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In 2021, 102 farmers in cities within Switzerland County received a total of $490,520 in 168 farm subsidies, a 58.3% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.2 million in 348 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schuler Farms, Inc. | $380,785 | $166,110 | -56.4% |
| Heritage Hill Farms, Inc. | $153,375 | $44,159 | -71.2% |
| Lisa D. Garland | $26,369 | $30,297 | 14.9% |
| Fredrick G. Barnes | $17,462 | $26,221 | 50.2% |
| Larry G. Haggard Jr. | $0 | $22,549 | -- |
| Mike Gray | $52,741 | $20,344 | -61.4% |
| John E. Schroer | $78,516 | $19,546 | -75.1% |
| Robbin A. Works | $43,023 | $19,266 | -55.2% |
| Wanderlost, LLC | $16,198 | $14,923 | -7.9% |
| Schuler Enterprises, LLC | $16,004 | $14,161 | -11.5% |
| Anthony R. Thomas | $21,397 | $13,917 | -35% |
| Brian P. Green | $22,910 | $13,901 | -39.3% |
| Shamrock Acres, Inc. | $33,776 | $12,797 | -62.1% |
| Brandon L. Feiss | $11,825 | $5,845 | -50.6% |
| Roger W. Garland | $37,399 | $4,993 | -86.6% |
| Sugar Branch Farms, LLC | $15,045 | $3,954 | -73.7% |
| Terry W. Rose | $14,635 | $3,350 | -77.1% |
| Travis H. Miller | $9,458 | $3,077 | -67.5% |
| William T. Cord | $16,399 | $2,889 | -82.4% |
| Danny L. Works | $13,796 | $2,468 | -82.1% |
| Blake A. McAllister | $5,220 | $2,451 | -53% |
| Danny Hon | $3,521 | $2,447 | -30.5% |
| David A. Hunt | $6,218 | $2,389 | -61.6% |
| Mary Jane Demaree | $2,103 | $1,869 | -11.1% |
| Kayla M. Kimble | $2,263 | $1,763 | -22.1% |
| Beverly A. Vogel | $7,745 | $1,690 | -78.2% |
| Kenneth W. McClurg Jr. | $2,574 | $1,487 | -42.2% |
| Ralph W. Galbreath | $6,358 | $1,348 | -78.8% |
| Larry L. Gray | $19,121 | $1,270 | -93.4% |
| Bradley A. Briggs | $5,400 | $1,247 | -76.9% |
| Gregory R. Briggs | $8,714 | $1,122 | -87.1% |
| Thomas A. Carper | $5,137 | $1,111 | -78.4% |
| Robert B. Meyer III | $3,641 | $1,027 | -71.8% |
| Bovard Farms, Inc. | $535 | $930 | 73.8% |
| Dennis Briggs | $3,785 | $907 | -76% |
| Kathy L. Meredith | $5,692 | $892 | -84.3% |
| Jill Andrew-Richards | $3,053 | $849 | -72.2% |
| Angel M Lieland | $1,056 | $790 | -25.2% |
| Matt W Lieland | $790 | $790 | 0% |
| Terry Hall | $3,404 | $788 | -76.9% |
| Barry D. Hon | $2,112 | $770 | -63.5% |
| Evon Gray | $3,124 | $754 | -75.9% |
| Douglas G. McNeely | $3,168 | $751 | -76.3% |
| Travis J. Richards | $2,266 | $676 | -70.2% |
| James A. Phipps | $3,009 | $666 | -77.9% |
| Robert Joe Brady | $2,387 | $636 | -73.4% |
| Juliana G. Welch | $2,186 | $606 | -72.3% |
| Mervin D. Kauffman | $933 | $583 | -37.5% |
| James Brogan | $1,397 | $519 | -62.8% |
| Jenny D. McClurg | $4,114 | $508 | -87.7% |
| Adam S. Day | $1,744 | $501 | -71.3% |
| Robert D. Woodfill | $0 | $496 | -- |
| Jeffrey A. Heath | $1,578 | $463 | -70.7% |
| Mickel Riley | $2,435 | $454 | -81.4% |
| Brett Allan Boles | $1,433 | $427 | -70.2% |
| Audrey R. Marsh | $2,511 | $394 | -84.3% |
| Gregory D. Bunner | $2,049 | $384 | -81.3% |
| Gregory A. Green | $829 | $383 | -53.8% |
| Alton Eugene Turner Jr. | $990 | $374 | -62.2% |
