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In 2021, 63 farmers in cities within Cheboygan County received a total of $364,966 in 107 farm subsidies, a 45.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $664,729 in 209 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Budzinski | $113,742 | $82,199 | -27.7% |
| Kevin Zbytowski | $48,941 | $70,188 | 43.4% |
| Knopf & Sons Forest Products, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Tromble Bay Farms, Inc. | $80,279 | $36,540 | -54.5% |
| M. Levernier, LLC | $0 | $21,151 | -- |
| Jordan Prevo | $35,143 | $16,235 | -53.8% |
| Carl Reimann | $30,109 | $13,547 | -55% |
| Daniel A. Prevo | $33,195 | $12,609 | -62% |
| James E Vits | $15,577 | $8,169 | -47.6% |
| Inverness Dairy Farms, Inc. | $15,588 | $5,379 | -65.5% |
| David Brown | $16,425 | $5,193 | -68.4% |
| Dennis Hesselink | $4,204 | $3,697 | -12.1% |
| Dennis Lafrinere | $4,045 | $3,406 | -15.8% |
| Zarske Farm | $7,039 | $3,276 | -53.5% |
| Tony's Custom Butchering | $13,804 | $2,883 | -79.1% |
| Robert Gamon | $4,618 | $2,760 | -40.2% |
| William Beethem | $7,883 | $2,170 | -72.5% |
| John Wanke | $3,715 | $1,677 | -54.9% |
| Peter Alan Jarman | $7,925 | $1,580 | -80.1% |
| Mark H. Nelson | $1,743 | $1,384 | -20.6% |
| Beverly Wixson | $0 | $1,293 | -- |
| Steve Socolovitch | $2,260 | $1,210 | -46.5% |
| Joseph Bur | $18,929 | $1,178 | -93.8% |
| Gilbert Russell Jones | $6,204 | $1,130 | -81.8% |
| Bryan T Decare | $7,123 | $857 | -88% |
| Mary Ellen Enos | $690 | $766 | 11% |
| Joseph Verville | $871 | $706 | -18.9% |
| Far Hills Maple Syrup, LLC | $700 | $700 | 0% |
| Jacquelyn M Sandel Trust | $0 | $666 | -- |
| Steven A. Fitzner | $4,058 | $636 | -84.3% |
| Samuel and Carol Beland Trust | $0 | $634 | -- |
| Michael J. Sobek | $1,419 | $619 | -56.4% |
| Troy Jay Nelson | $0 | $596 | -- |
| Douglas M. Kirkpatrick | $2,398 | $570 | -76.2% |
| Stephen A. Ptasnik | $2,332 | $552 | -76.3% |
| Richard Reimann | $768 | $497 | -35.3% |
| Dylan Howard | $2,955 | $446 | -84.9% |
| Joseph Drummond | $444 | $444 | 0% |
| Geralyn Kane | $1,879 | $418 | -77.8% |
| Robert Tryban | $2,407 | $380 | -84.2% |
| Matthew Howard | $6,392 | $350 | -94.5% |
| Paul Dobrowolski | $457 | $325 | -28.9% |
| Joe Adam Hart | $1,320 | $325 | -75.4% |
| Beau Johnson | $1,518 | $321 | -78.9% |
| Nathan E. Kowalski | $915 | $272 | -70.3% |
| Thomas W. Alexander | $716 | $259 | -63.8% |
| William Domke | $697 | $205 | -70.6% |
| Roger Gaynor | $704 | $204 | -71% |
| Carol Spray | $315 | $187 | -40.6% |
| Timothy Bur | $215 | $180 | -16.3% |
| Angela Smith | $1,103 | $138 | -87.5% |
| Michaela Buhrman | $0 | $138 | -- |
| Frederick Hart | $176 | $136 | -22.7% |
| Debra James | $841 | $130 | -84.5% |
| Gerald Brown | $1,792 | $128 | -92.9% |
| Alys-Marie Eno | $418 | $98 | -76.6% |
| Martin Gildner | $396 | $84 | -78.8% |
| Beth Ann Buhr | $11,440 | $76 | -99.3% |
| Daren Tohm | $156 | $63 | -59.6% |
| Amanda J. Munger | $3,095 | $51 | -98.4% |
| Charles Wise | $1,060 | $41 | -96.1% |
| Todd Hemmingson | $17,864 | $35 | -99.8% |
| Janet Samp | $11 | $4 | -63.6% |
| Bradley Ormsbee | $724 | $0 | -100% |
| Casimir I. Tryban | $915 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles B. Brown | $835 | $0 | -100% |
| Dale Saint Amour | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel Casimir Tryban | $11,474 | $0 | -100% |
| Darlene Kitchen | $48 | $0 | -100% |
| David E. McCormick | $1,352 | $0 | -100% |
| David K. McClymont | $3,516 | $0 | -100% |
| Deborah Kidder | $2,094 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward Reimann | $1,053 | $0 | -100% |
| Eileen M. Bur | $620 | $0 | -100% |
| Eugene Osantowski | $323 | $0 | -100% |
| Frederick Stempky | $6,656 | $0 | -100% |
| Harvest Thyme Farm & Vineyards, LLC | $15,226 | $0 | -100% |
| Henry Jankoviak | $2,457 | $0 | -100% |
| Jessica Boman | $326 | $0 | -100% |
| Marjorie Joan Scheele | $3,206 | $0 | -100% |
| Pamela L. Gouin | $2,206 | $0 | -100% |
| Reimann Dairy Farm | $5,182 | $0 | -100% |
| Roger Dale Gaynor Jr. | $230 | $0 | -100% |
| Roger Dombroski | $6,258 | $0 | -100% |
| Scott Sandel | $1,143 | $0 | -100% |
| Shari L. Reese | $56 | $0 | -100% |
| Stephen J. Crusoe | $4,450 | $0 | -100% |
| Tracee Beauchamp | $1,446 | $0 | -100% |
| Fred Wegmeyer | $548 | $0 | -100% |
| Jason Bixel | $138 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas D Zbytowski | $430 | $0 | -100% |
| Billy Pittman | $312 | $0 | -100% |
| North Star Gardens, Inc. | $37,309 | $0 | -100% |
| Gregory S. Whittaker | $499 | $0 | -100% |
| Wendy Babcock | $2,189 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $664,729 | $364,966 | -45.1% |
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