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In 2021, 82 farmers in cities within Niagara County received a total of $1.6 million in 156 farm subsidies, a 73.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $6 million in 313 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verratti Farms, LLC | $664,810 | $190,676 | -71.3% |
| Gasport View Dairy Farms, Inc. | $645,739 | $144,751 | -77.6% |
| JJ Smith Farms, LLC | $304,374 | $143,079 | -53% |
| Wills Dairy Farm | $263,133 | $134,363 | -48.9% |
| Mccollum Farms, Inc. | $1,141,523 | $120,508 | -89.4% |
| Mccollum Farms Partnership | $493,016 | $118,633 | -75.9% |
| Milleville Brothers | $209,600 | $102,318 | -51.2% |
| Voelpel Farms, Inc. | $354,462 | $73,961 | -79.1% |
| Loho Farms, LLC | $199,022 | $68,893 | -65.4% |
| Danielewicz Farm, Inc. | $113,414 | $54,990 | -51.5% |
| Brian Whyte | $0 | $52,517 | -- |
| Silsby Settlement Farms | $138,488 | $43,632 | -68.5% |
| Heppner Farms, Inc. | $55,324 | $36,774 | -33.5% |
| Ronald Becken | $78,010 | $32,084 | -58.9% |
| Bulinski Farms | $37,175 | $24,777 | -33.4% |
| Douglas P. Seib | $63,532 | $21,272 | -66.5% |
| Haseley Brothers Farm | $18,568 | $18,736 | 0.9% |
| Niagara View Farms | $48,949 | $17,147 | -65% |
| Moley Farms, LLC | $18,674 | $16,540 | -11.4% |
| Paul Siuta | $17,911 | $15,697 | -12.4% |
| Gilbert I. Walck | $21,921 | $13,908 | -36.6% |
| MJ & J Farm, Inc. | $1,786 | $11,592 | 549% |
| Zuccari Bros, Inc. | $18,529 | $11,315 | -38.9% |
| Hoovers Dairy, Inc. | $18,141 | $10,348 | -43% |
| Michael Segarra | $18,916 | $9,952 | -47.4% |
| Michael R. Hanssen | $25,475 | $9,711 | -61.9% |
| Tower Farm FLP | $31,914 | $9,655 | -69.7% |
| Stanley Gruber | $5,770 | $7,527 | 30.5% |
| Senek Farms | $45,615 | $7,477 | -83.6% |
| Harvey Sprout | $19,210 | $7,435 | -61.3% |
| Paul Strobel | $23,933 | $6,867 | -71.3% |
| Lindsay E. Hobbs III | $46,769 | $5,818 | -87.6% |
| Smith Farms | $9,984 | $5,497 | -44.9% |
| Kenneth A. Retzlaff | $6,695 | $4,799 | -28.3% |
| Mel Devantier | $9,150 | $4,763 | -47.9% |
| Danielewicz Brothers | $9,900 | $4,643 | -53.1% |
| Frank Miano | $0 | $4,161 | -- |
| William Dust Jr. | $8,662 | $3,836 | -55.7% |
| Richard Costello Jr. | $8,429 | $3,512 | -58.3% |
| Gabriel Bruning | $2,971 | $3,265 | 9.9% |
| Poole Farm, Inc. | $6,002 | $2,980 | -50.3% |
| Jay C. Albrecht | $8,960 | $2,938 | -67.2% |
| Calvin Pfohl | $4,305 | $2,914 | -32.3% |
| Demaison Farm | $6,795 | $2,649 | -61% |
| Carl S. Gross | $2,240 | $2,594 | 15.8% |
| Goodman Farms, LLC | $80,799 | $2,451 | -97% |
| Mark Schade | $0 | $2,310 | -- |
| Fleckenstein Acres, LLC | $2,001 | $2,277 | 13.8% |
| Bruce A. Jenks | $3,624 | $2,243 | -38.1% |
| Bruce E. Weinheimer | $9,407 | $1,950 | -79.3% |
| Fickelscherer Farms, LLC | $3,917 | $1,946 | -50.3% |
| Francis C. Keem II | $0 | $1,839 | -- |
| Sharon L. Austin | $3,099 | $1,708 | -44.9% |
| Ronald P. Sprout | $4,419 | $1,604 | -63.7% |
| William Ziemendorf | $3,047 | $1,489 | -51.1% |
