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In 2021, 86 farmers in cities within Wexford County received a total of $1.1 million in 146 farm subsidies, a 46.5% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2 million in 265 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dutchman Tree Farms, LLC | $426,745 | $148,433 | -65.2% |
| Pinecrest Dairy, LLC | $80,254 | $135,712 | 69.1% |
| Meekhof Dairy, LLC | $156,877 | $130,101 | -17.1% |
| Benson Dairy, LLC | $165,967 | $79,462 | -52.1% |
| Going Green, G.P. | $55,610 | $56,838 | 2.2% |
| K and K Forest Products, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Proctor Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Park Forest Products, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Fenner Farms, Inc. | $145,767 | $50,954 | -65% |
| Rex Renwick & Sons Forest Products, LLC | $0 | $37,049 | -- |
| Svec Farms, LLC | $182,767 | $29,627 | -83.8% |
| Benson Acres, LLC | $50,427 | $23,206 | -54% |
| Matthew James Breithaupt | $32,615 | $20,489 | -37.2% |
| Watson Farms Trust | $25,830 | $20,105 | -22.2% |
| Fenner Farms Organic Division | $11,671 | $13,583 | 16.4% |
| Douglas E. Moyer | $25,552 | $10,840 | -57.6% |
| Greg Dreves | $19,604 | $10,146 | -48.2% |
| GK Bancroft Rolling Meadows Farms, LLC | $20,408 | $9,823 | -51.9% |
| Jan Malik | $19,797 | $9,659 | -51.2% |
| Rodger Haugen | $0 | $8,788 | -- |
| Kermit Coleman | $17,761 | $8,107 | -54.4% |
| John F. Rydquist | $12,936 | $7,208 | -44.3% |
| Adam Michael Matthews | $8,520 | $6,825 | -19.9% |
| Ray K. Zeitz | $10,554 | $6,671 | -36.8% |
| Going Green, LLC | $6,554 | $6,554 | 0% |
| Brad Fox | $7,289 | $5,412 | -25.8% |
| Christon Sikkema | $29,824 | $4,855 | -83.7% |
| Everett Casey Youker | $11,731 | $4,593 | -60.8% |
| Perry Cellini | $4,649 | $4,443 | -4.4% |
| David Pahl | $14,636 | $4,387 | -70% |
| Leo Kreiser | $11,941 | $4,235 | -64.5% |
| Hidden Valley Tree Farm, LLC | $15,028 | $4,221 | -71.9% |
| Ray Nixon | $6,512 | $3,988 | -38.8% |
| Gary Birgy | $8,485 | $3,954 | -53.4% |
| James George | $7,846 | $3,828 | -51.2% |
| Frank Kitcho | $8,903 | $3,515 | -60.5% |
| Cheryl Ann Fontana | $3,490 | $3,490 | 0% |
| Larry Vano | $4,843 | $2,892 | -40.3% |
| Don W. Birchmeier | $9,522 | $2,857 | -70% |
| Mark Nixon | $2,236 | $2,803 | 25.4% |
| John M. Birgy | $4,327 | $2,697 | -37.7% |
| Edward Breitmeyer | $5,375 | $2,560 | -52.4% |
| Joe D. Miller | $8,341 | $2,545 | -69.5% |
| Patrick C. Peterson | $5,600 | $2,485 | -55.6% |
| Mark D Garwood GST Separate Trustee | $7,946 | $2,158 | -72.8% |
| Carol Mogan | $3,355 | $1,878 | -44% |
| Stephen Bujalski | $3,300 | $1,729 | -47.6% |
| Daniel D. Dewey | $1,567 | $1,499 | -4.3% |
| Virginia Ann Moore Estate | $0 | $1,402 | -- |
| Nabil Salamey | $1,399 | $1,399 | 0% |
| Rebecca L. Ratliff | $1,333 | $1,296 | -2.8% |
| Rector Farms, LLC | $1,318 | $1,196 | -9.3% |
| Jason R. Benson | $1,870 | $1,156 | -38.2% |
| Sheldon R. Eicher | $4,355 | $1,071 | -75.4% |
| Jerry F. Carson | $1,068 | $1,068 | 0% |
| Brian Getty | $67,950 | $960 | -98.6% |
| Douglas Sattler | $1,048 | $948 | -9.5% |
| Dean George | $3,509 | $932 | -73.4% |
| Gary Clough Jr. | $3,979 | $884 | -77.8% |
| Karlyn Ann Probst | $1,909 | $829 | -56.6% |
| James Leggett | $2,258 | $732 | -67.6% |
| Tiffany Gregory | $1,401 | $650 | -53.6% |
| Elaine Keller | $592 | $650 | 9.8% |
| Snyder Farm, LLC | $18,748 | $646 | -96.6% |
| Jared McClellan | $0 | $630 | -- |
| Joseph E. Beck | $295 | $525 | 78% |
| Jeffrey Carling Dreves | $725 | $514 | -29.1% |
| Promised Land Organic, LLC | $0 | $500 | -- |
| Northern Growin', LLC | $3,386 | $500 | -85.2% |
| Theresa L Weaver-Werp | $64,158 | $462 | -99.3% |
| Brian Dreves | $1,619 | $407 | -74.9% |
| Anna Geiger-Dontje Living Trust | $1,206 | $394 | -67.3% |
| Pat R. McGhan | $768 | $384 | -50% |
| Ted Pahl | $2,937 | $271 | -90.8% |
| Karl L. Schriner | $552 | $267 | -51.6% |
| John D. Larsen | $674 | $211 | -68.7% |
| Maryann Spurgeon | $155 | $207 | 33.5% |
| Sally Norman | $588 | $207 | -64.8% |
| Brian R. Elson | $2,631 | $185 | -93% |
| Bill Cundiff | $608 | $161 | -73.5% |
| Kevin Matthews | $396 | $156 | -60.6% |
| Jeffrey Cline | $0 | $138 | -- |
| Ronald Bredahl | $0 | $118 | -- |
| Scott Jasman | $0 | $110 | -- |
| Bruce A. Manny | $315 | $88 | -72.1% |
| Eric R. Peterson | $50 | $6 | -88% |
| Gary Clough | $12 | $0 | -100% |
| Hubert L. Toupin | $993 | $0 | -100% |
| Donald Gondzar | $17 | $0 | -100% |
| Ryan Stuck | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| William Crain | $18 | $0 | -100% |
| 6 B. Ees Honey Farm, LLC | $3,693 | $0 | -100% |
| Edwin L. Helsel | $6,142 | $0 | -100% |
| Elnora Oliver | $378 | $0 | -100% |
| Jon P. Wiggins | $53,200 | $0 | -100% |
| Joyce Jamieson | $5,614 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Benson | $1,871 | $0 | -100% |
| Susan K. Meyer | $4,166 | $0 | -100% |
| Annabel Stolicker | $391 | $0 | -100% |
| Connie Poremba | $81 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Badour | $342 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Yax | $391 | $0 | -100% |
| Virginia Moore | $1,870 | $0 | -100% |
| Lonny L. Lutke | $2,695 | $0 | -100% |
| Antioch Tree Farm, LLC | $49,142 | $0 | -100% |
| Cochrane Tree Company, LLC | $43,464 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Usher | $56 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,032,013 | $1,088,089 | -46.5% |
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