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In 2021, 136 farmers in cities within Mercer County received a total of $2.2 million in 293 farm subsidies, a 36% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3.4 million in 577 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irishtown Acres | $339,054 | $237,386 | -30% |
| Gander's Do-Little Dairy, LLC | $113,987 | $176,303 | 54.7% |
| West Branch Holsteins, LLC | $273,582 | $173,408 | -36.6% |
| Pilgram Farms, LLC | $141,230 | $129,442 | -8.3% |
| Toth Family Farm, LLC | $3,541 | $104,922 | 2,863.1% |
| Eric R. Olson | $95,442 | $90,879 | -4.8% |
| Samuel D. Weaver | $34,827 | $85,816 | 146.4% |
| O'Colter Farm, LLC | $90,341 | $78,478 | -13.1% |
| David R. mc Dowell | $146,668 | $73,271 | -50% |
| Canon Dairy | $100,440 | $70,731 | -29.6% |
| Minor Acres, L.L.C. | $135,112 | $55,591 | -58.9% |
| Keith A. Reddick | $52,188 | $48,520 | -7% |
| MC Cullough Farms, LLC | $157,207 | $47,001 | -70.1% |
| Nicoletto Dairy Farm, LLC | $47,209 | $45,160 | -4.3% |
| Nathan Miller | $30,004 | $40,136 | 33.8% |
| John Friede | $18,538 | $39,533 | 113.3% |
| Nickel Farm | $69,593 | $38,973 | -44% |
| Gander and Girls Family Farm, LLC | $51,612 | $38,230 | -25.9% |
| Michael T Bohonik | $40,900 | $37,569 | -8.1% |
| Richard H. Weber | $93,982 | $34,428 | -63.4% |
| Daniel L. Ealy | $22,913 | $32,689 | 42.7% |
| Wesley P. Aiken | $35,888 | $28,173 | -21.5% |
| Coulter Farms | $38,853 | $27,357 | -29.6% |
| Charles L. Robinson | $19,744 | $25,642 | 29.9% |
| West Branch Holsteins 2002-2018 | $16,698 | $22,121 | 32.5% |
| John R. Ligo | $84,668 | $21,896 | -74.1% |
| Ernest W. Yoder | $56,132 | $21,283 | -62.1% |
| Gary Oakes | $13,951 | $17,901 | 28.3% |
| Diversity Farms LP | $51,523 | $17,008 | -67% |
| Dan Lazzar | $30,095 | $16,783 | -44.2% |
| Leroy D. Geibel | $29,339 | $15,076 | -48.6% |
| Raymond R. Cochran | $19,287 | $14,881 | -22.8% |
| James G. Bates | $12,338 | $13,918 | 12.8% |
| James C. Heim | $21,499 | $12,644 | -41.2% |
| Chalupka Farms | $21,950 | $10,829 | -50.7% |
| MC Cullough Brothers Farm, LLC | $24,176 | $10,379 | -57.1% |
| Joseph R. Livingston | $21,194 | $10,084 | -52.4% |
| Snyder Valley Farms, LLC | $31,898 | $9,711 | -69.6% |
| John R. Herman | $26,120 | $9,660 | -63% |
| Richard J. Farrell | $0 | $9,444 | -- |
| Salvatora Farms, Inc. | $18,101 | $9,190 | -49.2% |
| Weber Pleasant View Farms, LLC | $0 | $8,763 | -- |
| Raymond O Sturgin | $5,201 | $8,618 | 65.7% |
| Albert Szakach | $16,741 | $7,800 | -53.4% |
| Charles Lewis Gander | $17,989 | $7,180 | -60.1% |
| Angermeier Farm | $6,838 | $6,838 | 0% |
| Easthill Farm | $14,689 | $6,798 | -53.7% |
| Ryan Miller | $18,627 | $5,796 | -68.9% |
| M J Grande Trucking, Inc. | $20,819 | $5,005 | -76% |
| Norman L. mc Curdy | $7,738 | $4,739 | -38.8% |
