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In 2021, 86 farmers in cities within Jefferson County received a total of $327,168 in 143 farm subsidies, a 48.5% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $635,894 in 278 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Sharp Logging, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Ryan Marker | $12,376 | $37,915 | 206.4% |
| Vahalik Family Farms, LLC | $43,330 | $30,173 | -30.4% |
| G&H Farms, LLC | $43,961 | $20,661 | -53% |
| Palmer Dairy Farm, LLC | $22,377 | $18,819 | -15.9% |
| Albert Douglas Caldwell | $22,504 | $16,559 | -26.4% |
| Brian C. Rudy | $33,552 | $15,550 | -53.7% |
| Howard D. Barker | $20,908 | $14,659 | -29.9% |
| Mader Brothers | $38,036 | $13,462 | -64.6% |
| Ray D. Marker Jr. | $21,928 | $5,449 | -75.2% |
| Eric Mercer | $15,934 | $5,047 | -68.3% |
| Harold S. Sutton | $14,611 | $4,905 | -66.4% |
| Robert Morrison II | $19,423 | $4,680 | -75.9% |
| Brady R. Thomas | $8,411 | $4,004 | -52.4% |
| David A. Irvin | $20,683 | $3,609 | -82.6% |
| Chad Ramsey | $4,770 | $3,517 | -26.3% |
| Eric John Schutz | $3,351 | $3,351 | 0% |
| John Alan Schutz | $3,351 | $3,351 | 0% |
| Harold Randolph | $8,934 | $3,021 | -66.2% |
| Phyllis Barker | $0 | $2,988 | -- |
| Michael J. Kirk | $6,867 | $2,875 | -58.1% |
| Taylor Grafton | $0 | $2,760 | -- |
| Geno L. Morelli | $13,973 | $2,719 | -80.5% |
| Dale Ramsey | $7,685 | $2,709 | -64.7% |
| James David Tuckosh | $6,851 | $2,704 | -60.5% |
| Mark Williamson | $0 | $2,459 | -- |
| Nelson H. Householder | $12,052 | $2,271 | -81.2% |
| Lee V. Grafton Jr. | $12,999 | $2,084 | -84% |
| Swickard Farm, Ltd. | $0 | $1,923 | -- |
| John T. Cavanaugh | $7,546 | $1,800 | -76.1% |
| Shane Granatir | $2,682 | $1,715 | -36.1% |
| Foster Fluharty Farms, LLC | $1,881 | $1,697 | -9.8% |
| Kevin McCain | $5,907 | $1,639 | -72.3% |
| Paul E. Corder | $4,480 | $1,421 | -68.3% |
| J L C Company | $5,986 | $1,365 | -77.2% |
| Miller Farms - Franckhauser Family, LLC | $0 | $1,240 | -- |
| Patrick E. Pendleton | $3,370 | $1,225 | -63.6% |
| Thomas Maffett | $5,447 | $1,176 | -78.4% |
| Mcconnell Farms, Inc. | $8,479 | $1,169 | -86.2% |
| Patrick D. Swickard | $4,840 | $1,093 | -77.4% |
| Irish Ridge Farm, LLC | $9,270 | $1,088 | -88.3% |
| Dorotha Stingle | $2,676 | $1,086 | -59.4% |
| Raymond F. Marshall | $2,838 | $1,067 | -62.4% |
| Brent G. Nemeth | $4,169 | $1,030 | -75.3% |
| David Hyde | $3,530 | $1,014 | -71.3% |
| Keith Cline | $4,293 | $1,010 | -76.5% |
| William Acton | $6,978 | $924 | -86.8% |
| Charles C. Henry | $6,908 | $918 | -86.7% |
| Clint Finney | $12,408 | $879 | -92.9% |
| Jeff Vitek | $4,893 | $873 | -82.2% |
| John D Rozenek | $3,581 | $808 | -77.4% |
| George Davis | $4,521 | $779 | -82.8% |
| Andy Powley | $1,452 | $754 | -48.1% |
| Mark T. Clark | $3,224 | $725 | -77.5% |
| Doyle Cline Sr. | $3,135 | $724 | -76.9% |
| Bradley Joe Greene | $2,112 | $715 | -66.1% |
| Julius Verhovec | $4,476 | $690 | -84.6% |
| Kevin Caris | $708 | $664 | -6.2% |
| Darin R. Ogden | $6,091 | $610 | -90% |
| William L. Whitehill | $2,413 | $588 | -75.6% |
| Brandon Shaw | $8,442 | $535 | -93.7% |
| Jeff Wood | $1,397 | $535 | -61.7% |
| Rebecca Corso | $2,530 | $527 | -79.2% |
| Paden Wood | $1,825 | $505 | -72.3% |
| Sam Davis | $2,244 | $502 | -77.6% |
| John C. Grafton | $3,826 | $494 | -87.1% |
| Charles W. Cline | $2,079 | $462 | -77.8% |
| James W. Peters | $1,738 | $391 | -77.5% |
| Amanda Newburn | $1,628 | $385 | -76.4% |
| Donald Carnahan Jr. | $1,573 | $371 | -76.4% |
| Richard Grabits | $1,364 | $359 | -73.7% |
| William Koehnlein | $1,309 | $348 | -73.4% |
| James L. Ramsey | $1,716 | $343 | -80% |
| Sam R. Grafton | $1,714 | $326 | -81% |
| Dan N. Diamond | $1,046 | $262 | -75% |
| Benjamin A. Palmer | $1,349 | $228 | -83.1% |
| Michael L Kruprzak | $1,327 | $212 | -84% |
| Birchwood Farms | $1,521 | $176 | -88.4% |
| Blaine W. Cline | $726 | $156 | -78.5% |
| Eric Conaway | $638 | $149 | -76.6% |
| Troy a Alloggia | $627 | $145 | -76.9% |
| Trevor Waller | $396 | $100 | -74.7% |
| Richard Jenkins | $169 | $44 | -74% |
| Brian Benner | $0 | $15 | -- |
| Sarah Cusick | $0 | $10 | -- |
| Roberta Yates | $25 | $3 | -88% |
| Brian Hemshrodt | $153 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward Ciacci | $223 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert L. Evans | $229 | $0 | -100% |
| William H. Wood | $2,617 | $0 | -100% |
| Loretta Sutton | $103 | $0 | -100% |
| Carl H. Bonecutter II | $3,575 | $0 | -100% |
| Carolyn Mercer | $1,089 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Mercer | $950 | $0 | -100% |
| Taylor David Grafton | $5,007 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul Cunningham | $348 | $0 | -100% |
| Randall B. McClurg | $187 | $0 | -100% |
| Curtis T. Glenn | $443 | $0 | -100% |
| Ben Batenburg | $1,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Cynthia Vitek | $2,182 | $0 | -100% |
| Frederick F Posgai | $57 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul Cusick | $99 | $0 | -100% |
| James I. Giuliano | $66 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeremy Thomas | $408 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth E. McConnell | $959 | $0 | -100% |
| Kurt M. Johnson | $524 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Alan Williamson | $5,243 | $0 | -100% |
| Odessa Pethtel | $137 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles Fluharty | $31 | $0 | -100% |
| Miller Farms - Franckhauser Famil | $9,410 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard A. Williamson | $384 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $635,894 | $327,168 | -48.5% |
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