Authored by: Lorenzo Varisano
For more than a decade, my wife, Jessy, and I have operated Foot of the Mountain Farm in Franklin County, where we produce vegetables, fruit, herbs, microgreens and sourdough bread using regenerative, no-till farming practices. Our bakery sources whole grains from nearby regenerative and organic farms. We believe healthy soil produces healthy food, healthier communities and healthier farms. Every season, we work to prove that agriculture can be both productive and responsible.
That’s why I support Pennsylvania’s bipartisan effort to phase out paraquat.
This isn’t about blaming farmers. It’s about protecting them.
Like many farmers, I’ve spent years watching chemical manufacturers market products as indispensable while asking farmers and rural communities to bear the risks. Farmers deserve honest information and safer options—not another generation of dependence on products that put their health and livelihoods at risk.
Pennsylvania now has an opportunity to lead where the federal government has failed. Legislation moving through Harrisburg would phase out paraquat, one of the most toxic herbicides still used in American agriculture. More than 70 countries have already banned paraquat, including China, where most of it is manufactured. China protects its own farmers from paraquat while continuing to export millions of pounds of it overseas. Vermont has already banned paraquat, and California—the nation’s largest agricultural state—is now phasing it out.
If those places can move beyond paraquat, Pennsylvania can too.
Governor Josh Shapiro is often heard speaking of a public career built on standing up to powerful corporations that put profits ahead of people. As Attorney General, he took on Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family for helping fuel the opioid crisis through deceptive and predatory marketing.Today, Pennsylvania faces another moment where ordinary people are paying the price while large corporations continue to profit.
As a farmer and rural resident, I’ve watched how our agricultural system has become increasingly dependent on expensive chemical inputs. But I’ve also seen another path.
At Foot of the Mountain Farm, we’ve built our business around regenerative farming rather than reliance on highly toxic herbicides. It isn’t always the easiest approach, but it has taught me something important: farmers can be remarkably innovative when they’re given the opportunity. Across Pennsylvania and around the world, farmers are proving every day that productive agriculture does not depend on paraquat.
The idea that farmers have no choice simply isn’t true.
The real costs of paraquat aren’t reflected on the purchase receipt. They show up in the health of farmworkers, neighboring families, and rural communities. They show up in the burden placed on taxpayers, healthcare systems, and future generations. Chemical manufacturers collect the profits while much of the cost is borne by everyone else.
Pennsylvania farmers don’t deserve to be treated as the last market for a product that much of the world has already rejected.
I understand change can be difficult. Farmers need practical solutions, reliable alternatives and policies that recognize the realities of agriculture. But continuing to rely on a herbicide linked to Parkinson’s disease and other serious health harms isn’t a long-term strategy—it’s simply postponing an inevitable transition.
Pennsylvania agriculture has never stood still. Farmers adapt. We improve our practices. We embrace better tools when they become available. Moving beyond paraquat is simply the next step.
If lawmakers in Harrisburg are serious about protecting farmers, strengthening rural communities and ensuring the long-term success of Pennsylvania agriculture, they should pass HB 1135/SB 1158 to phase out paraquat.The Governor should stand up for the people and support the bills.
We owe our farmers—and our families—nothing less.
