Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to [email protected]
All In Thyme Farm started with a dream, the dream of farming with care, integrity, and respect for animals and the land. Founded in 2020, my farm exists to produce happy, pastured meat, eggs, and seasonal produce while protecting endangered livestock breeds and supporting locally sourced food systems. That is why I oppose the Save Our Bacon Act and the Food Security and Farm Protection Act.
Animal welfare and responsible farming practices are at the heart of everything I do. I raise Native Gulf Coast sheep, a critically endangered breed, along with heritage pigs that thrive outdoors through foraging and socializing. My pork, lamb, and eggs are raised without antibiotics and with a high regard for animal wellbeing. Consumers increasingly demand food raised this way, and state-level standards help ensure transparency and trust in how food is produced.
If passed, these bills would undermine those efforts by stripping states of their right to set agricultural standards. They favor large industrial operations while limiting the ability of small farms to meet consumer demand and earn fair prices for responsibly produced food.
My commitment extends beyond animal care to environmental stewardship. I operate as a no-till farm, build soil health with compost produced on my farm, practice crop rotation and interplanting for natural pest control, and grow flowers to support pollinators. These practices reflect my belief that farming should improve the land, not degrade it.
Family farms like mine depend on community trust, transparency, and voter-approved laws that give smaller farms a fighting chance. I believe these bills would plainly move us in the wrong direction. I urge Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Rep. Jared Golden to do everything possible to stop the misleadingly titled Save Our Bacon Act and Food Security and Farm Protection Act from ever becoming law.
Roseanne Stevens
All in Thyme Farm
Newport
