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In 2021, 52 farmers in cities within Waynesboro city received a total of $867,694 in 82 farm subsidies, a 65.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.5 million in 135 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Point Farm, Inc. | $1,191,629 | $402,234 | -66.2% |
| Holsinger Farms, LLC | $241,013 | $140,599 | -41.7% |
| Meadow Run Dairy Farm, Inc. | $284,890 | $131,576 | -53.8% |
| Kenneth Eye | $12,353 | $65,568 | 430.8% |
| Ernest Henry Ambler Jr. | $12,829 | $25,961 | 102.4% |
| Wine Farms, LLC | $58,737 | $17,490 | -70.2% |
| T & M Cattle Company, LLC | $112,503 | $15,936 | -85.8% |
| Darrell L. Gregory | $36,310 | $9,161 | -74.8% |
| Kenneth R. Troyer | $29,598 | $5,467 | -81.5% |
| Ernest B. Showalter | $7,878 | $4,891 | -37.9% |
| Edward C. Miller | $34,409 | $3,656 | -89.4% |
| George A. Coyner | $19,614 | $3,300 | -83.2% |
| Gary L. Webb | $11,858 | $3,213 | -72.9% |
| Harold and Mary Jayne Family Trust | $0 | $2,823 | -- |
| Gary Bryant | $45,744 | $2,817 | -93.8% |
| James C. Lagrua | $4,467 | $2,520 | -43.6% |
| Harold P. Schwartz | $0 | $2,508 | -- |
| Jon F. Zieman | $13,381 | $2,441 | -81.8% |
| Joseph Christopher Terembes Jr. | $12,554 | $2,070 | -83.5% |
| Howard L. Holloway | $2,049 | $2,049 | 0% |
| Bradley Thomas Webb | $6,160 | $1,785 | -71% |
| Donald Lee Cary | $8,987 | $1,632 | -81.8% |
| Gen 5, LLC | $11,683 | $1,480 | -87.3% |
| Autumn Olive Farms, LLC | $53,853 | $1,479 | -97.3% |
| Jeffrey A. Ward | $1,097 | $1,097 | 0% |
| Spring Oak Farm, LLC | $4,395 | $1,045 | -76.2% |
| Virginia Headwaters Council, Inc. | $1,014 | $1,014 | 0% |
| Edward A. Burkholder | $986 | $986 | 0% |
| Whitney T. Montgomery | $5,129 | $965 | -81.2% |
| Thomas F. Crickenberger | $5,256 | $914 | -82.6% |
| Kent C. Iberg | $3,344 | $900 | -73.1% |
| Kevin Freed | $4,677 | $850 | -81.8% |
| Ronald W. Ellinger | $828 | $828 | 0% |
| Toms Land Cattle Company, LLC | $2,673 | $790 | -70.4% |
| Terry L. Hammer | $3,391 | $681 | -79.9% |
| Edward V. Ennis III | $621 | $621 | 0% |
| Sue Vandiver | $704 | $621 | -11.8% |
| Conscious Cultures, LLC | $500 | $500 | 0% |
| Countryside Natural Products, Inc. | $500 | $500 | 0% |
| Coon Family Properties, LLC | $0 | $492 | -- |
| William J. Elliott IV | $0 | $468 | -- |
| Bruce S. Hewitt | $677 | $410 | -39.4% |
| William Tyler Harvey | $1,243 | $260 | -79.1% |
| New Hope Farms, LLC | $1,821 | $256 | -85.9% |
| Laura Jean Brand | $176 | $176 | 0% |
| Waynesboro Nurseries | $208,267 | $156 | -99.9% |
| Jonathan P. Stanley | $140 | $140 | 0% |
| Debbie Brown | $121 | $121 | 0% |
| Bonnie Jean Crickenberger Estate | $0 | $94 | -- |
| Nola M. Dunsmore | $0 | $69 | -- |
| Paul Crosby | $0 | $47 | -- |
| Craig E. Dearing | $37 | $37 | 0% |
| Conservation Services, Inc. | $310 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry W. Weeks | $3,311 | $0 | -100% |
| Louis B. Wood Jr. | $465 | $0 | -100% |
| Lydia J. Petersson | $162 | $0 | -100% |
| Margaret A. Foltz | $2,120 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark A. Chase | $2,475 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Lee Hochstedler | $25,239 | $0 | -100% |
| Sarah E. Walsh | $168 | $0 | -100% |
| Singing Earth Produce, Inc. | $43,284 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,537,630 | $867,694 | -65.8% |
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