Beaver County state Reps. Jim Marshall, left, and Rob Matzie listen as Beaver County Commissioner Dan Camp speaks to the House Bipartisan Policy Committee on March 14 in Darlington Twp., Pa.BEAVER COUNTY — Last month’s Norfolk Southern derailment and chemical leak in nearby Ohio has already cost Pennsylvania cattle farmer Mike Carreon one customer and he’s afraid it is only the beginning for the local agriculture industry.
Carreon’s stark words held the attention of about 30 lawmakers during a 2½-hour state House Bipartisan Policy Committee hearing in the Darlington Township Fire Department’s truck bay. Carreon submitted a written statement about the impact on his town but decided to focus his testimony on how livestock and crop farmers in the area might be affected by customers worried about potential contamination.
Last year, he said a doctor and his family visited the farm and were impressed enough to purchase a cow, which was butchered for them in November.Instead, the doctor called on Feb. 28 to cancel his order this year and Carreon said he’s heard similar stories from a half dozen other beef farmers in recent weeks.