Farms throughout cities in Monroe County received $5.9 million less in subsidies in 2021 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture compared to the year before.
In 2021, 129 farmers in cities within Monroe County received a total of $1.8 million in 247 farm subsidies, a 76.9% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $7.6 million in 492 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.
Farmers and Their Subsidies in Cities Associated with Monroe County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colby Homestead Farms, Inc. | $381,531 | $146,613 | -61.6% |
| Zuber Farms, LLC | $1,110,104 | $135,047 | -87.8% |
| David W Stein | $400,733 | $127,231 | -68.3% |
| James M. Maier | $348,733 | $107,646 | -69.1% |
| The Nature Conservancy | $98,616 | $100,000 | 1.4% |
| Stokoe 1812, Inc. | $185,527 | $50,728 | -72.7% |
| Greenwell Farms | $138,679 | $49,212 | -64.5% |
| Greenwell Farms, Inc. | $138,568 | $49,169 | -64.5% |
| John B Martin & Sons Farms, Inc. | $344,120 | $45,033 | -86.9% |
| Kevin Deconinck Jr. | $221,380 | $42,490 | -80.8% |
| David Krenzer | $124,634 | $39,652 | -68.2% |
| Marie V. Krenzer | $124,634 | $39,652 | -68.2% |
| Stokoe Farms VI, LLC | $109,407 | $37,298 | -65.9% |
| Meisenzahl Farms, LLC | $88,720 | $35,822 | -59.6% |
| McCracken Acres | $93,657 | $35,295 | -62.3% |
| Volkman Farms, LLC | $83,740 | $34,413 | -58.9% |
| Kohlman Farms, Inc. | $81,711 | $29,919 | -63.4% |
| Deconinck Farms | $120,341 | $29,599 | -75.4% |
| Rissler Ellenberger & Peel PTSHP | $7,672 | $27,935 | 264.1% |
| Stettner Farms | $87,153 | $25,983 | -70.2% |
| Frank & Hale Burch Farms, Inc. | $59,472 | $24,990 | -58% |
| Henry Maier | $54,859 | $24,000 | -56.3% |
| Irving F. Ellsworth | $119,541 | $22,100 | -81.5% |
| Morgan Brothers | $0 | $22,058 | — |
| Dawn Til Dusk Farms, LLC | $45,409 | $21,230 | -53.2% |
| Kalir Enterprises, Inc. | $586,829 | $20,777 | -96.5% |
| Steven D. Bauman | $43,887 | $19,092 | -56.5% |
| Conrow Farms | $606,660 | $18,114 | -97% |
| Shanie Fruit Farms, Inc. | $41,756 | $17,006 | -59.3% |
| Raymond J. Stein Jr. | $36,610 | $15,185 | -58.5% |
| Chase Farm Partnership | $35,557 | $15,093 | -57.6% |
| Randall Robb | $84,597 | $14,322 | -83.1% |
| Lee Land Management, LLP | $13,432 | $14,174 | 5.5% |
| Mroczek Farms | $78,355 | $13,397 | -82.9% |
| Steven E. van Voorhis | $25,587 | $13,262 | -48.2% |
| Charles Hastings | $40,889 | $12,874 | -68.5% |
| Leibeck Farm, LLC | $130,203 | $12,643 | -90.3% |
| David Borrelli J. Farms | $294,064 | $12,356 | -95.8% |
| Ryan Estate Farms | $31,655 | $12,142 | -61.6% |
| E Vercruysse & Son | $32,462 | $11,688 | -64% |
| Kevin M. Swartout | $10,593 | $10,884 | 2.7% |
| Vanmeter Farm, Inc. | $9,832 | $9,832 | 0% |
| John R. Eichas | $29,229 | $9,512 | -67.5% |
| Mendon Acres, LLC | $0 | $8,147 | — |
| Casey Degraff | $5,234 | $8,138 | 55.5% |
| Ron Furrer | $4,974 | $7,967 | 60.2% |
| North Ridge Farms | $25,894 | $7,852 | -69.7% |
