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In 2021, 126 farmers in cities within Harrisonburg city received a total of $2.2 million in 204 farm subsidies, a 22.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.8 million in 401 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West-Rock Dairy, LLC | $238,503 | $133,013 | -44.2% |
| Turks Hill, Inc. | $15,126 | $125,014 | 726.5% |
| Scenery Hill Dairy, LLC | $195,239 | $124,053 | -36.5% |
| Willard D. Martin | $36,943 | $113,958 | 208.5% |
| David B. Conley | $123,765 | $112,294 | -9.3% |
| Maynard Jerrold Heatwole | $105,607 | $105,468 | -0.1% |
| Brandywine Farm, LLC | $14,837 | $104,122 | 601.8% |
| Double R Farms, LLC | $47,324 | $103,453 | 118.6% |
| Trinity Church Partners, LLC | $26,337 | $101,990 | 287.2% |
| Coffman Poultry Farm, Inc. | $0 | $97,063 | -- |
| Slate Hill Farm, LLC | $99,186 | $92,501 | -6.7% |
| David H. Simmers III | $22,959 | $80,839 | 252.1% |
| John Chadwick McMurray | $114,863 | $80,801 | -29.7% |
| Clover Leaf Farms, Inc. | $71,132 | $74,881 | 5.3% |
| West Wind, LLC | $15,712 | $66,370 | 322.4% |
| Robert Willard Preston Jr. | $8,575 | $64,845 | 656.2% |
| Hidden Spring Dairy, LLC | $64,683 | $44,929 | -30.5% |
| Mountain Breeze Farm, Inc. | $46,679 | $41,629 | -10.8% |
| Sunset Lane Dairy, LLC | $57,422 | $38,152 | -33.6% |
| Milton E. Wenger | $0 | $31,251 | -- |
| B4, LLC | $46,992 | $31,174 | -33.7% |
| Shenandoah Valley Organic, LLC | $0 | $30,802 | -- |
| Monta Vista, Inc. | $121,998 | $30,351 | -75.1% |
| Southern Breeze Farm, LLC | $0 | $27,347 | -- |
| Spring Valley Farms of VA, Inc. | $39,302 | $22,421 | -43% |
| Frederick G. White II | $0 | $17,770 | -- |
| Goods Mill Farm, Inc. | $48,405 | $15,809 | -67.3% |
| Eric K. Bender | $44,888 | $15,102 | -66.4% |
| Twin Creek Farm, LLC | $22,347 | $13,200 | -40.9% |
| Cedar Ridge Farm, Inc. | $62,436 | $13,020 | -79.1% |
| Adams Farms, Inc. | $39,771 | $11,845 | -70.2% |
| Jack N. Wimer Jr. | $80,267 | $11,800 | -85.3% |
| Miller Farm, LLC | $11,408 | $11,290 | -1% |
| Cathy L. Dove | $12,301 | $10,220 | -16.9% |
| Donald H. Liskey | $46,363 | $9,678 | -79.1% |
| Mark A. Arbogast | $54,010 | $9,036 | -83.3% |
| Ronald L. Showalter | $37,194 | $7,712 | -79.3% |
| Zenda View Farm, LLC | $30,390 | $6,967 | -77.1% |
| Double S. Dairy | $22,154 | $6,755 | -69.5% |
| Lawrence W. Depoy | $0 | $6,505 | -- |
| Fred L. Knicely | $46,537 | $6,453 | -86.1% |
| Neil E. Miller | $23,020 | $6,283 | -72.7% |
| Justin L. Hill | $19,237 | $6,167 | -67.9% |
| Donald Ray Turner | $0 | $5,278 | -- |
| Timothy S. Wolfe | $3,647 | $5,203 | 42.7% |
| Michael G. Phillips | $25,347 | $4,785 | -81.1% |
| Shenandoah Growers, Inc. | $5,002 | $4,515 | -9.7% |
| Timothy G. Shantz | $6,312 | $4,290 | -32% |
| Battlefield Farm, LLC | $14,565 | $4,176 | -71.3% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $4,175 | -- |
| John M Syptak | $6,228 | $4,133 | -33.6% |
| Lewis James Horst | $3,929 | $4,011 | 2.1% |
| Bryce Nathaniel Blosser | $37,812 | $3,945 | -89.6% |
| Henry Everett Terry | $13,984 | $3,607 | -74.2% |
| Cavalier Farms | $1,288 | $3,603 | 179.7% |
| Tamarack of Highland, LLC | $3,586 | $3,586 | 0% |
| Madge K. Trobaugh | $9,996 | $3,566 | -64.3% |
| Midway Monsters, LLC | $6,719 | $3,418 | -49.1% |
| Gary L. Simmons | $20,550 | $3,400 | -83.5% |
| Keith A. Kiser | $13,472 | $3,069 | -77.2% |
| Dennis W. Koogler | $84,358 | $3,020 | -96.4% |
| Aaron Franklin Layman | $0 | $2,797 | -- |
| Mary Louise Long | $551 | $2,586 | 369.3% |
| Mockingbird Hill Farm, LLC | $10,385 | $2,544 | -75.5% |
| Michael L. Hamblin | $8,987 | $2,500 | -72.2% |
| Walkup Holsteins, LLC | $73,570 | $2,480 | -96.6% |
| Dwight Wendell Newman | $13,784 | $2,438 | -82.3% |
| Glen Hill Farm, LLC | $12,795 | $2,420 | -81.1% |
| Ellis Knicely | $20,579 | $2,302 | -88.8% |
| Eugene D. Nesselrodt | $7,396 | $2,256 | -69.5% |
