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In 2021, 86 farmers in cities within Livingston County received a total of $1.4 million in 163 farm subsidies, a 54.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3.2 million in 302 farm subsidies.
Though farm subsidies support agriculture in the U.S., pumping $7 trillion into the economy, they are not without controversy.
The American Action Forum discovered that the most highly subsidized crops - corn, soy, wheat, and rice - are often consumed in highly processed ways, which leads to unhealthy eating habits and obesity, while the fruits and vegetables needed for a healthy diet are rarely subsidized.
"We are consuming more calories, fats, sodium, and sugars, and not enough beneficial nutrients and vitamins," Tara O'Neill Hayes wrote. "It is critical that both policymakers and the American public understand the influence that federal agricultural subsidies have on our food supply and diet and, in turn, our nutrition and health."
Farm subsidies have also been criticized for assisting the highest-earning agricultural businesses, not local farmers on their family farms who are barely getting by.
Kimberly Amadeo of The Balance said farmer subsidies "help high-income corporations, not poor rural farmers. Most of the money goes toward large agribusinesses."
The U.S. has provided farm subsidies since the Great Depression to assist farmers who weather price fluctuations and disasters, to help maintain consistent farming across the country.
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vangilder Grains | $550,786 | $270,449 | -50.9% |
| Youngs Turf Farm, LLC | $0 | $206,091 | -- |
| White Dairy, LLC | $122,083 | $109,345 | -10.4% |
| Krebsview Farms, LLC | $0 | $89,506 | -- |
| Catherine Eileen Esper | $56,606 | $75,480 | 33.3% |
| Elizabeth L. Firek | $43,893 | $43,893 | 0% |
| Branden Esch | $57,776 | $42,218 | -26.9% |
| Ives Farms | $13,216 | $41,900 | 217% |
| Matthew G. Hoisington | $110,567 | $32,295 | -70.8% |
| Maple Grove Farm | $43,935 | $27,037 | -38.5% |
| Neil E. Patterson | $26,477 | $26,355 | -0.5% |
| Kreeger Farms, LLC | $85,798 | $26,348 | -69.3% |
| James C. Palmer | $19,286 | $26,065 | 35.1% |
| Dansby Farms, LLC | $64,736 | $25,474 | -60.6% |
| Hoisington Farms | $69,258 | $24,619 | -64.5% |
| James Marhofer | $33,265 | $21,203 | -36.3% |
| Mark Ives | $28,318 | $20,383 | -28% |
| C & J White Farms, LLC | $13,083 | $19,253 | 47.2% |
| Jason L. Firek | $17,844 | $18,204 | 2% |
| Kingsley Farms | $59,895 | $18,181 | -69.6% |
| Douglas Lloyd Richardson | $31,113 | $17,953 | -42.3% |
| Dean Gericke | $14,514 | $16,389 | 12.9% |
| Mark A. Cornell | $25,419 | $14,606 | -42.5% |
| Donal Farm, LLC | $109,566 | $13,606 | -87.6% |
| Larry Becker | $0 | $12,890 | -- |
| David W. Andersen | $26,059 | $12,758 | -51% |
| Leslie Andersen | $23,090 | $12,758 | -44.7% |
| Black Hawk Properties, LLC | $12,312 | $12,312 | 0% |
| Joel Victor Ash | $2,963 | $11,158 | 276.6% |
| Murphy Farms, LLC | $20,999 | $11,060 | -47.3% |
| Andrew P. Weber | $20,473 | $10,095 | -50.7% |
| Jerrold Marhofer | $16,639 | $8,457 | -49.2% |
| Matt Munsell | $12,691 | $7,734 | -39.1% |
| Gordon R. Munsell | $16,663 | $7,225 | -56.6% |
| Alan Jay Roddenberg | $15,752 | $7,160 | -54.5% |
