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In 2021, 83 farmers in cities within Genesee County received a total of $2.3 million in 181 farm subsidies, a 77.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $10.1 million in 388 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest L Gates & Sons, LLC | $520,137 | $172,850 | -66.8% |
| Armson Farms, LLC | $656,236 | $161,397 | -75.4% |
| Hy-Hope Farms, Inc. | $769,444 | $157,846 | -79.5% |
| Reyncrest Farms, Inc. | $910,048 | $148,750 | -83.7% |
| Post Dairy Farms, LLC | $398,232 | $136,806 | -65.6% |
| Joseph F. Barniak Jr. | $421,566 | $127,173 | -69.8% |
| Hildene Farms, Inc. | $805,815 | $126,756 | -84.3% |
| Cottonwood Farms, LLC | $162,634 | $115,923 | -28.7% |
| Den-Kel Jerseys, LLC | $57,414 | $86,641 | 50.9% |
| Har-Go Farms, LLC | $175,461 | $85,000 | -51.6% |
| Kingsley Brothers Farms, LLC | $108,492 | $79,298 | -26.9% |
| DC Farms, LLC | $96,716 | $73,717 | -23.8% |
| Grassland Dairy, Inc. | $90,852 | $71,169 | -21.7% |
| Gary Swede Farms, Inc. | $314,925 | $67,597 | -78.5% |
| L-Brooke Farms, LLC | $277,542 | $53,343 | -80.8% |
| Joseph F Suzanne M and Kenneth J Barniak | $0 | $40,582 | -- |
| JKLM Dairy Farms, Inc. | $37,445 | $39,526 | 5.6% |
| Partners With the Land | $86,570 | $37,432 | -56.8% |
| SJ Starowitz Farms, LLC | $346,788 | $37,212 | -89.3% |
| Domoy Farms, LLC | $106,490 | $32,747 | -69.2% |
| Mckenzie Farms, LLC | $28,413 | $32,274 | 13.6% |
| Naas Farms, LLC | $76,731 | $29,968 | -60.9% |
| Todd Englerth | $25,665 | $28,659 | 11.7% |
| MT Pockets Farming, LLC | $75,727 | $27,866 | -63.2% |
| Edward Sharp and Sons, Inc. | $98,306 | $27,407 | -72.1% |
| J a Starowitz, LLC | $95,440 | $23,840 | -75% |
| Mikelholm Holsteins | $24,150 | $21,962 | -9.1% |
| Hohn Farms, Inc. | $35,092 | $19,368 | -44.8% |
| Zeliff Farms, LLC | $39,118 | $16,870 | -56.9% |
| Marvin Meiser | $24,133 | $14,623 | -39.4% |
| Lambsfold Farms | $23,943 | $11,330 | -52.7% |
| John T. Gray | $37,360 | $11,040 | -70.4% |
| Robert Duyssen | $26,060 | $10,370 | -60.2% |
| Lynn G. Schafer | $24,975 | $10,116 | -59.5% |
| S-B Farms, LLC | $26,501 | $9,823 | -62.9% |
| Roanoke Acres, LLC | $21,027 | $8,133 | -61.3% |
| Douglas Kelkenberg | $19,666 | $8,037 | -59.1% |
| Convoy Dairy, LLC | $341,939 | $6,475 | -98.1% |
| Duane Schmigel | $15,315 | $5,876 | -61.6% |
| Jeremy & William Berkemeier | $7,734 | $5,547 | -28.3% |
| GW Farms, LLC | $12,503 | $4,950 | -60.4% |
| Lakeshore Dairy, LLC | $1,431,093 | $4,927 | -99.7% |
| Torcello Farms, LLC | $22,723 | $4,662 | -79.5% |
| Bradley Winspear | $10,289 | $4,435 | -56.9% |
| Loweington Acres | $10,021 | $4,210 | -58% |
| Stephen A. Nichols | $6,418 | $4,065 | -36.7% |
| Timothy Kingdon | $4,752 | $3,837 | -19.3% |
| Michael J. Caple | $4,961 | $3,495 | -29.6% |
