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In 2021, 33 farmers in cities within Antrim County received a total of $200,657 in 62 farm subsidies, a 77.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $878,509 in 105 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Farms, Inc. | $47,795 | $49,500 | 3.6% |
| Shooks Farms Company, LLC | $39,732 | $42,133 | 6% |
| Rubinghs Dairyland, LLC | $329,203 | $33,351 | -89.9% |
| Stephen J. Kalchik | $35,533 | $19,973 | -43.8% |
| King Orchards, Inc. | $137,462 | $14,212 | -89.7% |
| Lynda Conant | $21,594 | $8,635 | -60% |
| Robert R. Patton | $16,957 | $6,993 | -58.8% |
| Pollister Amos, LLC | $52,459 | $5,654 | -89.2% |
| Thomas R. Kiessel | $12,475 | $2,953 | -76.3% |
| Vermeersch Farms, LLC | $19,998 | $2,915 | -85.4% |
| Richard Austin | $8,931 | $2,871 | -67.9% |
| Dewey Orchard, LLC | $5,720 | $2,626 | -54.1% |
| Robert E. Kenney | $3,776 | $1,313 | -65.2% |
| Chris Bergstrom | $2,187 | $1,012 | -53.7% |
| Rick D. Hebden | $3,780 | $786 | -79.2% |
| Theodore Kortes | $1,279 | $749 | -41.4% |
| Patricia Dubois | $654 | $654 | 0% |
| Mark Groenink | $2,150 | $600 | -72.1% |
| Bradley T. Rowe | $1,427 | $551 | -61.4% |
| Richard C. Hoffman | $702 | $546 | -22.2% |
| Robert G. Hughey | $3,584 | $456 | -87.3% |
| Grass Creek Ranch, LLC | $789 | $420 | -46.8% |
| Dennis Hoffman | $746 | $394 | -47.2% |
| James Slough | $549 | $391 | -28.8% |
| Dean Willson Jr. | $726 | $368 | -49.3% |
| Georgia Jean Burns | $829 | $129 | -84.4% |
| Pauline K. Scott | $791 | $111 | -86% |
| Willie Dean | $341 | $110 | -67.7% |
| Melvyn Kapral | $231 | $110 | -52.4% |
| Steve Albers | $208 | $52 | -75% |
| Jeff Loveland | $0 | $48 | -- |
| Jeffrey C. Killian | $153 | $31 | -79.7% |
| Dean Willson | $355 | $10 | -97.2% |
| Ricksgers Ranch | $4,816 | $0 | -100% |
| Bryan E. Graham | $71 | $0 | -100% |
| Grass Lake Organics | $465 | $0 | -100% |
| Kathy Kern | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Lee Livingston | $53 | $0 | -100% |
| Leila Fauth | $226 | $0 | -100% |
| Lorraine J. Loveland | $367 | $0 | -100% |
| Messiahs Tree Farm, Inc. | $66,185 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul Trumble | $352 | $0 | -100% |
| Buckwheat's Market Garden | $782 | $0 | -100% |
| David R. Arnold | $685 | $0 | -100% |
| Jessica Lauren White | $831 | $0 | -100% |
| Providence Farm, LLC | $48,275 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert A. Labeau | $163 | $0 | -100% |
| Stacy Conant | $1,132 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $878,509 | $200,657 | -77.2% |
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