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In 2021, 33 farmers in cities within Dutchess County received a total of $620,372 in 49 farm subsidies, a 69.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2 million in 130 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lo-Nan Farms, LLC | $739,206 | $195,728 | -73.5% |
| Ronnybrook Farm | $51,768 | $137,322 | 165.3% |
| Willow Brook Farm, LLC | $70,302 | $77,427 | 10.1% |
| Uplands Farm | $112,972 | $57,542 | -49.1% |
| Rebecca S. Osborne | $17,736 | $30,957 | 74.5% |
| SKY Farm, Inc. | $0 | $21,477 | -- |
| BL Harvey Ranch Holdings, LLC | $0 | $17,438 | -- |
| Storm Field Swiss | $18,117 | $17,301 | -4.5% |
| One Nature, LLC | $0 | $11,323 | -- |
| Hughes/Vandeusen | $7,300 | $7,300 | 0% |
| Shenandoah Farm, LLC | $36,277 | $6,133 | -83.1% |
| Waldbillig Living Trust | $4,630 | $6,088 | 31.5% |
| Josef Meiller Slaughterhouse, Inc. | $33,440 | $5,571 | -83.3% |
| Robert Lumb | $5,381 | $3,631 | -32.5% |
| Prospect Hill Farmstead, LLC | $0 | $3,410 | -- |
| Aniece Collins | $2,657 | $2,657 | 0% |
| MMT Farms, LLC | $5,372 | $2,462 | -54.2% |
| Julie Ann Engel-Jones | $2,108 | $2,330 | 10.5% |
| Robert Schoch | $0 | $2,110 | -- |
| Jane Smith | $1,838 | $1,838 | 0% |
| Wil-HI Farm, LLC | $0 | $1,796 | -- |
| Andrea M Gibson Trust | $1,664 | $1,664 | 0% |
| Eickman Family Partnership | $1,480 | $1,620 | 9.5% |
| Richard Czech | $55,112 | $1,531 | -97.2% |
| Migliorelli Farm, LLC | $263,863 | $1,521 | -99.4% |
| Rebecca J. Smart | $2,143 | $1,072 | -50% |
| Sean Smith | $0 | $673 | -- |
| Geraldine A. Mercer | $353 | $224 | -36.5% |
| Evan P. Decker | $8,563 | $91 | -98.9% |
| Chaseholm Farm, LLC | $10,710 | $79 | -99.3% |
| Pleasant View Farm | $7,007 | $48 | -99.3% |
| Carolyn Kellerhouse | $171 | $4 | -97.7% |
| Lloyd Kellerhouse | $171 | $4 | -97.7% |
| Melvin Keller | $2,648 | $0 | -100% |
| Fishkill Farms, LLC | $131,902 | $0 | -100% |
| Karl Boggs | $957 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles H. Lawrence | $140 | $0 | -100% |
| Commodity Credit Corporation | $202,312 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $1,086 | $0 | -100% |
| Jesse Bontecou | $2,540 | $0 | -100% |
| Tonelwin Farm, LLC | $351 | $0 | -100% |
| Walbridge Farm, LLC | $1,109 | $0 | -100% |
| Dashing Star Farm, LLC | $2,550 | $0 | -100% |
| Farmscapes Land Management, LLC | $2,172 | $0 | -100% |
| Kaye Ranch, LLC | $30,154 | $0 | -100% |
| Michele Ferraro | $179 | $0 | -100% |
| Perotti Homestead Farm, LLC | $2,118 | $0 | -100% |
| Sunset Ridge Farm, LLC | $1,538 | $0 | -100% |
| Heinchons Dairy, Inc. | $494 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert J. Davidson | $8,919 | $0 | -100% |
| A Pulver Trucking, LLC | $3,024 | $0 | -100% |
| Full Circus Farm, LLC | $4,260 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth B. Chase | $1,493 | $0 | -100% |
| My Dairy Farm, LLC | $287 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward C. Hackett | $509 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward C. Hackett IV | $264 | $0 | -100% |
| Glenn Daley | $287 | $0 | -100% |
| Knoll Krest Farm, LLC | $7,898 | $0 | -100% |
| Seton Farms, Inc. | $71,550 | $0 | -100% |
| Twin Brooks Gardens, Inc. | $37,405 | $0 | -100% |
| Panorama Farm, LLC | $439 | $0 | -100% |
| James Waldbillig | $11,029 | $0 | -100% |
| Meadowbrook Farm, Inc. | $15,288 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,005,243 | $620,372 | -69.1% |
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