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In 2021, 83 farmers in cities within Hampshire County received a total of $773,466 in 117 farm subsidies, a 74.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3 million in 252 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barstow's Longview Farm, LLC | $277,769 | $134,283 | -51.7% |
| New England Wetland Plants, Inc. | $0 | $88,150 | -- |
| Mapleline Farm, LLC | $81,630 | $48,661 | -40.4% |
| Arthur C West | $51,787 | $45,122 | -12.9% |
| David A. Puffer | $0 | $44,965 | -- |
| Cook Farm, LLC | $77,843 | $41,263 | -47% |
| William Davis Jr. | $42,529 | $31,041 | -27% |
| Robert Fletcher | $52,536 | $30,999 | -41% |
| Joyner Dairy Farm, Inc. | $45,577 | $27,006 | -40.7% |
| Stephen D. McCray | $51,823 | $25,942 | -49.9% |
| John D. Ryan | $0 | $21,616 | -- |
| Stone Soup Farm Company-Operative, Inc. | $0 | $21,591 | -- |
| Carolyn Shiel | $0 | $18,993 | -- |
| Robert P. Berthiaume | $0 | $12,615 | -- |
| Damion Campbell | $17,980 | $11,876 | -33.9% |
| Thomas Doubleday | $0 | $11,599 | -- |
| North Hadley Sugar Shack, LLC | $55,470 | $11,493 | -79.3% |
| Plainville Farm | $765,939 | $10,693 | -98.6% |
| Jeffrey Sadlowski | $0 | $10,306 | -- |
| Edwin M Matuszko | $23,782 | $9,127 | -61.6% |
| Jekanowski Farms, LLC | $34,524 | $8,798 | -74.5% |
| John M. Bemben | $0 | $8,561 | -- |
| Ronald Sampson | $5,170 | $8,126 | 57.2% |
| Samuel B. Powell | $0 | $7,966 | -- |
| Karen M. Rida | $13,553 | $7,153 | -47.2% |
| Earle M Parsons & Sons, Inc. | $123,771 | $6,310 | -94.9% |
| Devine Brothers Farm | $17,241 | $4,296 | -75.1% |
| Bare Roots, LLC | $0 | $4,226 | -- |
| Joseph M Breiteneicher | $1,053 | $3,854 | 266% |
| Austin & Austin, LLC | $23,263 | $3,843 | -83.5% |
| Chester J. Kellogg | $13,331 | $3,310 | -75.2% |
| Henry Lukasik | $0 | $2,937 | -- |
| Dennis Pipczynski | $0 | $2,650 | -- |
| Ryan J. Rida | $9,850 | $2,287 | -76.8% |
| Jeanette Horton | $0 | $2,200 | -- |
| Stephen Bashista | $0 | $2,147 | -- |
| Roy Bergeron | $0 | $2,138 | -- |
| Lakeside Organics of Hadley, LLC | $267,313 | $2,010 | -99.2% |
| Charles J. Jasinski | $8,383 | $1,959 | -76.6% |
| Echodale Farm, LLC | $3,751 | $1,843 | -50.9% |
| Olga Olesiuk Weinack | $0 | $1,625 | -- |
| Joe Czajkowski Farm | $282,613 | $1,596 | -99.4% |
| Boisvert Farm, LLC | $9,886 | $1,506 | -84.8% |
| Clinton Peters | $0 | $1,370 | -- |
| Diego Irizarry-Gerould | $0 | $1,354 | -- |
| Jackson Mansfield | $0 | $1,350 | -- |
| Gordon Smith | $7,695 | $1,232 | -84% |
| Loni G. Austin | $3,395 | $1,219 | -64.1% |
| Andrew Hukowicz | $12,779 | $1,213 | -90.5% |
| Beverly A. Kokoski | $0 | $1,113 | -- |
| Raymond F. Russell Jr. | $0 | $1,113 | -- |
| Richard C. Roberts | $2,829 | $1,078 | -61.9% |
| Jonathan Carr | $0 | $1,060 | -- |
| Lois O'Neil | $2,960 | $1,041 | -64.8% |
| Maureen A. Sullivan | $7,950 | $1,003 | -87.4% |
| Alex Rytuba | $0 | $935 | -- |
| Simple Gifts Farm, LLC | $28,742 | $800 | -97.2% |
| Richard Mansfield | $0 | $701 | -- |
| Thomas Brisson Jr. | $5,312 | $696 | -86.9% |
| Thomas Salva | $1,274 | $687 | -46.1% |
| David H. Gage | $3,489 | $600 | -82.8% |
| Howes Family Farm | $3,006 | $578 | -80.8% |