| Linda Chalupka | $13,859 | $4,514 | -67.4% |
| David Scott Croskey | $9,177 | $4,281 | -53.4% |
| Doug Smith | $9,585 | $4,010 | -58.2% |
| Williams Farms | $12,593 | $3,865 | -69.3% |
| James Young | $3,807 | $3,807 | 0% |
| Clint Weber | $10,971 | $3,603 | -67.2% |
| Kevin Shearer | $0 | $3,431 | -- |
| Timothy Coryea | $0 | $3,074 | -- |
| Richard Trevitt | $8,069 | $3,003 | -62.8% |
| John A. Murcko | $8,029 | $2,994 | -62.7% |
| Mike Lubecki | $9,963 | $2,924 | -70.7% |
| Shawn Ligo | $6,440 | $2,840 | -55.9% |
| Mullen Farm | $4,185 | $2,696 | -35.6% |
| David Polonsky | $7,085 | $2,680 | -62.2% |
| George E. Farkas | $4,138 | $2,568 | -37.9% |
| Frances L. Hettick | $2,513 | $2,489 | -1% |
| Michael Edney | $5,395 | $2,406 | -55.4% |
| Craig mc Dowell | $6,367 | $2,324 | -63.5% |
| Kovach Farms, Inc. | $11,654 | $2,224 | -80.9% |
| Brian Weimert | $3,867 | $2,204 | -43% |
| Gregory A. Kennard | $24,508 | $2,196 | -91% |
| Robert Sopher | $2,109 | $2,109 | 0% |
| Robert Jewell | $3,914 | $2,093 | -46.5% |
| Richard N. Swisher | $8,616 | $1,991 | -76.9% |
| Joseph M. Pape Jr. | $1,990 | $1,990 | 0% |
| Richard E. Slater | $687 | $1,978 | 187.9% |
| Anthony L. Blake | $4,792 | $1,824 | -61.9% |
| Floch's Maple Hill Stock Farm | $1,353 | $1,804 | 33.3% |
| Randy Meade | $2,573 | $1,747 | -32.1% |
| Clayton Klonowski | $2,211 | $1,708 | -22.7% |
| David L. Melton | $7,143 | $1,620 | -77.3% |
| MRS Deborah Sereday | $1,572 | $1,572 | 0% |
| David Corwin | $1,570 | $1,570 | 0% |
| John R. Bromley | $3,780 | $1,559 | -58.8% |
| Walter J. mc Dowell | $5,155 | $1,554 | -69.9% |
| Windways, Inc. | $2,014 | $1,545 | -23.3% |
| Darrell Jewell | $3,778 | $1,528 | -59.6% |
| Thomas F. mc Dowell | $5,067 | $1,518 | -70% |
| Terry Kidwell | $3,701 | $1,514 | -59.1% |
| Walter J Mezzara | $7,184 | $1,466 | -79.6% |
| Michele Oswald | $6,249 | $1,414 | -77.4% |
| Charles Robinson | $17,768 | $1,406 | -92.1% |
| C. D. Montgomery | $6,427 | $1,303 | -79.7% |
| Mike Gardill | $7,226 | $1,288 | -82.2% |
| George I. Carr | $4,332 | $1,279 | -70.5% |
| Robert S. Temple | $6,226 | $1,253 | -79.9% |
| Megan Jane Lauer | $2,558 | $1,245 | -51.3% |
| Mark Williams | $3,355 | $1,203 | -64.1% |
| Daniel L Shardy | $6,703 | $1,201 | -82.1% |
| Kyle Patterson | $3,103 | $1,179 | -62% |
| Poorefield Acres | $0 | $1,178 | -- |
| Raymond Janoski | $4,204 | $1,074 | -74.5% |
| Lynn E. Kyler | $7,180 | $1,019 | -85.8% |
| Peter R. Resek | $1,749 | $989 | -43.5% |
| Richard B. Bouch | $946 | $835 | -11.7% |
| Andrew Patterson | $495 | $809 | 63.4% |
| James Bowmer II | $2,782 | $769 | -72.4% |
| David L. Floch | $987 | $749 | -24.1% |
| Russ Carlson | $1,299 | $728 | -44% |
| Scott D. Patton | $1,385 | $721 | -47.9% |
| James W. Bischoff | $969 | $672 | -30.7% |
| Lawrence Bell | $918 | $635 | -30.8% |
| Todd Burns | $611 | $611 | 0% |
