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In 2021, 115 farmers in cities within Susquehanna County received a total of $851,791 in 164 farm subsidies, a 43.5% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.5 million in 239 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scenery View Farms, LLC | $168,730 | $117,196 | -30.5% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $87,307 | -- |
| John/Alice Jean Castrogiovanni | $0 | $60,464 | -- |
| Martin Paul Medved | $72,256 | $56,568 | -21.7% |
| Bernard Zembrzycki JR | $67,110 | $52,830 | -21.3% |
| Robert J Reyan | $69,294 | $50,092 | -27.7% |
| Winston Wright | $93,169 | $35,662 | -61.7% |
| Edward L. Kelley Jr. | $109,294 | $33,535 | -69.3% |
| James Greenwood | $25,124 | $31,533 | 25.5% |
| TLC Dairy Farm Enterprise | $23,724 | $30,704 | 29.4% |
| John Brooks | $27,147 | $28,369 | 4.5% |
| Kenneth S. Gesford Sr. | $33,558 | $25,105 | -25.2% |
| Debra E. Neville | $21,704 | $24,460 | 12.7% |
| Janet Curtis | $17,224 | $14,571 | -15.4% |
| Conboy Farms | $37,814 | $13,823 | -63.4% |
| Douglas J. Neville | $9,683 | $11,757 | 21.4% |
| Thomas Kravetsky | $12,393 | $9,681 | -21.9% |
| Joseph Shevchuk Jr. | $0 | $9,593 | -- |
| Elwood Phelps | $8,153 | $9,183 | 12.6% |
| Charles Parker | $6,332 | $7,267 | 14.8% |
| Allen K. Scott | $28,300 | $6,354 | -77.5% |
| Matthew D. Neenan | $12,284 | $5,619 | -54.3% |
| Brian Peterka | $0 | $5,446 | -- |
| Dennis O'Reilly Jr. | $24,703 | $5,412 | -78.1% |
| Linda C. Johnson | $4,927 | $4,927 | 0% |
| James P. Frystak | $18,884 | $4,383 | -76.8% |
| Lillian Price | $0 | $3,898 | -- |
| Nancy Davies | $4,317 | $3,725 | -13.7% |
| Maple Shade Farm, LP | $4,892 | $3,698 | -24.4% |
| Bruce J Bonnice | $0 | $3,525 | -- |
| Frank J. Licata | $0 | $3,521 | -- |
| Richard Gary | $3,407 | $3,407 | 0% |
| Allan Eccles | $14,781 | $3,202 | -78.3% |
| Tony Ellsworth | $0 | $3,188 | -- |
| Hawley-Family Farms, LLC | $5,225 | $3,099 | -40.7% |
| Paul Sheroshek | $42,765 | $2,968 | -93.1% |
| Joshua Lodge | $0 | $2,870 | -- |
| Paul Travis | $0 | $2,806 | -- |
| Philip Depue | $0 | $2,636 | -- |
| Claude Bennett | $11,274 | $2,631 | -76.7% |
| Mark J. Hunsinger | $8,485 | $2,620 | -69.1% |
| Castlemont Farms, LLC | $71,370 | $2,592 | -96.4% |
| James Eldred | $2,563 | $2,563 | 0% |
| Gregory Smith | $2,542 | $2,542 | 0% |
| Dennis Larue | $10,650 | $2,534 | -76.2% |
| Robert Fearnley | $2,379 | $2,379 | 0% |
| Ralph Walz | $2,219 | $2,219 | 0% |
| Alfred J. Jones Sr. | $6,596 | $2,206 | -66.6% |
| John Frystak | $2,236 | $2,009 | -10.2% |
| David Bonnice | $1,764 | $1,764 | 0% |
| Robert Bonnice | $1,764 | $1,764 | 0% |
| Ronald C. White | $1,762 | $1,722 | -2.3% |
| The Aldrich Farm, Inc. | $23,420 | $1,664 | -92.9% |
| Kendall J. Scott | $0 | $1,650 | -- |
| Michael Decker | $0 | $1,627 | -- |
| Dixie Graham | $0 | $1,608 | -- |
| John Vandermark | $2,190 | $1,455 | -33.6% |
| Kenneth Medved | $4,192 | $1,286 | -69.3% |
| Russell Snow | $0 | $1,256 | -- |
| Daniel Castiglione | $7,574 | $1,210 | -84% |
| Jack D. McKee | $2,341 | $1,131 | -51.7% |
| Petersen Homestead Farm, LLP | $25,517 | $1,120 | -95.6% |
| Walter Buechel | $4,547 | $1,102 | -75.8% |
| Neil Andre | $1,042 | $1,042 | 0% |