| Marietta Crandell | $1,687 | $352 | -79.1% |
| James Kenneth Riley | $2,279 | $346 | -84.8% |
| Douglas A. Brown | $3,015 | $345 | -88.6% |
| Timothy Abbott | $1,984 | $344 | -82.7% |
| Charles K. Clements Jr. | $1,300 | $330 | -74.6% |
| Timothy L. Young | $1,588 | $311 | -80.4% |
| Larry Gault | $301 | $301 | 0% |
| Trisha L. Goldsberry | $1,812 | $301 | -83.4% |
| Larry Perlich | $1,760 | $284 | -83.9% |
| John D. Roach | $2,293 | $272 | -88.1% |
| Jason T. Scudder | $4,181 | $262 | -93.7% |
| Maurice M. Scudder | $1,560 | $259 | -83.4% |
| Toby J. Hart | $814 | $258 | -68.3% |
| The Vannatter Family Trust of 1991 | $410 | $247 | -39.8% |
| Thomas R. Stow | $1,270 | $239 | -81.2% |
| Leslie Reuter | $1,325 | $233 | -82.4% |
| Bruce W. Herbstreit | $791 | $225 | -71.6% |
| Michael C. Krall | $671 | $224 | -66.6% |
| Kenneth L. Smith | $981 | $223 | -77.3% |
| David W. Schuler | $222 | $222 | 0% |
| Lane R. Armstrong | $968 | $221 | -77.2% |
| Dana L. Griffin | $264 | $206 | -22% |
| Betty J. Chase | $142 | $189 | 33.1% |
| Jack L. Bailey | $1,597 | $180 | -88.7% |
| Tobie McClurg | $280 | $174 | -37.9% |
| Christopher N. Yocum | $1,252 | $166 | -86.7% |
| Cheryl Furnish | $1,476 | $163 | -89% |
| Nelson A. Armstrong | $869 | $142 | -83.7% |
| Jerry L. Sigmon | $733 | $135 | -81.6% |
| Denzil Cutter | $96 | $128 | 33.3% |
| Thomas E. Rogers | $1,109 | $115 | -89.6% |
| Philip T. Campbell | $263 | $107 | -59.3% |
| Mark J. Hamilton | $155 | $97 | -37.4% |
| Roger Boone | $181 | $89 | -50.8% |
| Carl T. Smith | $367 | $88 | -76% |
| Nelson T. Hughes | $1,056 | $84 | -92% |
| Danny Stephon | $220 | $74 | -66.4% |
| Travis L. Rose | $512 | $69 | -86.5% |
| Charles A. Firth | $366 | $62 | -83.1% |
| Sharon K. Smith | $711 | $58 | -91.8% |
| James Kyle Riley | $3,586 | $56 | -98.4% |
| John Mark Miller | $275 | $36 | -86.9% |
| Michael W. Rose | $121 | $24 | -80.2% |
| Kristen S. Vanlierop | $751 | $0 | -100% |
| Dale L. Miller | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Anthony L. Gregory | $949 | $0 | -100% |
| Cathy S. Hart | $346 | $0 | -100% |
| Constance Hollander | $120 | $0 | -100% |
| Danny Covington | $768 | $0 | -100% |
| Darrel E. Chase | $532 | $0 | -100% |
| Gerald E. Jessup | $83 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael J. Archer | $998 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry C. Janes | $158 | $0 | -100% |
| Levi A. Baker | $75 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Dennis | $1,728 | $0 | -100% |
| Marlene L. Baker | $642 | $0 | -100% |
| Marvin R. Moore | $166 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael M. Allen | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Shane Armstrong | $1,650 | $0 | -100% |
| Mile 542, Inc. | $433 | $0 | -100% |
| Nancy Dornbusch | $116 | $0 | -100% |
| Peter P Legeza | $737 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert G. Furnish | $221 | $0 | -100% |
| Stephen A. Starkey | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,175,389 | $490,520 | -58.3% |
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