Getting out into our communities is one of my favorite parts of the job in Congress –especially in the summertime. I recently got to spend time with Western Pennsylvania’s agriculture small businesses, visiting farms and local businesses that feed our families and fuel our region.

I stopped by Straub Farm in Darlington to meet with first-generation farmers Matt and Jessica Straub, then visited Brunton Dairy in Independence Township — and got an exclusive look at their cow-milking robots from my new friend Eva! I also took a sausage-making class with Ben the Butcher, founder and CEO of Unified Fields, who showed me how the sausage that feeds Western Pennsylvania is made.

I learned a lot from our small business owners that I’ll take with me back to Washington — especially the pressures and rip-offs they’re feeling in this economy from some of the bigger players in the agriculture industry or problems with federal programs. For example, just four faceless corporations control 80% of the beef market. That’s well beyond the criteria for being considered a monopoly — which hurts our local farmers and all of us as consumers, too.

Throughout my two terms in Congress, I’ve taken on the corporate power that too often squeezes local businesses and puts the American Dream further out of reach for folks in places like Western Pennsylvania. You can count on me to continue this righteous fight for our farmers and butchers.

For more on my work in Congress, sign up for my e-newsletter at deluzio.house.gov, follow me on social media @RepDeluzio, or call my office at (412) 344-5583.

Very respectfully,

Chris Deluzio
Member of Congress