| William Hewitt | $32,143 | $1,007 | -96.9% |
| Charles Seifert | $990 | $990 | 0% |
| Chris Calby | $970 | $970 | 0% |
| Scenery View Farms Partnership | $7,728 | $922 | -88.1% |
| Shannon Miranda | $882 | $882 | 0% |
| Raymond Sniegos | $835 | $835 | 0% |
| Teri Jo Wagner | $0 | $831 | -- |
| John T. Flaherty | $19,298 | $826 | -95.7% |
| Charles Davis | $813 | $813 | 0% |
| Timothy Overmiller | $807 | $807 | 0% |
| Glenn Smith | $774 | $774 | 0% |
| Camp Comfort, Inc. | $3,291 | $741 | -77.5% |
| Thomas J. Perkins | $719 | $719 | 0% |
| Philip Hawley | $1,782 | $704 | -60.5% |
| Carol Hallam | $987 | $642 | -35% |
| William J. Smith | $15,484 | $634 | -95.9% |
| Mildred Nemcek | $0 | $626 | -- |
| Angela Vauter | $605 | $605 | 0% |
| Gloria Vauter | $605 | $605 | 0% |
| Edward I. Johnson Jr. | $546 | $546 | 0% |
| Gregory Hellmuth | $0 | $539 | -- |
| Dennis Bunnell | $2,189 | $518 | -76.3% |
| Ann Vitale | $451 | $451 | 0% |
| Steven Demarest | $5,446 | $434 | -92% |
| John Hopkins | $367 | $367 | 0% |
| George Hettiger | $307 | $307 | 0% |
| Lawrence R. Holbrook | $262 | $262 | 0% |
| Joseph Pleva | $732 | $239 | -67.3% |
| Dawn Davis | $237 | $237 | 0% |
| Lorraine Clune | $237 | $237 | 0% |
| Jesse Harris | $230 | $230 | 0% |
| Second Star Hunting Club | $216 | $216 | 0% |
| Philip Wheaton | $207 | $207 | 0% |
| John Butler | $189 | $189 | 0% |
| Louis Jagel | $172 | $172 | 0% |
| George Milochik | $163 | $163 | 0% |
| Richard Roberts | $0 | $158 | -- |
| David Bailey | $0 | $148 | -- |
| Joseph P. Tims | $0 | $146 | -- |
| Timothy Haeselin | $145 | $145 | 0% |
| Carole Nasser | $0 | $143 | -- |
| Sebring Family Farms, LLC | $9,246 | $128 | -98.6% |
| Laura Holbrook | $116 | $116 | 0% |
| Kathleen Ernst | $615 | $111 | -82% |
| James Cummings | $83 | $83 | 0% |
| Pond View Partnership, LP | $78 | $78 | 0% |
| Stephen Hunsinger | $74 | $74 | 0% |
| Daniel N. Eriksen | $2,657 | $65 | -97.6% |
| Richard Green | $45 | $45 | 0% |
| Tyler C. White | $10,641 | $15 | -99.9% |
| Melvin Graham Jr. | $0 | $9 | -- |
| Joseph Gillott | $303 | $0 | -100% |
| William R. Lewis | $899 | $0 | -100% |
| James Barbour | $395 | $0 | -100% |
| William H. Rosser | $4,097 | $0 | -100% |
| Murphy's Lakeview Farms | $528 | $0 | -100% |
| Aldrich Farm, Inc. | $389 | $0 | -100% |
| Barbara L. Conrad | $3,592 | $0 | -100% |
| Bruce Bonnice | $3,525 | $0 | -100% |
| Camp Corby, Inc. | $930 | $0 | -100% |
| Commodity Credit Corporation | $119,907 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel Graham | $243 | $0 | -100% |
| David E Juser | $695 | $0 | -100% |
| David Mitchell | $6,929 | $0 | -100% |
| Debby Drasher | $553 | $0 | -100% |
| Everitt Lowry | $3,481 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $34,936 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark W. Tompkins | $917 | $0 | -100% |
| Pete Kane | $182 | $0 | -100% |
| Russell J. Wood | $582 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy Reynolds | $21,204 | $0 | -100% |
| Walter C. Frystak | $8,813 | $0 | -100% |
| James Proctor | $2,841 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph Valentine | $3,300 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,507,226 | $851,791 | -43.5% |
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