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In 2021, 48 farmers in cities within Westchester County received a total of $127,668 in 73 farm subsidies, a 78.3% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $588,756 in 148 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Rack Ranch, LLC | $22,106 | $20,834 | -5.8% |
| Henry Helm | $10,812 | $10,812 | 0% |
| Cassidy Farms, LLC | $30,224 | $9,768 | -67.7% |
| Susan Wagner | $0 | $9,561 | -- |
| Lona Fitzgerald | $12,515 | $7,620 | -39.1% |
| Henry Dwight Hilleman Jr. | $6,056 | $7,270 | 20% |
| Anthony Dimeglio | $0 | $6,883 | -- |
| Sara B Landon Living Trust | $5,961 | $6,876 | 15.3% |
| Beaty Farms, Inc. | $14,988 | $5,455 | -63.6% |
| Carlo Dimeglio | $0 | $4,371 | -- |
| Margery Curtiss | $0 | $2,870 | -- |
| Emerald Isle Michael J Merritt Sole MBR, LLC | $0 | $2,715 | -- |
| Moore Family Trust | $21,702 | $2,708 | -87.5% |
| Big Dream Farm, LLC | $0 | $2,435 | -- |
| Richard W. Gill | $4,260 | $2,270 | -46.7% |
| Dalsons, LLC | $6,275 | $2,269 | -63.8% |
| Signe E. Putz | $0 | $2,086 | -- |
| Jay Curtiss | $0 | $2,019 | -- |
| Maris Abolins | $8,595 | $1,866 | -78.3% |
| Bradford B. Shilling | $4,978 | $1,818 | -63.5% |
| LCA Farm, LLC | $3,769 | $1,674 | -55.6% |
| Dorothy S Dunn Living Trust | $6,754 | $1,454 | -78.5% |
| Archer Farms, LLC | $6,952 | $1,435 | -79.4% |
| Donna A. Folkerts | $4,184 | $1,299 | -69% |
| Paul Meyer | $5,054 | $1,237 | -75.5% |
| Dorothy S. Dunn | $3,975 | $1,163 | -70.7% |
| Susan Mrazek | $4,843 | $977 | -79.8% |
| River Run Tree Farms, Inc. | $13,157 | $878 | -93.3% |
| Jodi Elkins-Desforges | $0 | $756 | -- |
| Rebecca Ast | $0 | $717 | -- |
| John Edward Slagle | $1,182 | $347 | -70.6% |
| Diana Gardner Modesitt Irrevocable Trust | $292 | $292 | 0% |
| Stephen - Stephen S Weddle Rev Trust Weddle | $640 | $275 | -57% |
| Roderick B. Nash | $256 | $256 | 0% |
| John T. Abbott | $417 | $250 | -40% |
| CBD Live Natural, Inc. | $0 | $242 | -- |
| Lori Gacio | $194 | $194 | 0% |
| Marcia L. Kimmel | $783 | $193 | -75.4% |
| Helen Baldino | $269 | $193 | -28.3% |
| Alison Estabrook | $303 | $190 | -37.3% |
| William R. Connor III | $561 | $190 | -66.1% |
| Alice Ann Hand | $721 | $186 | -74.2% |
| Elizabeth S. Musick | $722 | $186 | -74.2% |
| Nancy R. Nichols | $383 | $185 | -51.7% |
| Avery Johnson | $349 | $122 | -65% |
| Paul J. Aleckson | $0 | $111 | -- |
| Kimberly N. Donaghy | $191 | $92 | -51.8% |
| Nichole Laine Sterling | $199 | $68 | -65.8% |
| Arlene Rosen | $2,452 | $0 | -100% |
| Emma Lou Sailors Louis | $1,194 | $0 | -100% |
| Emerald Isle Michael J Merrit, LLC | $2,799 | $0 | -100% |
| Rebecca S. Karpus | $788 | $0 | -100% |
| Zino Nurseries and Landscaping, I | $296,365 | $0 | -100% |
| Holt-Knechtions, Inc. | $1,342 | $0 | -100% |
| 3BG Oklahoma Investment Holdings | $1,090 | $0 | -100% |
| John W. Wall | $1,833 | $0 | -100% |
| Haviland Farm, LLC | $70,693 | $0 | -100% |
| Marie S. Newman | $138 | $0 | -100% |
| The Trustee Ranch, LLC | $975 | $0 | -100% |
| Francis Ruttledge | $423 | $0 | -100% |
| Gus Coccodrilli JR | $4,042 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $588,756 | $127,668 | -78.3% |
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