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In 2021, 30 farmers in cities within Windsor County received a total of $650,182 in 48 farm subsidies, a 51.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.3 million in 113 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donna Homan | $527,450 | $134,362 | -74.5% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $93,909 | -- |
| Robeth Holsteins, LLC | $77,420 | $70,655 | -8.7% |
| Savage Trucking, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Edward L Meacham | $83,818 | $51,801 | -38.2% |
| Michael Dolloff | $64,911 | $49,125 | -24.3% |
| George R. Miller | $14,365 | $37,255 | 159.3% |
| Peggy Ainsworth | $30,488 | $25,450 | -16.5% |
| Brien K. Smith | $0 | $22,730 | -- |
| Gerry L. White | $0 | $18,145 | -- |
| James G. Rice | $38,248 | $16,372 | -57.2% |
| Green Mountain Spring-Rock Farm, LLC | $0 | $16,170 | -- |
| James Henry Spaulding Jr. | $13,761 | $12,771 | -7.2% |
| Michael L. Clark | $17,436 | $11,646 | -33.2% |
| North Hollow Farm, LLC | $41,515 | $9,709 | -76.6% |
| Keith F. Ferguson | $19,933 | $8,658 | -56.6% |
| Richard Griffith | $2,707 | $5,414 | 100% |
| EBZ, LLC | $1,791 | $2,019 | 12.7% |
| Rachel Bigelow | $0 | $1,908 | -- |
| Kenneth & Janice Young | $2,568 | $1,324 | -48.4% |
| James Patterson | $0 | $1,152 | -- |
| Larry Severance | $16,834 | $1,129 | -93.3% |
| Kenneth Hoser | $0 | $1,013 | -- |
| Kris D. Brown | $7,933 | $949 | -88% |
| Susan L. Cain | $930 | $930 | 0% |
| Jan M. Sensenich Esq. | $2,805 | $912 | -67.5% |
| Jeffrey Louis Close | $1,192 | $629 | -47.2% |
| Joan Wortman | $408 | $408 | 0% |
| Fuller Farms, Inc. | $2,432 | $408 | -83.2% |
| Thaddeus Guild | $354 | $354 | 0% |
| Stitch Down Farm, LLC | $5,657 | $0 | -100% |
| Tina Marie Spaulding | $159 | $0 | -100% |
| Brooke Decker | $533 | $0 | -100% |
| H M Savage and Sons, Inc. | $2,023 | $0 | -100% |
| Eli Hersh - Honey Field Farm | $26,288 | $0 | -100% |
| Kerwin Hill Farm, LLC | $14,467 | $0 | -100% |
| Kevin Heiden | $4,003 | $0 | -100% |
| William Thrailkill | $150 | $0 | -100% |
| Maverick Farm | $12,525 | $0 | -100% |
| Flying Dog Farm, LLC | $2,307 | $0 | -100% |
| Harland C. Perley | $248 | $0 | -100% |
| Red Barn Farm, LLC | $2,469 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy Sanford | $19,537 | $0 | -100% |
| Blais Produce, LLC | $46,606 | $0 | -100% |
| Bubbling Brook Farm, LLC | $2,437 | $0 | -100% |
| Cavendish Game Birds, Inc. | $33,758 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary Rapanotti | $17,662 | $0 | -100% |
| Moorelands Farm | $433 | $0 | -100% |
| Peck Maple Company, LLC | $9,289 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard A. Craig | $1,213 | $0 | -100% |
| Scott Barlow | $3,169 | $0 | -100% |
| Wellwood Orchards, Inc. | $30,547 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $66,157 | $0 | -100% |
| Harold B. Wright | $212 | $0 | -100% |
| Sunrise Organic Farm, LLC | $22,403 | $0 | -100% |
| Alexander MacLennan | $19,895 | $0 | -100% |
| Jon Cohen | $24,139 | $0 | -100% |
| Oak Knoll Dairy, LLC | $316 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,337,901 | $650,182 | -51.4% |
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