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In 2021, 69 farmers in cities within Mineral County received a total of $318,421 in 83 farm subsidies, a 63.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $874,951 in 173 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael W. Jones SR. - Four Generations Logging | $0 | $44,575 | -- |
| Frank Nesselrodt | $0 | $39,061 | -- |
| Brookedale Holsteins, Inc. | $39,401 | $33,141 | -15.9% |
| PJS Equipment Rentals and Services, LLC | $0 | $25,474 | -- |
| Louis C. Miltenberger | $61,392 | $22,050 | -64.1% |
| James S. Saville | $0 | $20,528 | -- |
| Gerstell Farms, LLC | $58,933 | $16,959 | -71.2% |
| Flying W Farms, LLC | $58,465 | $14,292 | -75.6% |
| Joseph Robert Connor Jr. | $0 | $13,735 | -- |
| Isaiah J. Smith | $57,171 | $10,142 | -82.3% |
| David A. McGee | $34,894 | $6,523 | -81.3% |
| Robert Brent Kimble | $4,982 | $6,190 | 24.2% |
| Spade Land & Livestock, LLC | $24,570 | $5,426 | -77.9% |
| Livengood Morning Star Farm, Inc. | $257,428 | $4,551 | -98.2% |
| Cheryl Hott | $0 | $4,500 | -- |
| Steven J. Swingle | $3,368 | $3,368 | 0% |
| Kent Spencer, LLC | $8,975 | $2,501 | -72.1% |
| Michael L. Sears | $10,325 | $2,494 | -75.8% |
| Kevin Vanmeter | $0 | $2,397 | -- |
| Charles D. Ritchie | $1,902 | $2,323 | 22.1% |
| Todd A. Kessel | $9,317 | $2,213 | -76.2% |
| Lukas K. Newcomer | $11,527 | $1,818 | -84.2% |
| Eugene W. Jones | $7,705 | $1,576 | -79.5% |
| Brian D. Dayton | $11,879 | $1,544 | -87% |
| Roger L. Kitzmiller | $10,727 | $1,538 | -85.7% |
| Marjorie F Taylor Estate | $10,187 | $1,513 | -85.1% |
| Kermit F. Jones | $6,600 | $1,412 | -78.6% |
| Krista Kitzmiller | $438 | $1,345 | 207.1% |
| Roger S. Brown | $7,089 | $1,298 | -81.7% |
| Terry L. Kesner | $6,491 | $1,284 | -80.2% |
| Kenneth Steve Rexrode | $3,508 | $1,220 | -65.2% |
| Genevieve Mallow | $6,923 | $1,218 | -82.4% |
| William 0 Shoemaker JR | $5,518 | $1,183 | -78.6% |
| Daniel Williams | $2,739 | $1,153 | -57.9% |
| Tammy Evans | $5,010 | $1,039 | -79.3% |
| Grover Duling | $998 | $998 | 0% |
| David Idleman | $4,719 | $987 | -79.1% |
| G. H. Ebert Jr. | $4,299 | $941 | -78.1% |
| Don O. Wyer Jr. | $5,814 | $848 | -85.4% |
| Gregory B. Fertig | $4,331 | $820 | -81.1% |
| David B. Davis | $4,463 | $818 | -81.7% |
| Steve Feaster | $0 | $770 | -- |
| Benny Evans | $3,410 | $744 | -78.2% |
| Eric Shreve | $1,883 | $692 | -63.3% |
| River Bend Farms, Inc. | $8,878 | $627 | -92.9% |
| Carol E. Webb | $2,721 | $613 | -77.5% |
| Thomas Rotruck | $0 | $605 | -- |
| H. J. Kessel | $2,365 | $586 | -75.2% |
| Nathan Kisamore | $2,321 | $544 | -76.6% |
| John O. Jones | $2,288 | $543 | -76.3% |
| Joseph M. Miltenberger | $1,595 | $529 | -66.8% |
| Esther Evans | $2,167 | $521 | -76% |
| Ronald E. Higson | $27,238 | $498 | -98.2% |
| Charles Parish | $1,903 | $463 | -75.7% |
| Harold Kismaore | $2,464 | $455 | -81.5% |
| David Smith | $858 | $447 | -47.9% |
| Kevin L. Haggerty | $2,549 | $416 | -83.7% |
| Paul J. Clem III | $335 | $335 | 0% |
| Wayne Miller Jr. | $984 | $321 | -67.4% |
| Jarvis M. Reed | $1,221 | $308 | -74.8% |
| William W. Jones | $2,494 | $301 | -87.9% |
| William M. Bane | $2,156 | $202 | -90.6% |
| Scott L. Kitzmiller | $1,631 | $194 | -88.1% |
| James R. Knotts | $1,053 | $172 | -83.7% |
| Janet K. Wilder | $733 | $157 | -78.6% |
| Brookedale Farm, LLC | $8,726 | $124 | -98.6% |
| Terry S. Biser | $6,470 | $112 | -98.3% |
| Freddy Eversole | $2,006 | $77 | -96.2% |
| Shannon Beth Didawick | $352 | $69 | -80.4% |
| Beverly Ann Berg | $604 | $0 | -100% |
| Cody B. Berg | $53 | $0 | -100% |
| James Bess | $3,080 | $0 | -100% |
| Jean D. Woodworth | $296 | $0 | -100% |
| Maria Clark | $2,826 | $0 | -100% |
| Patterson Creek Apiary, LLC | $10,261 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy A. Shoemaker | $1,870 | $0 | -100% |
| Wanda L. Olden | $541 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffrey Alan Royal | $290 | $0 | -100% |
| Chester R. Bean | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Derek V. Alt | $567 | $0 | -100% |
| Harold M. Hott | $3,565 | $0 | -100% |
| John I. Ritchie Jr. | $112 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth C. Ritchie | $161 | $0 | -100% |
| Louis & Margaret Miltenberger | $7,381 | $0 | -100% |
| Tristan Ziegler | $70 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $874,951 | $318,421 | -63.6% |
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