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In 2021, 99 farmers in cities within Middlesex County received a total of $1.4 million in 159 farm subsidies, a 51.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.9 million in 289 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evergreen Honey Company, Inc. | $701,350 | $954,278 | 36.1% |
| Tully Farms, Inc. | $118,204 | $69,214 | -41.4% |
| Ferguson Farms, LLC | $0 | $66,063 | -- |
| Community Farms Outreach, Inc. | $0 | $37,110 | -- |
| Inger Kirsten Waerstad | $76,596 | $25,471 | -66.7% |
| Mcgovern Farms, Inc. | $75,826 | $20,958 | -72.4% |
| Krochmal Farm, LLC | $250,255 | $20,529 | -91.8% |
| Jean a Dahlben Trust Dated December 19, 2014 | $7,231 | $19,514 | 169.9% |
| Joanne Leary | $13,247 | $13,247 | 0% |
| Steven C. Syverson | $10,802 | $10,802 | 0% |
| Arends Family Farms, LLC | $36,864 | $9,771 | -73.5% |
| Hollenbeck Family Partnership | $10,489 | $9,007 | -14.1% |
| Helen E White Estate | $9,268 | $8,794 | -5.1% |
| Goodson Family Farms, LLC | $5,295 | $8,735 | 65% |
| Jane Zimmerman | $18,172 | $8,634 | -52.5% |
| Margherita Hull | $6,419 | $7,273 | 13.3% |
| Betsy Ross Peters Living Trust | $3,479 | $6,958 | 100% |
| Marilyn M Lohmeier Living Trustee | $9,641 | $6,656 | -31% |
| Donald K. McCool | $6,245 | $6,245 | 0% |
| Dudley W. Stephan | $1,122 | $5,389 | 380.3% |
| Carol a Morse & Successor Trustee | $14,215 | $5,134 | -63.9% |
| Mary Shelman | $4,827 | $4,175 | -13.5% |
| Jeffrey J. Poole | $4,116 | $4,116 | 0% |
| Rechhat Proum | $0 | $3,676 | -- |
| Chad Leaming | $4,408 | $3,464 | -21.4% |
| CG3 Scott Farm, LLC | $9,691 | $3,441 | -64.5% |
| Joyce S. Pendery | $8,216 | $3,346 | -59.3% |
| CG3 Harper Farm, LLC | $4,749 | $3,247 | -31.6% |
| Constance Saems Revocable Trust | $10,762 | $2,999 | -72.1% |
| Phalla Nol | $0 | $2,750 | -- |
| Yeh Living Revocable Trust | $4,346 | $2,670 | -38.6% |
| Katharine Ann Bull | $2,642 | $2,642 | 0% |
| Paula Packard | $2,488 | $2,485 | -0.1% |
| John T Penniston Revocable Trust | $8,760 | $2,335 | -73.3% |
| Joyce K Penniston Revocable Trust | $8,760 | $2,335 | -73.3% |
| James R. Roth | $6,378 | $2,325 | -63.5% |
| Bennett H. Rockney | $4,026 | $2,135 | -47% |
| Descendant's Generation Skipping Trust F/B/O Constance Saems | $7,472 | $2,121 | -71.6% |
| Sunshine Farm, Inc. | $24,509 | $2,117 | -91.4% |
| Richard J. Schwinger | $1,944 | $1,944 | 0% |
| J Mcneely Trust | $3,349 | $1,926 | -42.5% |
| H G Orson Partnership | $5,993 | $1,913 | -68.1% |
| Ashley K. Shih | $980 | $1,882 | 92% |
| David Walker | $4,061 | $1,815 | -55.3% |
| Abel Family Realty Trust | $3,293 | $1,773 | -46.2% |
| Michael Wiser-Wiser Family Trust | $2,967 | $1,698 | -42.8% |
| Donna Nyquist | $1,549 | $1,549 | 0% |
| Lisa Martin | $1,472 | $1,472 | 0% |
| Hillary L. Demello | $1,435 | $1,435 | 0% |
| Wilson Friendly Maple Farm, LLC | $0 | $1,433 | -- |
| ETG Palmyra, LLC | $4,224 | $1,384 | -67.2% |
| Laura Mercer Rice | $3,610 | $1,268 | -64.9% |
| Anne Doran | $5,228 | $1,230 | -76.5% |
| Candyce Dostert | $0 | $1,161 | -- |
| Carol J. Canning | $4,977 | $1,159 | -76.7% |
| Joe D Zimmerman Liv Trustee-Irr | $1,104 | $854 | -22.6% |
| Sarah Strayer | $1,053 | $798 | -24.2% |
| Courtney E. Jorgensen | $768 | $769 | 0.1% |
| Garland Anderson Test B. Tr | $0 | $750 | -- |
| Adisson Toussaint SR | $0 | $684 | -- |
| Jonathan Bekemeier | $640 | $640 | 0% |
| Sorn Un | $0 | $631 | -- |
| Sorn Un | $0 | $631 | -- |
| Seona B Ngufor | $0 | $617 | -- |
| Nancy D. Davis | $251 | $582 | 131.9% |
| Linda K. Newell | $767 | $570 | -25.7% |
| Gary Koger | $1,567 | $549 | -65% |
| Lynn E. Nowels | $1,030 | $543 | -47.3% |
