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In 2021, 39 farmers in cities within Washington County received a total of $870,465 in 65 farm subsidies, a 63.9% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.4 million in 152 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmont, LLC | $1,238,955 | $249,804 | -79.8% |
| The Nature Conservancy | $96,594 | $100,000 | 3.5% |
| The Mcknight Farm | $166,452 | $80,262 | -51.8% |
| Neddo Farm | $44,694 | $62,370 | 39.5% |
| J Lowell Logging, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Jennifer Churchill | $75,456 | $40,451 | -46.4% |
| R W Bothfeld Farm, LLC | $43,774 | $35,072 | -19.9% |
| Derek Wilson | $0 | $32,717 | -- |
| Fieldstone Organic Farm, LLC | $26,963 | $25,262 | -6.3% |
| Joseph A. Turner | $24,881 | $23,576 | -5.2% |
| Martin Churchill | $20,575 | $22,013 | 7% |
| Mark Davis | $17,980 | $19,926 | 10.8% |
| Marilyn Johnson | $17,210 | $15,492 | -10% |
| Frank Johnson | $17,030 | $15,485 | -9.1% |
| Jennifer Lambert | $0 | $14,849 | -- |
| Brewster Uplands Conservation Trust, LLC | $0 | $13,668 | -- |
| Elwin Neill Jr. | $4,601 | $13,052 | 183.7% |
| Geordie Lynd | $17,524 | $6,810 | -61.1% |
| Emery Lynd | $17,622 | $6,796 | -61.4% |
| Keith Burtt | $38,960 | $6,330 | -83.8% |
| Perfect Maple Farm, LLC | $5,808 | $6,104 | 5.1% |
| Gabriel M. O'Malley | $9,923 | $5,783 | -41.7% |
| Flywheel Farm | $0 | $3,864 | -- |
| Estate of Anthony Spector | $0 | $3,300 | -- |
| Provender Farm, LLC | $0 | $3,196 | -- |
| Hadley M. Gaylord Jr. | $20,129 | $2,303 | -88.6% |
| Jennifer D. McFeeters | $2,947 | $1,814 | -38.4% |
| Templeton Farm, LLC | $5,450 | $1,374 | -74.8% |
| Fairmont Farm, Inc. | $0 | $1,124 | -- |
| Tamarack Hollow Farm, LLC | $26,473 | $868 | -96.7% |
| Charles Stander | $2,966 | $786 | -73.5% |
| Vermont Land Trust, Inc. | $860 | $724 | -15.8% |
| Gayle Sewell | $705 | $705 | 0% |
| Walking Onion, LLC | $0 | $660 | -- |
| Susan Carpenter | $2,630 | $306 | -88.4% |
| Gary P. Williams | $198 | $234 | 18.2% |
| Lepage, LLC | $0 | $191 | -- |
| Richard Hourihan - Smith Farm | $24,385 | $185 | -99.2% |
| Allan D. Perry | $5,035 | $134 | -97.3% |
| Bear Roots Farm, LLC | $24,684 | $0 | -100% |
| Ackermann Enterprises, LLC | $18,257 | $0 | -100% |
| Burtt's Apple Orchard, LLC | $28,146 | $0 | -100% |
| Cabot Hills Maple, LLC | $14,217 | $0 | -100% |
| Chuck Talbert | $3,844 | $0 | -100% |
| Goodrich's Maple Farm, LLC | $132,940 | $0 | -100% |
| Socks Family Farm, LLC | $639 | $0 | -100% |
| Gene Manning | $1,994 | $0 | -100% |
| Pamela Manning | $2,188 | $0 | -100% |
| Turkey Hill Maple Farm, LLP | $7,138 | $0 | -100% |
| Bobolink Farm, LLC | $5,277 | $0 | -100% |
| Marc Eagle | $1,665 | $0 | -100% |
| Seth B. Gardner | $1,852 | $0 | -100% |
| Knoll Farm, LLC | $7,358 | $0 | -100% |
| Brimblecombe's Sugarhouse, LLC | $3,923 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffery Guerin | $1,568 | $0 | -100% |
| Vermont Flower Farm, LLC | $10,052 | $0 | -100% |
| Clinton Sewell | $1,365 | $0 | -100% |
| Erica Zimmerman | $2,510 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary Butler | $954 | $0 | -100% |
| Morse Farm, Inc. | $1,184 | $0 | -100% |
| Sheldon L. Bruce III | $296 | $0 | -100% |
| David C. Hartshorn Sr. | $5,585 | $0 | -100% |
| David Clark | $307 | $0 | -100% |
| David Gavett | $12,578 | $0 | -100% |
| Eastman Long & Sons, Inc. | $2,747 | $0 | -100% |
| Floodwoods Maple, LLC | $27,347 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenyon Farm, LLC | $7,358 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul H. Hartshorn | $426 | $0 | -100% |
| Sharpshooter Sugarworks, LLC | $6,758 | $0 | -100% |
| Craig Scott Kellett | $5,173 | $0 | -100% |
| Green Moutain Harvest, LLC | $94,160 | $0 | -100% |
| Jennifer Dawn McFeeters | $1,362 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,412,632 | $870,465 | -63.9% |
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