| Cornell Logging, LLC | $13,900 | $7,147 | -48.6% |
| William R. Buckingham | $6,176 | $6,176 | 0% |
| Glover Farms, LLC | $10,859 | $5,586 | -48.6% |
| Twin Hickory Trees, LLC | $8,360 | $5,189 | -37.9% |
| Joseph L. Parker | $0 | $4,458 | -- |
| Edward S. Grab | $15,864 | $4,387 | -72.3% |
| Harold Anderson | $11,505 | $4,294 | -62.7% |
| Paul D. Brown | $6,787 | $3,565 | -47.5% |
| Charles L. Kimberly | $6,439 | $3,563 | -44.7% |
| Terrence Butler | $10,058 | $3,463 | -65.6% |
| Hay Creek Heritage Farms, LLC | $0 | $3,349 | -- |
| Rietsch Family Farm Rev Liv Trust | $5,431 | $3,205 | -41% |
| H W Baldwin Descendant Trustee FBO Karen B Cavcey | $3,171 | $3,171 | 0% |
| Donna J. Smith | $9,095 | $3,154 | -65.3% |
| Brad R. Wright | $3,564 | $2,940 | -17.5% |
| Robert Weisenberger | $2,674 | $2,674 | 0% |
| Joshua W. Timer | $6,360 | $2,305 | -63.8% |
| John C. Fellows | $2,118 | $2,118 | 0% |
| Fred Palmerton | $2,096 | $2,096 | 0% |
| Gary Ernst | $4,563 | $2,060 | -54.9% |
| Terry Donal | $4,879 | $2,015 | -58.7% |
| Carrie S. Dominowski | $1,632 | $1,632 | 0% |
| Menka Popovski | $2,094 | $1,562 | -25.4% |
| Tim D. Donal | $2,669 | $1,559 | -41.6% |
| S and L Dairy, LLC | $3,112 | $1,555 | -50% |
| Michael R. Hubert | $1,387 | $1,516 | 9.3% |
| Thomas E Schmania | $3,047 | $1,437 | -52.8% |
| Mark Grajek | $2,438 | $1,271 | -47.9% |
| Beth Ann Medford | $2,185 | $1,157 | -47% |
| David C. Smith | $4,788 | $1,072 | -77.6% |
| Greg Hodge | $1,400 | $866 | -38.1% |
| Fred Chambers | $2,431 | $858 | -64.7% |
| Thomas H. Barnard | $1,587 | $777 | -51% |
| Sheri R. Vanwyck | $2,602 | $769 | -70.4% |
| Cross W Organics | $700 | $700 | 0% |
| Scarletts Farms | $454 | $642 | 41.4% |
| Brian G. Heeg | $0 | $605 | -- |
| Maryann Pietrowski | $546 | $546 | 0% |
| Marie Lloyd | $1,473 | $542 | -63.2% |
| Timothy J. Clark | $2,844 | $541 | -81% |
| Robert M. Campbell | $504 | $504 | 0% |
| Alfred Harwood | $278 | $454 | 63.3% |
| Veralou B Scott Trust | $1,317 | $390 | -70.4% |
| Andrea Elliott | $0 | $387 | -- |
| John H. Hileman | $391 | $322 | -17.6% |
| Jerry L. Mikasa | $0 | $251 | -- |
| Dea Schell | $6,684 | $240 | -96.4% |
| Michael Miller | $236 | $103 | -56.4% |
| Andrew F. Pizzino | $740 | $79 | -89.3% |
| David Peckens | $0 | $58 | -- |
| Rollin L. Horton | $4,923 | $39 | -99.2% |
| George Richard Fyrciak | $4,142 | $0 | -100% |
| Jack Sherwood | $16,036 | $0 | -100% |
| Jonathan E. Ott | $1,324 | $0 | -100% |
| Reed Perennial Farms | $22,839 | $0 | -100% |
| Coralene a Bloss | $299 | $0 | -100% |
| David Wykes | $354 | $0 | -100% |
| Donna Dybata | $1,782 | $0 | -100% |
| Heritage Acres, LLC | $2,542 | $0 | -100% |
| J & T Todosciuk Farms & Greenhouses, LLC | $17,582 | $0 | -100% |
| James Liddy | $924 | $0 | -100% |
| John E. Mills | $23,916 | $0 | -100% |
| John George Dybata | $25,995 | $0 | -100% |
| Laier Farms, Inc. | $1,097,280 | $0 | -100% |
| Phyllis G. Hoffman | $591 | $0 | -100% |
| Todd E. Breault | $487 | $0 | -100% |
| William Graham | $1,078 | $0 | -100% |
| Chelsea L. Lisiecki | $1,862 | $0 | -100% |
| Keith Chambers | $638 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $3,171,107 | $1,439,809 | -54.6% |
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