speak directly with members of Congress about the real issues facing Pennsylvania’s family farmers.

We’re proud to make sure the voices of our farmers and rural communities are heard in Washington, D.C., and grateful to everyone who took the time to sit down, listen, and discuss the future of Pennsylvania agriculture.

09/18/2026

This week, a group of Pennsylvania farmers traveled to our nation’s capital to advocate for the needs of family farmers across the Commonwealth.

We’re incredibly grateful to every member of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation and their staff who took the time to meet with our members, listen to their experiences, and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Pennsylvania agriculture.

A special thank you to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Rep. Glenn 'GT' Thompson for sitting down with our members for a meaningful conversation about some of the biggest issues facing farmers across Pennsylvania.

Another special thank you to Senator John Fetterman for meeting with our members and discussing the priorities and challenges facing Pennsylvania farmers.

There is no substitute for bringing farmers directly to the table. We’re proud to make sure Pennsylvania farmers have a voice in Washington. 🌾🚜

09/15/2026

Lucky to have our incredible Vice President here with us in Washington, D.C., with National Farmers Union as we advocate for the needs of Pennsylvania’s family farmers.

Our D.C. Fly-In is all about bringing farmers directly to the table—giving them the opportunity to meet with lawmakers, share their experiences, and make sure their voices are heard.

We’re here at an especially important moment, as Congress prepares to take up the Farm Bill in the coming days. Pennsylvania farmers deserve a seat at the table as decisions are made that will shape the future of agriculture and of our country

09/10/2026

We asked the question: What do farmers deserve?

Here’s a great answer: Fair policies that make it easier to farm, support our farmers, and build a strong, sustainable agricultural economy for generations to come.

09/02/2026

Board member intro:

Christa Barfield is a Pennsylvania farmer, food systems advocate, and Vice President of the Pennsylvania Farmers Union.

Her work centers on strengthening farmer voices, advancing equitable agricultural policy, and building a more resilient future for farms and communities across the Commonwealth.

A proud Pennsylvanian, Christa believes deeply in the people, land, and agricultural legacy of our great state—and in ensuring Pennsylvania farmers have a strong voice in shaping what comes next.

08/26/2026

You’ve probably heard it all over social media and in national media the last few days: “We can’t rebuild the American cattle herd by importing more beef.”

But why?

A cattle producer deciding to expand doesn’t make more beef tomorrow. We retain heifers, breed them, wait for them to calve, and then raise those calves. That means years of investment before more beef reaches consumers.

So what makes a producer willing to take that risk? Confidence in future cattle prices.

Today’s stronger cattle prices should be sending producers a signal: We need more cattle. Expand.

But when tight domestic supplies are answered with more lower-cost imported beef, that signal can change.

Our beef supply chain is multisegmented and highly concentrated. More lower-cost imported beef gives multinational packers another source of supply and can reduce demand for beef produced from domestic cattle. That pressure works its way back to the cow-calf producer, the very person deciding whether to rebuild the herd.

If producers believe imports will continue increasing whenever domestic supplies tighten and cattle prices rise, they have less confidence that today’s market opportunity will still exist when their investment reaches the market.

Meanwhile, cheaper inputs for packers do not necessarily translate into cheaper beef at the grocery store. Packers can have access to a cheaper source of beef while the consumer continues paying what the market will bear.

And without mandatory country-of-origin labeling, consumers generally can’t distinguish cheaper imported beef from beef produced from American cattle at the grocery store. American cattle producers are expected to compete against lower-cost foreign production without even having the ability to differentiate their product in their own domestic market.

That’s how record imports can fail to solve either problem: Consumers can continue paying record beef prices while cattle producers lack the market signal needed to rebuild.

So what do we do?
1. Restore transparency.
Bring back mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef. If imported beef is cheaper, label it. Let consumers decide what they want to buy.

2. Restore producer confidence.
Implement tariff-rate quotas that give American producers the opportunity to rebuild without fearing that their years-long investment will be undercut by excessive imports.

3. Restore competition.
Address unpriced forward-type contracts that allow multinational packers to acquire cattle without establishing a negotiated base price, further reducing competition for cattle.

American ranchers are not begging to be saved. We’re begging to be let into the fight.

Read R-CALF USA’s full analysis:https://www.r-calfusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/260821-Revised-Response-to-Increased-Imports.pdf

08/23/2026

How can consumers choose American-raised beef if we can’t even look on the label to see where it came from? Also: is importing a whole lot of Argentinian slaughterhouse scraps to prop up the big packers’ grind tonnage really putting “America First”? Best policy for consumers: KNOW YOUR FARMER. Or, at LEAST: INSIST on TRUTH IN LABELING! Kneecapping American Family Farmers within 48 hours of slapping another 50% tariff on our closest neighbor, and largest trade partner is short-sighted, at best. Keeping the tools that would allow consumers to drive domestic markets is downright GRIFT.

Consumers deserve to know where their beef comes from. American ranchers deserve credit for raising it. Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling makes that happen — holding packers accountable and letting markets work honestly. Congress should finish what the Senate Ag Committee started and pass COOL.

08/20/2026

Board member intro:
Armen Caravantes is a Pennsylvania-based farmer, entrepreneur, and writer working at the intersection of agriculture, food, and design. He began farming at 14 and, at 21, joined the board of the Pennsylvania Farmers Union, where he advocates for the future of American agriculture.

Through Armen’s Farm LLC, he creates distinctive seasonal installations and spaces that reconnect people with the land. His experience spans livestock production, farm management, agricultural advocacy, and entrepreneurship, with a particular interest in regenerative agriculture and building businesses that create greater opportunities for farmers.

Armen is also writing a book exploring the mindset shaped by a life in farming—the resilience, resourcefulness, patience, and adaptability required to navigate uncertainty, solve problems, and build something that lasts.

Across his work, Armen is focused on carrying the enduring values of farming forward while helping shape a more resilient, entrepreneurial future for Pennsylvania agriculture.