| Natick Community Organic Farm | $15,581 | $500 | -96.8% |
| Upswing Farm, LLC | $24,344 | $500 | -97.9% |
| Andrew Fisher | $1,864 | $490 | -73.7% |
| Dew More Farms, Inc. | $2,594 | $489 | -81.1% |
| John Drew Thwaits | $566 | $455 | -19.6% |
| Anthony C Mengelkamp | $438 | $438 | 0% |
| Doris Speer | $1,938 | $432 | -77.7% |
| Karen Mooney | $0 | $413 | -- |
| H & D Partnership | $11,464 | $408 | -96.4% |
| Melanie Wolf Lewis | $402 | $402 | 0% |
| Margaret Gichuki | $0 | $367 | -- |
| Eric Schwoebel | $1,909 | $360 | -81.1% |
| Susan L. Finnin | $0 | $354 | -- |
| John A. Jenkins | $1,215 | $347 | -71.4% |
| Harold Chase | $0 | $331 | -- |
| Norman E. Heckman | $533 | $326 | -38.8% |
| Robert E. Kennedy | $300 | $300 | 0% |
| Edward Skricki | $1,334 | $250 | -81.3% |
| Lucille McKain | $1,616 | $250 | -84.5% |
| Heath Young | $1,652 | $246 | -85.1% |
| Regina Mazzoli | $0 | $228 | -- |
| Priscilla Claman | $686 | $208 | -69.7% |
| Thomas Hanson | $19,880 | $92 | -99.5% |
| Emily Raviola | $86 | $86 | 0% |
| Giuseppe Raviola | $86 | $86 | 0% |
| Nellora a Garrett | $175 | $74 | -57.7% |
| Joseph M Steim | $69 | $69 | 0% |
| David Lund | $76 | $63 | -17.1% |
| John R Conti-Conti Living Trust | $0 | $63 | -- |
| Susan Harrington | $76 | $63 | -17.1% |
| Cordell J. Balls | $117 | $25 | -78.6% |
| Brian McPhee | $4,495 | $0 | -100% |
| Laszlo Family Farm, LLC | $806 | $0 | -100% |
| William L. Arnold | $714 | $0 | -100% |
| Fairview Orchards, Inc. | $65,428 | $0 | -100% |
| John W. Todd | $5,351 | $0 | -100% |
| Hildebolt Farms, Inc. | $5,322 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy Carroll | $8,687 | $0 | -100% |
| Merrimack Valley Apiaries, Inc. | $263,615 | $0 | -100% |
| Anthony P Datel | $481 | $0 | -100% |
| Linnea J. Massie | $122 | $0 | -100% |
| Mass Institute of Technology | $449 | $0 | -100% |
| Mohammed A. Hannan | $3,811 | $0 | -100% |
| Randolph M. Slaughter | $397 | $0 | -100% |
| Steininger Farms, Inc. | $8,534 | $0 | -100% |
| Superior Nut Company, Inc. | $350 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald A. Patenaude | $165,739 | $0 | -100% |
| Rosalie Lampl | $50 | $0 | -100% |
| Eric Ferjulian | $93,915 | $0 | -100% |
| Darren H. Sykes | $8,369 | $0 | -100% |
| Doeun Uy | $68,212 | $0 | -100% |
| Mill City Grows, Inc. | $8,190 | $0 | -100% |
| Stephen H. Lucas | $33 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald Kay | $817 | $0 | -100% |
| Small Farm, Inc. | $9,925 | $0 | -100% |
| Jean a Dahlben Trust Dated Decemb | $3,431 | $0 | -100% |
| Newton Community Farm, Inc. | $12,534 | $0 | -100% |
| C a Dowse & Son, Inc. | $16,151 | $0 | -100% |
| Caroline Koskinas Brannan | $3,292 | $0 | -100% |
| Wilson Friendly Maple Farm, LLC | $5,193 | $0 | -100% |
| Alan Patterson | $1,763 | $0 | -100% |
| Donald Stevens | $1,575 | $0 | -100% |
| John T Gale Son's, Inc. | $27,322 | $0 | -100% |
| Julie Kelley | $5,614 | $0 | -100% |
| Tewksbury Florist & Greenery | $66,697 | $0 | -100% |
| Darlene J. Hussey | $5,234 | $0 | -100% |
| Kevin Smith | $285 | $0 | -100% |
| King Farm, Inc. | $281,031 | $0 | -100% |
| The Flower Hutch | $47,636 | $0 | -100% |
| Douglas J. Smith | $296 | $0 | -100% |
| Society for the Preservation of N | $6,839 | $0 | -100% |
| Fat Moon, LLC | $11,733 | $0 | -100% |
| Katherine L. Tucker | $522 | $0 | -100% |
| Keith Bohne | $7,577 | $0 | -100% |
| Robbins Fisheries, LLC | $14,122 | $0 | -100% |
| Glasgow Revocable Trust | $3,823 | $0 | -100% |
| Land's Sake | $29,868 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,908,483 | $1,414,536 | -51.4% |
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