| Greg A. Miller | $2,204 | $7,842 | 255.8% |
| Marvin Vahue | $15,905 | $7,465 | -53.1% |
| Krenhafen Farm, LLC | $157,417 | $7,002 | -95.6% |
| Caroline B Lyle Trust | $11,849 | $6,960 | -41.3% |
| Frances L. Englund | $11,849 | $6,960 | -41.3% |
| William W Maysick | $15,219 | $6,866 | -54.9% |
| Mank Brothers Farms | $5,852 | $6,477 | 10.7% |
| Stacy L. Turowski | $6,304 | $6,304 | 0% |
| Michael Meisenzahl | $12,125 | $5,524 | -54.4% |
| Growing Family Farms, LLC | $0 | $5,364 | — |
| Richmond Center Farm, LLC | $7,464 | $5,364 | -28.1% |
| Earl Philip Derue | $10,701 | $5,046 | -52.8% |
| Home Acres Farms, Inc. | $6,481 | $4,340 | -33% |
| Verhulst Nurseries, LLC | $31,364 | $4,034 | -87.1% |
| Daniel Barben | $7,781 | $3,959 | -49.1% |
| Mcallister Iowa Farms, LLC | $3,720 | $3,720 | 0% |
| Daniel Eichas | $7,222 | $3,600 | -50.2% |
| George R Hauslauer | $6,910 | $3,585 | -48.1% |
| John Kinton | $9,109 | $3,584 | -60.7% |
| White Fence Acres, LLC | $9,552 | $3,498 | -63.4% |
| Virginia Gesell | $9,275 | $3,494 | -62.3% |
| Richard Peter de Meyer | $0 | $3,488 | — |
| Charles J Onufryk | $3,348 | $3,348 | 0% |
| JB Ever Pine, LLC | $0 | $2,976 | — |
| Donald Vogler | $1,136 | $2,893 | 154.7% |
| GRO Moore Farms, Inc. | $23,907 | $2,877 | -88% |
| William C. Chase | $2,828 | $2,828 | 0% |
| John Glenn Muckley | $3,438 | $2,819 | -18% |
| John Glenn Muckley | $3,438 | $2,819 | -18% |
| Breed Acres, LLC | $2,363 | $2,484 | 5.1% |
| David C. Scheirer | $10,640 | $2,405 | -77.4% |
| John Keenan | $2,589 | $2,167 | -16.3% |
| Linda-Harris Perry Farm Trust K Perry | $12,241 | $2,152 | -82.4% |
| Rocky R. And Patricia A. Ellsworth Partners | $0 | $2,090 | — |
| William Steimer | $2,910 | $2,035 | -30.1% |
| Vanderlinde Farm, LLC | $2,493 | $1,940 | -22.2% |
| Rodney R. Mank | $2,666 | $1,823 | -31.6% |
| John D. Hand | $2,996 | $1,812 | -39.5% |
| Thomas Smith | $2,557 | $1,730 | -32.3% |
| Allen T. Retzlaff Jr. | $2,496 | $1,604 | -35.7% |
| Alan C. Jones | $2,374 | $1,424 | -40% |
| Lehning Farms | $726 | $1,242 | 71.1% |
| George C. Hahn | $2,012 | $1,242 | -38.3% |
| Joseph W Streb | $1,441 | $1,231 | -14.6% |
| Marilyn de Meyer | $0 | $1,199 | — |
| Randy G. Burnell | $2,085 | $1,169 | -43.9% |
| Mark Avedisian | $5,420 | $1,144 | -78.9% |
| Janell Nyffeler | $937 | $937 | 0% |
| Ben Barkley | $1,979 | $838 | -57.7% |
| Jeremy D. Meisenzahl | $4,564 | $709 | -84.5% |
| Helen N West | $225 | $658 | 192.4% |
| Larry Thompson – Thompson Living Trust | $0 | $568 | — |
| Kathleen Fithen | $551 | $551 | 0% |
| Marie Via | $1,139 | $517 | -54.6% |
| Bolton Farms, Inc. | $16,186 | $464 | -97.1% |
| Lacy Davis | $454 | $454 | 0% |
| Sandra Lehning | $0 | $433 | — |
| Janet R. Davies | $800 | $432 | -46% |
| Luke Keyes | $0 | $329 | — |
| Gerald R. Eichas | $2,843 | $316 | -88.9% |
| Bill McCombs | $974 | $291 | -70.1% |
| Jon J. Eichas | $967 | $283 | -70.7% |
| Jared B. Mooberry | $815 | $274 | -66.4% |