| Edward G. Richardson | $9,790 | $3,062 | -68.7% |
| HI-Vu Acres, LLC | $7,454 | $2,866 | -61.6% |
| Ronald D and Kathleen a Rumble | $4,505 | $2,604 | -42.2% |
| Charles & David Hoffman | $10,815 | $2,437 | -77.5% |
| Richard Caton | $4,637 | $2,307 | -50.2% |
| Jacob Thering | $2,068 | $2,158 | 4.4% |
| Craig W. Kingsley | $4,671 | $1,954 | -58.2% |
| Elmer Mills Jr. | $4,503 | $1,920 | -57.4% |
| Ethan Richardson | $3,048 | $1,806 | -40.7% |
| James R Duyssen | $4,174 | $1,647 | -60.5% |
| Henry L. Tyminski | $3,265 | $1,537 | -52.9% |
| John Molnar Jr. | $2,172 | $1,489 | -31.4% |
| LBM Properties, LLC | $1,258 | $1,258 | 0% |
| George Bailey | $4,136 | $1,064 | -74.3% |
| Deane A. Foster | $1,048 | $1,048 | 0% |
| Steven D. Fox | $825 | $857 | 3.9% |
| Lamb Farms, Inc. | $621,778 | $809 | -99.9% |
| Thomas Christner | $803 | $803 | 0% |
| Laverne Lamkin | $1,174 | $711 | -39.4% |
| Julia Crittenden Tarbell | $1,267 | $645 | -49.1% |
| Nicholas Foss | $8,890 | $630 | -92.9% |
| Tyler Richardson | $1,196 | $561 | -53.1% |
| Funny Farm, LLC | $409 | $468 | 14.4% |
| James H. Grant | $2,691 | $439 | -83.7% |
| Jaime L. Paratore | $0 | $422 | -- |
| John E. Tyminski | $1,739 | $339 | -80.5% |
| Bruce Naas | $270 | $270 | 0% |
| John Moag & Virginia Moag Tobias | $388 | $164 | -57.7% |
| John Lempenau | $1,541 | $100 | -93.5% |
| Harold Snyder Sr. | $199 | $96 | -51.8% |
| Donnely L Warrant | $185 | $91 | -50.8% |
| Potoczak Bee Farms, Inc. | $726 | $61 | -91.6% |
| Charles V. Kopp | $490 | $47 | -90.4% |
| Paul J. Trowbridge Jr. | $67 | $9 | -86.6% |
| Clarissa L. Gallup | $7 | $2 | -71.4% |
| Pocock J. Farms | $19,569 | $0 | -100% |
| Vicki Kuipers | $2,528 | $0 | -100% |
| WNY Fed of Hunting Dog Clubs, Inc. | $261 | $0 | -100% |
| Amy B. Stein | $1,032 | $0 | -100% |
| Belleview Farm, LLC | $4,746 | $0 | -100% |
| Benjamin J. Swanson | $1,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward Keller Jr. | $2,338 | $0 | -100% |
| Fargo Farms Partnership | $659 | $0 | -100% |
| Franklin Farms Estate 05, LLC | $835 | $0 | -100% |
| Leon Halat Jr. | $13,184 | $0 | -100% |
| Norma K. Waldron | $124 | $0 | -100% |
| Oakfield Alabama Farms | $211,448 | $0 | -100% |
| Alan L. Rudgers | $2,507 | $0 | -100% |
| Gustav T. Bertrand Jr. | $1,040 | $0 | -100% |
| Herman C. Berkemeier and Sons | $44,780 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph F Suzanne M and Kenneth J | $78,831 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth J. Barniak | $57,651 | $0 | -100% |
| William C. Berkemeier | $400 | $0 | -100% |
| Gerald Lamendola | $1,211 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas D. Englerth | $18,250 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $10,087,545 | $2,252,611 | -77.7% |
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