| James A. Spark | $5,133 | $1,365 | -73.4% |
| Christopher Schotz | $0 | $1,218 | -- |
| Arnold Goerss Jr. | $4,217 | $1,187 | -71.9% |
| Russell S. Cramer | $1,115 | $1,115 | 0% |
| Frank Canfield | $4,149 | $1,106 | -73.3% |
| Schwab Farm, LLC | $150,044 | $964 | -99.4% |
| Mary Gumaer | $3,064 | $808 | -73.6% |
| Newroyal Orchards, LLC | $367,629 | $805 | -99.8% |
| Renee Haseley | $1,625 | $771 | -52.6% |
| Joshua Jordan | $717 | $751 | 4.7% |
| David J. Smith | $6,568 | $661 | -89.9% |
| Michael King | $1,683 | $498 | -70.4% |
| Hannon Cattle Company, LLC | $2,321 | $472 | -79.7% |
| Robert Koithan | $5,097 | $409 | -92% |
| Waters Brothers Dairy | $1,260 | $311 | -75.3% |
| Wayne Walck | $937 | $307 | -67.2% |
| Donald Ziemendorf | $1,506 | $280 | -81.4% |
| Carmela Kling | $929 | $142 | -84.7% |
| Richard Kling | $929 | $142 | -84.7% |
| Ronald A. Grell | $652 | $98 | -85% |
| Thomas Freck | $566 | $88 | -84.5% |
| Smithdale Farms | $3,592 | $70 | -98.1% |
| Thymes Right Organic Farm & Natural Produce, LLC | $0 | $29 | -- |
| Chateau Niagara Winery | $464 | $24 | -94.8% |
| David Keyes | $218 | $13 | -94% |
| Dale Graham | $446 | $12 | -97.3% |
| Travis Rettig | $116 | $3 | -97.4% |
| David Bittner | $2,951 | $0 | -100% |
| Harris Farms Market and Greenhous | $21,272 | $0 | -100% |
| James C. Merrell | $653 | $0 | -100% |
| Judith a Librock | $577 | $0 | -100% |
| Pat Ginavan | $2,289 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas Britt | $5,471 | $0 | -100% |
| Alfred Stipp | $414 | $0 | -100% |
| April Gow | $223 | $0 | -100% |
| Carl S Acome | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Ken Gumaer | $1,849 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth Blount | $92 | $0 | -100% |
| Shawn Huntington | $713 | $0 | -100% |
| Emery L. Whitlock | $441 | $0 | -100% |
| Christian Waggoner | $63 | $0 | -100% |
| Reuben Haseley Farms | $2,028 | $0 | -100% |
| Susan Haseley | $165 | $0 | -100% |
| David Schultz | $72 | $0 | -100% |
| James Bencal | $1,498 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffrey S Hurtgam & Brenda J Hurt | $17,004 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Gray | $1,133 | $0 | -100% |
| ME T Farms - Joseph Fleckenst, LLC | $4,424 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul Bencal | $3,117 | $0 | -100% |
| Seth Raby | $8,205 | $0 | -100% |
| Thymes Right Organic Farm & Natur | $1,979 | $0 | -100% |
| Bradley Becken | $2,035 | $0 | -100% |
| Chris Schotz | $1,218 | $0 | -100% |
| Donald Demaison | $1,655 | $0 | -100% |
| Greg Aaron | $189 | $0 | -100% |
| Rachel Becken | $641 | $0 | -100% |
| Wagner Farm & Market, Inc. | $15,507 | $0 | -100% |
| Dennis P. Morris | $1,283 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert B Tower | $19,023 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas R. Tower | $9,953 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $6,032,103 | $1,624,970 | -73.1% |
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