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In 2021, 36 farmers in cities within Sussex County received a total of $1.3 million in 69 farm subsidies, a 26.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.8 million in 137 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tranquillity Farms, LLC | $280,062 | $280,037 | -0% |
| High Lands Farms, LLC | $215,556 | $276,274 | 28.2% |
| H William Sytsema | $83,419 | $118,992 | 42.6% |
| Kuperus Meadows | $133,484 | $90,524 | -32.2% |
| By-Acre Holsteins, LLC | $105,693 | $86,080 | -18.6% |
| Circle Brook Farm, LLC | $0 | $77,763 | -- |
| Vandergroef Family Farms, LLC | $84,570 | $70,509 | -16.6% |
| Mark Lockburner | $75,233 | $54,801 | -27.2% |
| Deckertown Holsteins, LLC | $64,160 | $54,769 | -14.6% |
| Kevin Ervey | $66,089 | $47,624 | -27.9% |
| Peter J. Bast | $47,101 | $42,868 | -9% |
| Chester A. Cosh | $19,378 | $26,764 | 38.1% |
| Havens Dairy Farm, LLC | $32,174 | $26,040 | -19.1% |
| Kirk Randall Stephens Jr. | $0 | $16,522 | -- |
| Brodhecker Farm, LLC | $18,395 | $13,352 | -27.4% |
| John W. Semanchik | $33,217 | $11,146 | -66.4% |
| Green Valley Livestock, LLC | $41,892 | $9,656 | -77% |
| Jeffrey Krohn | $6,734 | $4,449 | -33.9% |
| Terry Roszhart | $0 | $3,883 | -- |
| Andersen Farms, LLC | $46,799 | $3,013 | -93.6% |
| Jeffrey A. Crisman | $14,851 | $2,564 | -82.7% |
| William R Sytsema | $0 | $2,416 | -- |
| Thomas R. Hough | $3,206 | $1,877 | -41.5% |
| George de Groot | $21,635 | $1,658 | -92.3% |
| Stephen M. Gurba | $4,171 | $1,464 | -64.9% |
| Robert Cahill | $2,414 | $954 | -60.5% |
| Richard Natyzak | $6,988 | $910 | -87% |
| Louis P. Tommaso | $7,474 | $883 | -88.2% |
| Louis Cseh | $2,976 | $852 | -71.4% |
| Audrey Sargent Estate | $0 | $724 | -- |
| Ridge and Valley Conservancy, Inc. | $0 | $614 | -- |
| Sargent Farms, LLC | $0 | $560 | -- |
| Sweetleaf Farm, LLC | $9,307 | $497 | -94.7% |
| Edward Zydel | $324 | $324 | 0% |
| Harold J. Cosh | $842 | $242 | -71.3% |
| Roger L. Degroat | $1,191 | $225 | -81.1% |
| Paul Knakkergaard | $26 | $0 | -100% |
| Snoep Winkel Farm, LLC | $3,362 | $0 | -100% |
| Jon Vaughan | $890 | $0 | -100% |
| So Fun Farms, LLC | $83,479 | $0 | -100% |
| C & C Growers | $68,139 | $0 | -100% |
| Fredon Farms, Inc. | $27,284 | $0 | -100% |
| Glen Vetrano | $27 | $0 | -100% |
| Stonehedge Growers, LLC. | $49,067 | $0 | -100% |
| William Gordon | $567 | $0 | -100% |
| Clifford L. van Etten III | $131 | $0 | -100% |
| Farmside Gardens, Inc. | $20,260 | $0 | -100% |
| Restoration Agriculture, LLC. | $6,685 | $0 | -100% |
| Theodore Cosh | $518 | $0 | -100% |
| Top of the Mountain Honey Bee Far | $11,196 | $0 | -100% |
| Walker Vernon Valley Farm, LLC | $10,519 | $0 | -100% |
| Mangalitsa by Mosefund, LLC | $99,847 | $0 | -100% |
| R&M Farming, LLC | $6,574 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,817,906 | $1,331,830 | -26.7% |
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