| Troy Kasbee | $2,992 | $605 | -79.8% |
| Lawrence M. Geibel | $2,232 | $552 | -75.3% |
| Education Bardella | $536 | $536 | 0% |
| Stephen Tomson | $910 | $515 | -43.4% |
| Jason mc Ghee | $4,217 | $504 | -88% |
| Michael Mendoza | $3,001 | $496 | -83.5% |
| Peter R Misivich | $3,455 | $494 | -85.7% |
| William P. Anderson Jr. | $3,262 | $449 | -86.2% |
| Jarred L. Floch | $564 | $442 | -21.6% |
| Dale R. Reimold | $1,362 | $434 | -68.1% |
| Thomas Schaffer | $4,709 | $389 | -91.7% |
| Stephan mc Cann | $1,040 | $361 | -65.3% |
| Eric Ligo | $1,536 | $284 | -81.5% |
| Terri Ligo | $1,481 | $284 | -80.8% |
| James Minshull | $1,395 | $267 | -80.9% |
| William P. Gildersleeve | $574 | $198 | -65.5% |
| Benjamin Voorhies | $0 | $176 | -- |
| Jolene M. Nicoletto | $2,273 | $156 | -93.1% |
| Ezekiel R. Seivers | $4,189 | $120 | -97.1% |
| Doris Gander | $0 | $114 | -- |
| Louis J Kurtek | $0 | $63 | -- |
| Miles Livingston | $33 | $47 | 42.4% |
| Benjamin G. Voorhies | $0 | $26 | -- |
| Bittersweet Farm | $2,851 | $0 | -100% |
| David M. mc Ghee | $420 | $0 | -100% |
| Scott M. Irwin | $588 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas Croskey | $43 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas Hoovler | $1,514 | $0 | -100% |
| All About Groundcover, Inc. | $118,142 | $0 | -100% |
| Carl E. Gadsby | $585 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles E. Beebe | $136 | $0 | -100% |
| James W. mc Dowell | $1,627 | $0 | -100% |
| Walter and Thomas McDowell | $581 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph S Plawky | $926 | $0 | -100% |
| Lawrence Shaffer | $1,380 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert G. Zahniser | $821 | $0 | -100% |
| George's Creekside Dairy, LLC | $18,822 | $0 | -100% |
| Johna Skolnekovich | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Karen Geibel | $1,820 | $0 | -100% |
| Nate T. Bowser | $217 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert W. Pizor | $10,378 | $0 | -100% |
| David J. Mast | $3,605 | $0 | -100% |
| Max Shellenbarger | $491 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Pitts | $1,065 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard mc Laughlin | $672 | $0 | -100% |
| Ryan Harnett | $697 | $0 | -100% |
| Roger Antos | $843 | $0 | -100% |
| W D MC Cullough JR | $370 | $0 | -100% |
| Gerald Voorhies | $1,817 | $0 | -100% |
| Henry A. Gadsby | $493 | $0 | -100% |
| James H. Donley | $2,134 | $0 | -100% |
| Kent A. Penland | $648 | $0 | -100% |
| Stoneboro Nursery, Corp. | $139,927 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy K. Gadsby | $7,704 | $0 | -100% |
| John Lawhead | $52 | $0 | -100% |
| Mike Murcko | $2,446 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $3,423,313 | $2,191,878 | -36% |
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