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In 2021, 55 farmers in cities within Franklin County received a total of $499,057 in 95 farm subsidies, a 2.9% increase from 2020, when the total was $485,181 in 185 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| G & H Harkins Trucking, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Craig Mitchell Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Martin J. Ryan | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Gordon Lumbering, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| David Gordon | $0 | $41,709 | -- |
| Scott G. York | $0 | $38,926 | -- |
| Osbro Dairy | $45,313 | $30,348 | -33% |
| Chase Logging | $0 | $29,690 | -- |
| Matthew Baker | $0 | $21,051 | -- |
| Bryce Mitchell, Inc. | $0 | $18,476 | -- |
| Henry J. Hardy | $29,602 | $17,307 | -41.5% |
| Garry Mayo | $0 | $14,622 | -- |
| Stephen Wing | $7,829 | $12,250 | 56.5% |
| Marc Bailey | $45,597 | $10,460 | -77.1% |
| Hayden York | $0 | $8,920 | -- |
| Triple D Acres, Inc. | $47,285 | $6,089 | -87.1% |
| Christopher Norton | $0 | $5,772 | -- |
| Sandy River Farms, LLC | $27,658 | $4,210 | -84.8% |
| Silver Valley Farm, Inc. | $33,662 | $4,114 | -87.8% |
| Jeffrey S. Harris | $33,052 | $3,353 | -89.9% |
| Robert A. Thorndike | $9,826 | $1,770 | -82% |
| Timothy J. Henderson | $36,727 | $1,488 | -95.9% |
| Rupert Pratt | $3,979 | $1,409 | -64.6% |
| Jonathan C. Butterfield | $7,146 | $1,390 | -80.5% |
| Konrad Bailey | $5,532 | $1,285 | -76.8% |
| Benjamin Smith | $2,580 | $1,170 | -54.7% |
| Tannery Meadows Cattle Company, LLC | $10,644 | $1,170 | -89% |
| Kyle E. Gammon | $1,979 | $1,148 | -42% |
| Vernon Romanoski Jr. | $3,258 | $1,032 | -68.3% |
| Tyler R. Jenness | $1,438 | $946 | -34.2% |
| Donna M. Tracy | $5,511 | $930 | -83.1% |
| Robert E Bean III - Robert & Kathleen Liv Trustee | $512 | $786 | 53.5% |
| Colby Woods Cattle, LLC | $3,208 | $682 | -78.7% |
| Charles B. King | $7,179 | $569 | -92.1% |
| Kevin J. Madore | $2,563 | $561 | -78.1% |
| Shawn Wing | $2,338 | $484 | -79.3% |
| Ryan C. Hutchinson | $2,664 | $449 | -83.1% |
| Philip S. Ripa | $1,589 | $393 | -75.3% |
| Linton Robinson | $1,701 | $334 | -80.4% |
| Dennis Wilk | $450 | $303 | -32.7% |
| Cape Cod Hill Farm, LLC | $1,041 | $298 | -71.4% |
| Archie W. Berry Jr. | $1,645 | $260 | -84.2% |
| Richard A. Murphy Jr. | $0 | $255 | -- |
| Samuel Webber | $21,160 | $205 | -99% |
| Thomas Andrews | $1,077 | $174 | -83.8% |
| Barry R. Thorndike | $775 | $166 | -78.6% |
| Michael Rothschild | $2,712 | $128 | -95.3% |
| Lawrence Pinkham | $231 | $121 | -47.6% |
| Jack Sullivan | $838 | $110 | -86.9% |
| Second Chance Farm, LLC | $1,087 | $75 | -93.1% |
| Jebediah M Beal | $1,470 | $58 | -96.1% |
| Ronald Mason | $6,875 | $51 | -99.3% |
| Dana A. Roberts | $34 | $34 | 0% |
| Donald R. Cliche | $735 | $21 | -97.1% |
| Rian Hinkley | $5 | $5 | 0% |
| Andrea Nurse | $273 | $0 | -100% |
| Riverweb, LLC | $8 | $0 | -100% |
| Justin Fitch | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Martha Graff | $1,738 | $0 | -100% |
| Burt's Best, LLC | $1,894 | $0 | -100% |
| David C. Pike | $2,795 | $0 | -100% |
| Joanna Hollingsworth | $1,747 | $0 | -100% |
| Lillian C. Bagley | $587 | $0 | -100% |
| Lovegrown Agricultural Research, LLC | $109 | $0 | -100% |
| Riverside Greenhouses and Florist, Inc. | $14,797 | $0 | -100% |
| Robins Flower Pot, Inc. | $22,870 | $0 | -100% |
| Rustic Roots Farm | $3,654 | $0 | -100% |
| Samantha J. Davis | $343 | $0 | -100% |
| Sandy River Farms | $2,566 | $0 | -100% |
| Walter Gooley | $2,394 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark D. Prentiss | $1,688 | $0 | -100% |
| Prentiss Family Farm, LLC | $5,523 | $0 | -100% |
| David V. Averill | $1,218 | $0 | -100% |
| Gerald A. Provencher Jr. | $39 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert A. Thorndike II | $46 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $485,181 | $499,057 | 2.9% |
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