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In 2021, 43 farmers in cities within Muskegon County received a total of $871,756 in 76 farm subsidies, a 35.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.4 million in 149 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Lake Greenhouse, LLC | $0 | $199,140 | -- |
| Marsh Dairy, LLC | $68,745 | $121,141 | 76.2% |
| Davey Dairy Farm, LLC | $104,983 | $78,433 | -25.3% |
| Fisher Pawlowski Greenhouse, Inc. | $0 | $73,254 | -- |
| Robert T Wackernagel | $79,647 | $67,007 | -15.9% |
| Holtrop Dairy, LLC | $60,932 | $45,197 | -25.8% |
| Sodini Blueberries, LLC | $22,916 | $36,298 | 58.4% |
| Daniel Feldt | $29,939 | $29,939 | 0% |
| David Bayne | $55,628 | $23,034 | -58.6% |
| Daniel A. Hoffman | $47,188 | $22,950 | -51.4% |
| Paul E. Schroeder | $35,607 | $20,304 | -43% |
| Henry Kessler and Son Farms, LLC | $25,940 | $17,279 | -33.4% |
| Sundberg Logging, LLC | $0 | $17,112 | -- |
| John W. Degen | $32,467 | $16,906 | -47.9% |
| Michael Cockerill Farms | $35,065 | $15,861 | -54.8% |
| Woller's Shady Lane Farms, LLC | $98,277 | $15,829 | -83.9% |
| Richard H. Smith | $15,893 | $8,035 | -49.4% |
| Dennis James Sikkenga - Windy Acres Dairy | $14,178 | $7,842 | -44.7% |
| L2 Group, LLC | $5,460 | $5,460 | 0% |
| J Kessler Farms, LLC | $11,301 | $4,809 | -57.4% |
| Daniel J. Tutak | $9,499 | $4,560 | -52% |
| Gerald A. Kroll | $7,745 | $4,510 | -41.8% |
| James E. Cooper | $3,644 | $3,644 | 0% |
| Kenneth Lem Cooper | $3,612 | $3,612 | 0% |
| Pattianne Feldt | $3,612 | $3,612 | 0% |
| Scott Seaver | $9,031 | $3,160 | -65% |
| Donna Weinberg | $10,517 | $2,914 | -72.3% |
| Weesies Bros Farms, Inc. | $260,292 | $2,138 | -99.2% |
| William Clifford Goericke | $2,024 | $2,024 | 0% |
| Jeremy Degen | $2,519 | $1,990 | -21% |
| Jon Riley | $4,044 | $1,588 | -60.7% |
| Jack Woller | $2,499 | $1,515 | -39.4% |
| Matthew Woller | $2,499 | $1,515 | -39.4% |
| Ross Cudney | $1,281 | $1,492 | 16.5% |
| Matthew S. Simon | $1,812 | $1,444 | -20.3% |
| Margaret Brewster | $1,257 | $1,257 | 0% |
| John W Austermiller Living Trust | $1,257 | $1,257 | 0% |
| Joyce C Higgins - Joyce C. Higgins Trust | $978 | $978 | 0% |
| Andrew M. Baber | $1,936 | $927 | -52.1% |
| Scott Mack | $1,505 | $891 | -40.8% |
| Terry Bayne | $1,109 | $592 | -46.6% |
| Kevin Lombard | $1,381 | $301 | -78.2% |
| Jon M. Thompson | $107 | $5 | -95.3% |
| S & L Blueberry Farm, LLC | $79,471 | $0 | -100% |
| Wolff Lake Farms, LLC | $59,321 | $0 | -100% |
| David Marsh | $6,529 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward R. MacHovsky | $2,097 | $0 | -100% |
| Harper Berry Farms, LLC | $41,446 | $0 | -100% |
| Montague Tree Farm, Inc. | $9,253 | $0 | -100% |
| William van Frank | $746 | $0 | -100% |
| Crystal Springs Farms, L L C | $16,387 | $0 | -100% |
| David D'Alcorn | $85 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael R. Meyer | $84 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Dean Runions | $237 | $0 | -100% |
| Ted Mitchell Jawor | $3,430 | $0 | -100% |
| Tortoise & Hare Farm, LLC | $5,598 | $0 | -100% |
| Evergreen Acres, LLC | $51,642 | $0 | -100% |
| John D. Morse | $1,576 | $0 | -100% |
| Marilee Joy Schut | $612 | $0 | -100% |
| Sally A. Anderson | $1,467 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas Jagnecki | $37 | $0 | -100% |
| William F. Rossiter | $387 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,358,731 | $871,756 | -35.8% |
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