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In 2021, 84 farmers in cities within Allegany County received a total of $850,919 in 139 farm subsidies, a 49.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.7 million in 345 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillcrest Homestead, LLC | $395,334 | $147,188 | -62.8% |
| Douglas V. Behen | $170,952 | $110,558 | -35.3% |
| Bar B R Farms, Inc. | $95,847 | $90,448 | -5.6% |
| John Gilbert | $92,200 | $87,021 | -5.6% |
| Bruce Hinz | $21,909 | $41,717 | 90.4% |
| Dantz Timber Hauling, Inc. | $0 | $35,964 | -- |
| Golden Windows Dairy on Shawmut Acres, LLC | $0 | $34,980 | -- |
| Charles F. Deichmann Jr. | $41,622 | $33,435 | -19.7% |
| Julia Deichmann | $41,612 | $33,435 | -19.7% |
| David Wesche | $25,586 | $23,540 | -8% |
| William J. Wahl | $28,395 | $22,150 | -22% |
| Kim Shaklee | $21,940 | $19,190 | -12.5% |
| Lester York | $33,393 | $19,032 | -43% |
| Carrie M. Stann | $15,423 | $17,250 | 11.8% |
| Jeramie Hurlbut | $50,944 | $16,047 | -68.5% |
| Joseph Meehan | $16,370 | $12,292 | -24.9% |
| Michael J. McCormick | $6,353 | $9,394 | 47.9% |
| Jeffrey A. Stann | $6,664 | $7,395 | 11% |
| Maurice Cairns | $21,124 | $7,166 | -66.1% |
| Gene A. Fanton | $4,835 | $6,837 | 41.4% |
| Deborah J. Beardsley | $8,321 | $6,775 | -18.6% |
| Roger M. Beardsley | $8,468 | $6,775 | -20% |
| Michael Mills | $23,816 | $6,728 | -71.8% |
| Speicher Farms | $7,871 | $4,823 | -38.7% |
| Monica L. Clark | $7,329 | $3,799 | -48.2% |
| Samuel R. Clark | $7,349 | $3,749 | -49% |
| Cody Pomeroy | $8,499 | $3,746 | -55.9% |
| James Freiner | $528 | $3,390 | 542% |
| William L. Bailey | $3,744 | $2,994 | -20% |
| Kent Farms, Inc. | $16,162 | $2,840 | -82.4% |
| Robert T. Chamberlain | $15,674 | $2,491 | -84.1% |
| Kenneth R. Koehler | $11,640 | $1,904 | -83.6% |
| Neil E. Brewster | $5,144 | $1,746 | -66.1% |
| Glenn M. Smith | $1,364 | $1,561 | 14.4% |
| Donald R. Bossard | $9,031 | $1,382 | -84.7% |
| Linrae F Ellis | $16,890 | $1,378 | -91.8% |
| Timothy Dobmeier | $901 | $1,332 | 47.8% |
| Arthur G. Arnold | $2,229 | $1,078 | -51.6% |
| Daniel M. Wolcott | $4,668 | $990 | -78.8% |
| Lavern Warriner | $3,541 | $920 | -74% |
| Philip L. Brown | $3,716 | $874 | -76.5% |
| Charles E. Babbitt | $4,477 | $866 | -80.7% |
| Randy V. Miller | $22,617 | $860 | -96.2% |
| Mary Beckendorf | $0 | $805 | -- |
| James D. Latham | $3,630 | $800 | -78% |
| Michael T. Morton | $3,492 | $756 | -78.4% |
| Chad Perry | $2,894 | $714 | -75.3% |
| James Makowski | $1,320 | $608 | -53.9% |
| Douglas Knibloe | $428 | $538 | 25.7% |
| Fuller Family, LLC | $1,179 | $522 | -55.7% |
| Todd Dobmeier | $464 | $512 | 10.3% |
| David L. Butler | $2,634 | $509 | -80.7% |
| Jeffrey C. Heitman | $0 | $506 | -- |
| David J. Weaver | $2,690 | $451 | -83.2% |
| Sheila A. Weaver | $2,698 | $451 | -83.3% |
| Harold W. Mitchell | $1,452 | $422 | -70.9% |
| Larry M Blocho | $3,726 | $422 | -88.7% |
| Ronald Richards | $412 | $412 | 0% |