| Larry C. Glore | $189 | $267 | 41.3% |
| Joanne L. Bater | $408 | $234 | -42.6% |
| Douglas A. Kohn | $230 | $230 | 0% |
| Jennie Miller | $4,918 | $225 | -95.4% |
| Susan F. Rowley | $537 | $218 | -59.4% |
| David W. Carlson | $186 | $186 | 0% |
| Paul Duchyns | $688 | $164 | -76.2% |
| Michelle Anne Buffa | $594 | $137 | -76.9% |
| Richard A. Parsons Jr. | $808 | $123 | -84.8% |
| Charlotte A. Richards | $83 | $115 | 38.6% |
| Joseph Hellaby | $1,359 | $112 | -91.8% |
| Chase Farms | $29,450 | $107 | -99.6% |
| Lee Liebeck | $540 | $106 | -80.4% |
| Alicia Benhumea | $614 | $103 | -83.2% |
| Orson R. Steele | $736 | $78 | -89.4% |
| Gerald Nesbitt | $404 | $72 | -82.2% |
| Charles Kingsbury | $216 | $29 | -86.6% |
| Timothy Arguien | $90 | $26 | -71.1% |
| Clover Jack Farms, LLC | $1,914 | $4 | -99.8% |
| Flowerwell, LLC | $2,353 | $0 | -100% |
| R. A. S. Gordon Road Farms, LLC | $42,274 | $0 | -100% |
| Raymond G. Gabriel | $1,223 | $0 | -100% |
| Ridgecrest Turkey Farm, LLC | $4,238 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward Fraser | $7,029 | $0 | -100% |
| Todd Jessop | $283 | $0 | -100% |
| Donald A. Chase | $19,877 | $0 | -100% |
| Brian Deconinck | $7,437 | $0 | -100% |
| James A. Lee | $494 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffrey Hibbard | $2,043 | $0 | -100% |
| Marilyn Demeyer | $3,330 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Peter Demeyer | $10,690 | $0 | -100% |
| Rocky R. And Patricia A. Ellswort | $3,352 | $0 | -100% |
| Eduardo Avila | $477 | $0 | -100% |
| Francine Leggett | $3,296 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael A. Leggett | $1,552 | $0 | -100% |
| Janice Smith Hansen | $827 | $0 | -100% |
| Alyeska Farms, Inc. | $1,202 | $0 | -100% |
| Brothers International Food, Corp. | $500 | $0 | -100% |
| Christopher Nothnagle | $164 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel Stein | $10,688 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary E. Myers | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| George M. Reiber | $5,722 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffrey S. Deconinck | $2,258 | $0 | -100% |
| Jennie K. Brant | $538 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Thompson – Thompson Family | $577 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Freemesser | $500 | $0 | -100% |
| Roger L. Doell | $454 | $0 | -100% |
| Smugtown Mushroom Company, LLC | $1,237 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas A. Swetz | $136 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy M. Poehlman | $21,743 | $0 | -100% |
| Chase’s Greenhouses, Inc. | $95,747 | $0 | -100% |
| Gregory Hartt | $3,075 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffrey S. Werner | $3,713 | $0 | -100% |
| Suzanne A. Benedict | $10,700 | $0 | -100% |
| Stokoe Farms, LLC | $40,725 | $0 | -100% |
| Morgan Brothers | $75,303 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $7,644,132 | $1,764,091 | -76.9% |