| Timothy Harlow | $3,302 | $2,031 | -38.5% |
| Chestnut Hill Farm, Inc. | $14,461 | $2,023 | -86% |
| Warren J. Armentrout | $15,402 | $1,897 | -87.7% |
| Anthony W. Beery | $3,100 | $1,817 | -41.4% |
| James J. Miller | $6,929 | $1,816 | -73.8% |
| Michael E. Warner | $3,630 | $1,706 | -53% |
| Charles Lee Hoover | $7,535 | $1,681 | -77.7% |
| Fay E. Quertermous | $1,787 | $1,650 | -7.7% |
| Barbara Gallon | $3,448 | $1,546 | -55.2% |
| Franjilou Farm | $0 | $1,527 | -- |
| David P. Eberly | $4,701 | $1,445 | -69.3% |
| Dennis W. Harper | $7,205 | $1,388 | -80.7% |
| David B. Kiser | $6,160 | $1,379 | -77.6% |
| Christopher S. Showalter | $2,322 | $1,360 | -41.4% |
| Allman Beef Cattle, LLC | $12,060 | $1,352 | -88.8% |
| Phillip M. Lam | $2,091 | $1,261 | -39.7% |
| George A. Miller | $5,133 | $1,138 | -77.8% |
| James L. Eby | $1,678 | $1,069 | -36.3% |
| Northwood Park Farm, LLC | $6,330 | $1,066 | -83.2% |
| Virginia A. Joseph | $1,049 | $1,049 | 0% |
| William F. Davis | $4,152 | $1,026 | -75.3% |
| Sunset Valley Farms, Inc. | $5,507 | $1,013 | -81.6% |
| Paul S. Cline | $1,008 | $1,008 | 0% |
| Charles F. May | $4,664 | $1,007 | -78.4% |
| Blaine E. Knicely | $4,838 | $988 | -79.6% |
| Virgil T Wenger T/A Cedar Springs Farm | $0 | $988 | -- |
| Robert Eliason | $1,771 | $949 | -46.4% |
| Timothy Wayne Hasler | $5,903 | $893 | -84.9% |
| Hess, Inc. | $891 | $891 | 0% |
| Melrose Farms, Inc. | $3,276 | $759 | -76.8% |
| Nathan Houff | $1,192 | $720 | -39.6% |
| William Robert Dustin Koontz | $4,503 | $706 | -84.3% |
| Shane K. Biller | $5,326 | $646 | -87.9% |
| Maxine Z. Magri | $605 | $629 | 4% |
| Lonesome Pine Farms, LLC | $0 | $605 | -- |
| Annalee Buse' | $556 | $539 | -3.1% |
| I. J. Armstrong | $2,881 | $525 | -81.8% |
| Interchange Group, Inc. | $0 | $500 | -- |
| Thomas G. Ross | $2,912 | $492 | -83.1% |
| Chad F. May | $1,991 | $490 | -75.4% |
| Veva Zimmerman Mumaw | $811 | $423 | -47.8% |
| Roy L. Dean | $1,650 | $394 | -76.1% |
| Gary A. Keppel | $2,112 | $373 | -82.3% |
| Ashby McWilliams | $6,204 | $364 | -94.1% |
| R W S E, Inc. | $1,804 | $360 | -80% |
| Bruce O. Buckwalter | $333 | $333 | 0% |
| Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, Inc. | $0 | $312 | -- |
| John O. Stover | $1,541 | $280 | -81.8% |
| Daniel Thabo Fisher | $276 | $276 | 0% |
| Gary L. Hess | $9,446 | $254 | -97.3% |
| Breezy Acres, LLC | $219 | $219 | 0% |
| Winston Liskey II | $883 | $176 | -80.1% |
| Diehl Homestead, LLC | $86 | $86 | 0% |
| Tad A. Williams | $972 | $28 | -97.1% |
| Mark Nation | $1,021 | $12 | -98.8% |
| Keith L. Turner | $214 | $7 | -96.7% |
| Aaron F. Layman | $11,951 | $0 | -100% |
| Allie L Guengerich IRRV Trust | $1,748 | $0 | -100% |
| CCC | $1,898 | $0 | -100% |
| Clifford Brubaker | $1,403 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel R. Harris | $723 | $0 | -100% |
| Dennis L. Martz | $1,210 | $0 | -100% |
| DJ Myers, LLC | $12,418 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $1,379 | $0 | -100% |
| Gregory L. Grove | $6,160 | $0 | -100% |
| Harold P. Schwartz | $2,906 | $0 | -100% |
| John C Eliason Trust | $847 | $0 | -100% |
| Jordan L. Hill | $1,485 | $0 | -100% |
| Kaitlyn M. Anderson | $2,074 | $0 | -100% |
| Lori Peltonen | $1,127 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Galen Deavers | $2,094 | $0 | -100% |
| Mulberry Hill Farm, LLC | $56,060 | $0 | -100% |
| Philip Stefan Hess | $638 | $0 | -100% |
| Radell Lee Schrock | $19,452 | $0 | -100% |
| Rainbow Hill Farm, LLC | $3,023 | $0 | -100% |
| Roger J. Emerson | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Shannon McWilliams | $983 | $0 | -100% |
| Stacey L. Kiser | $2,476 | $0 | -100% |
| Trissel Farms, Inc. | $3,655 | $0 | -100% |
| Virginia Mennonite Retirement Com | $312 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,843,472 | $2,207,908 | -22.4% |
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