| Jesse J. Keiser | $2,344 | $408 | -82.6% |
| Joel P. Clark | $2,681 | $394 | -85.3% |
| Steven Martinelli | $1,336 | $369 | -72.4% |
| Daryl Newell | $2,786 | $345 | -87.6% |
| Dean M. Harvey | $0 | $325 | -- |
| Scott Derock | $0 | $324 | -- |
| John W. Francisco | $1,364 | $310 | -77.3% |
| Roy Hale | $1,371 | $248 | -81.9% |
| Andrew Peet | $3,072 | $230 | -92.5% |
| Mark J. Hand | $1,442 | $228 | -84.2% |
| Michael W. F. Beardsley | $1,444 | $219 | -84.8% |
| Dale Perry | $429 | $194 | -54.8% |
| Phillip R. Snider | $0 | $191 | -- |
| Brian D. Goodridge | $1,440 | $183 | -87.3% |
| Nathan Hanes | $1,065 | $156 | -85.4% |
| Russell D. Calanni | $473 | $104 | -78% |
| Nicholas H. Fox | $925 | $69 | -92.5% |
| David H. Spencer | $76 | $41 | -46.1% |
| James A. Woolley | $1,711 | $39 | -97.7% |
| Maria E. Mulligan | $10,112 | $33 | -99.7% |
| Roger G. Hinz | $1,048 | $16 | -98.5% |
| Roger D. Lewis | $109 | $8 | -92.7% |
| Danelle L. Mascho | $3,068 | $7 | -99.8% |
| James H. Mascho | $3,068 | $7 | -99.8% |
| Gail S. Hoffman | $441 | $2 | -99.5% |
| Duane Gates | $489 | $1 | -99.8% |
| Clara M. Beiler | $534 | $0 | -100% |
| Diane E. Cox | $302 | $0 | -100% |
| James A. Beiler | $529 | $0 | -100% |
| Cartwright's Maple Tree INN, LLC | $10,365 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffrey Heitman | $4,449 | $0 | -100% |
| Lavergne Cartwright | $179 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul A. Kretser | $69 | $0 | -100% |
| Raymond E. Dennis | $594 | $0 | -100% |
| Byron C. Hamilton | $415 | $0 | -100% |
| Freedom View Farms | $299 | $0 | -100% |
| Pearl E. Hamilton | $415 | $0 | -100% |
| Bruce F. Gilliland | $126 | $0 | -100% |
| CCC | $46 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $28,458 | $0 | -100% |
| Gerald Hadsell | $210 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald Fanton | $133 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald L. Davenport Jr. | $154 | $0 | -100% |
| Golden Windows Dairy on Shawmut a | $50,253 | $0 | -100% |
| Marcus Farms, Inc. | $51,954 | $0 | -100% |
| Duane Luce | $35 | $0 | -100% |
| Barbara Cross | $12 | $0 | -100% |
| Brian D. Hinz | $267 | $0 | -100% |
| Council House Farm | $203 | $0 | -100% |
| Craig E. Smith | $516 | $0 | -100% |
| Curtis H. Hinz | $1,348 | $0 | -100% |
| Dana Covedill | $120 | $0 | -100% |
| Derrick Barney | $135 | $0 | -100% |
| Jay G. Cockle | $35,194 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerrid Parmenter | $1,427 | $0 | -100% |
| Joanne M. Cockle | $32 | $0 | -100% |
| Kathie S. Hinz | $69 | $0 | -100% |
| M&J Dairy, LLC | $123,151 | $0 | -100% |
| Marilyn A. Hinz | $267 | $0 | -100% |
| Sarah A. Hinz | $5,366 | $0 | -100% |
| Terry Wagoner | $912 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel L. Williams | $285 | $0 | -100% |
| Tracy Jerge | $80 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,672,698 | $850,919 | -49.1% |
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