| Jeffrey Pronovost | $4,347 | $562 | -87.1% |
| Angela Plassmann | $0 | $507 | -- |
| Astarte Farm, LLC | $6,959 | $500 | -92.8% |
| Sidehill Farm, LLC | $500 | $500 | 0% |
| Left Field Farm | $0 | $500 | -- |
| Alan Everett | $1,078 | $368 | -65.9% |
| Eliza Lake | $6,915 | $364 | -94.7% |
| Judith A. Shattuck | $1,922 | $341 | -82.3% |
| Mitchell Opalinski | $2,020 | $276 | -86.3% |
| Jeffrey G. Anliker | $1,227 | $275 | -77.6% |
| Michael J. Byrne | $0 | $244 | -- |
| William A. Archambault | $1,256 | $161 | -87.2% |
| Bryant Farm | $1,884 | $156 | -91.7% |
| Fuller Farm, Inc. | $3,708 | $148 | -96% |
| Allan D. Zuchowski | $8,885 | $142 | -98.4% |
| Irene Kulas | $2,407 | $138 | -94.3% |
| Kyle Thayer | $3,723 | $130 | -96.5% |
| William C. Chirgwin | $1,390 | $118 | -91.5% |
| Matthew D. Kushi | $0 | $106 | -- |
| Carolyn Miller | $0 | $71 | -- |
| Susanne Hale | $164 | $34 | -79.3% |
| Cottage Grove, LLC | $1,482 | $0 | -100% |
| David B. Radebaugh | $9,619 | $0 | -100% |
| Katie L Bodzinski | $1,164 | $0 | -100% |
| Marie Fowler | $3,445 | $0 | -100% |
| Phoenix Fruit Farm, LLC | $12,015 | $0 | -100% |
| Aaron M. Loux | $901 | $0 | -100% |
| Joyner Dairy Farm | $7,376 | $0 | -100% |
| Lorena Thayer | $1,101 | $0 | -100% |
| Nathan Loux | $2,510 | $0 | -100% |
| Nicole E Wortis | $451 | $0 | -100% |
| Alexander C Mokrzecki | $8,392 | $0 | -100% |
| Bruce Jenks | $287 | $0 | -100% |
| Christopher Parsons | $1,017 | $0 | -100% |
| Colin Szawlowski | $2,756 | $0 | -100% |
| Cultivating Solutions, LLC | $24,317 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel T Chunglo | $9,336 | $0 | -100% |
| David J Mokrzecki | $36,118 | $0 | -100% |
| Four Rex Farm, Inc. | $38,477 | $0 | -100% |
| Honey Pot Produce Company Incorporated | $4,316 | $0 | -100% |
| John Kinchla | $66,799 | $0 | -100% |
| Longview Farm | $4,763 | $0 | -100% |
| Peter Niedbala | $6,226 | $0 | -100% |
| Ray Young | $51,654 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Niedbala | $6,226 | $0 | -100% |
| Stockbridge Farm, LLC | $5,795 | $0 | -100% |
| Sweet Meadow Farm, LLC | $86,752 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas F Zuzgo | $17,165 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy Kicza | $4,921 | $0 | -100% |
| Julia Helen Lemieux | $5,661 | $0 | -100% |
| Meadowsweet Farm, LLC | $5,774 | $0 | -100% |
| Tedd White | $443 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Conner | $5,553 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Schrader | $14,477 | $0 | -100% |
| Collis G. Miller | $927 | $0 | -100% |
| JGA Farm, LLC | $1,632 | $0 | -100% |
| Kurt Boisjolie | $228 | $0 | -100% |
| TCB Fruits, LLC | $17,868 | $0 | -100% |
| Tripple Brook Farm, Inc. | $4,732 | $0 | -100% |
| White House Farm | $6,934 | $0 | -100% |
| Keith A. Dufresne | $4,923 | $0 | -100% |
| Brian A. Rowe | $3,178 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Mollison | $1,014 | $0 | -100% |
| John P. Welch Jr. | $560 | $0 | -100% |
| Lincoln Fishman | $8,282 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul A. Sena | $2,989 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,986,739 | $773,466 | -74.1% |
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