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In 2021, 54 farmers in cities within Burlington County received a total of $1.3 million in 80 farm subsidies, a 22.1% increase from 2020, when the total was $1.1 million in 134 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Durr Wholesale Florist, Inc. | $0 | $250,000 | -- |
| Honey Brook Organic Farm, LLC | $0 | $164,210 | -- |
| Joseph J White, Inc. | $60,631 | $149,146 | 146% |
| Selle Farm, LLC | $0 | $130,790 | -- |
| Adams & Adams, Inc. | $0 | $81,699 | -- |
| Probasco Farms, LLC | $250,334 | $47,087 | -81.2% |
| R & R Wainwright, Inc. | $98,389 | $45,211 | -54% |
| CBJ Farms | $0 | $38,706 | -- |
| Pat W. Giberson | $65,895 | $36,883 | -44% |
| David Specca Farms, LLC | $0 | $35,601 | -- |
| HW Bibus & Son, Inc. | $83,863 | $34,180 | -59.2% |
| Backacres Farms, LLC | $39,244 | $28,135 | -28.3% |
| Byrne Farm, LLC | $0 | $27,228 | -- |
| Gancarz Enterprises, Inc. | $0 | $26,973 | -- |
| John A. Homa | $42,682 | $20,369 | -52.3% |
| Donald R. Wolfe | $0 | $18,174 | -- |
| Paul J Hlubik | $32,745 | $16,366 | -50% |
| Floyd Stevenson Jr. | $1,824 | $15,032 | 724.1% |
| Curtis R. Wainwright | $27,467 | $10,340 | -62.4% |
| Katona Farms, Inc. | $14,523 | $9,960 | -31.4% |
| Patrick Giberson | $15,745 | $8,239 | -47.7% |
| William J. Poinsett | $4,253 | $7,700 | 81% |
| Smylie Farm Management, LLC | $1,258 | $6,893 | 447.9% |
| Stephen Specca Farms, LLC | $0 | $6,289 | -- |
| Robert L. Lounsberry Jr. | $14,911 | $5,450 | -63.4% |
| Kevin Bunting | $10,007 | $5,282 | -47.2% |
| Dean Bunting | $10,007 | $5,282 | -47.2% |
| George Kucowski | $8,086 | $5,250 | -35.1% |
| Robson's Farm, LLC | $0 | $4,770 | -- |
| Bet2win Farm, LLC | $0 | $4,605 | -- |
| John Winzinger JR | $1,112 | $4,574 | 311.3% |
| Sunset Farmstead, LLC | $0 | $4,338 | -- |
| Old York Farm, Corp. | $0 | $3,889 | -- |
| M and N Farms, LLC | $0 | $3,820 | -- |
| Gerald W. Graham | $3,438 | $3,438 | 0% |
| Kyle Kumpel | $3,342 | $3,381 | 1.2% |
| Original Columbus Farm and Market, LLC | $0 | $3,376 | -- |
| Raymond F Hlubik | $5,998 | $2,815 | -53.1% |
| Mary J Kulp & James C Kulp Rev GST | $9,864 | $2,308 | -76.6% |
| Plotts Land Holdings, LLC | $0 | $2,184 | -- |
| Bernard W. Banks | $3,109 | $2,057 | -33.8% |
| Jeremy D. Moran | $1,445 | $1,998 | 38.3% |
| John T. Campbell | $8,787 | $1,982 | -77.4% |
| William D. Westerby | $12,182 | $1,815 | -85.1% |
| The Hanson Trust | $0 | $1,797 | -- |
| William Puglia | $4,929 | $1,487 | -69.8% |
| Earle A. Gale | $10 | $1,031 | 10,210% |
| Mary Ellen Shupe | $508 | $564 | 11% |
| Kenneth Sunderland | $1,399 | $548 | -60.8% |
| Elizabeth Kuehn | $0 | $547 | -- |
| Cavit Cooley | $985 | $512 | -48% |
| John H Bauma JR | $6,840 | $309 | -95.5% |
| William R. Hatcher | $495 | $183 | -63% |
| William Bauma | $1,297 | $175 | -86.5% |
| Fernbrook Nursery, Inc. | $119,510 | $0 | -100% |
| Floyd Bolt | $1,124 | $0 | -100% |
| Alan Grossman | $29,969 | $0 | -100% |
| Jack Marshall | $874 | $0 | -100% |
| Haines Berry Farm, LLC | $61,902 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,060,983 | $1,294,978 | 22.1% |
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