A spark from Valley Forge lands in Fayette County as we trace how faith, grit, and neighborly duty still move a community forward. We open with a bold case for honoring Washington’s prayerful leadership, then bring that conviction down to street level: petition tables at local diners, volunteers frying fish to keep trucks rolling, and a veteran-farmer stepping up to represent voters in Harrisburg.

Larry, a blue-collar Army vet and working farmer, shares a life built on service—convoy missions in Iraq, midnight bottle feeds for a rejected lamb, and a handshake politics that starts with eye contact and ends with keeping your word. He lays out why party power should flow back to the people, not insiders, and how real representation means time, gas money, and zero pay if that’s what it takes. We talk practical steps too: where to sign petitions, how to rally neighbors, and why showing up beats shouting online.

The farm gate swings wider into policy. We dig into the Pennsylvania Veteran Farming Network, a hub where veteran producers compare notes and tap USDA and conservation resources. We tackle poultry biosecurity and avian influenza’s impact on fairs and 4-H, explain why some shows pause, and explore how local economies absorb those shocks. There’s a candid look at grants that sound big but prove hard to access, and a challenge to build funding models that match real county needs. Through it all, the throughline holds: faith anchors character, character fuels service, and service—on a tractor, on patrol, or at a petition table—renews trust.

If you believe neighbors can still change a county, this conversation is your playbook. Subscribe, share with a friend who cares about local leadership, and leave a review telling us what you’ll do next—sign, volunteer, or run. Your move.

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