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In 2021, 140 farmers in cities within Union County received a total of $1.5 million in 255 farm subsidies, a 63.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $4.1 million in 486 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 Union County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Troester Dairy | $653,819 | $137,285 | -79% |
| Hillview Dairy, LLC | $420,293 | $113,126 | -73.1% |
| David E and David R Hackenberg, Hackenberg Apiarie | $0 | $79,275 | -- |
| Elvin E. Stoltzfus | $113,282 | $74,840 | -33.9% |
| 3 Springs Farm Trucking, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Criswell Agent Services, LLC | $73,985 | $51,715 | -30.1% |
| Floyd W. Martin | $57,286 | $46,205 | -19.3% |
| M & J Farms, LLC | $58,694 | $44,916 | -23.5% |
| Nathan L. Stoltzfus | $45,214 | $43,040 | -4.8% |
| Mark A. Mapes | $46,356 | $41,639 | -10.2% |
| Harmony Springs Farm/Dennis Spangler | $0 | $40,360 | -- |
| Michael S. Platt | $53,753 | $38,601 | -28.2% |
| Buffalo Valley Farmstead, Inc. | $57,376 | $37,639 | -34.4% |
| Gary A. Walter | $36,159 | $34,611 | -4.3% |
| Snoddy Farms, Inc. | $68,631 | $34,535 | -49.7% |
| Keyfarm Enterprises, LLC | $104,139 | $34,115 | -67.2% |
| Holden J. Midkiff | $27,125 | $26,746 | -1.4% |
| Daniel Z. Reiff | $4,823 | $24,761 | 413.4% |
| Joyce Reaser | $18,033 | $23,369 | 29.6% |
| Aaron F. Lapp | $24,811 | $22,644 | -8.7% |
| Dennis J. Boop | $24,674 | $21,994 | -10.9% |
| Jason C. Furman | $64,503 | $19,556 | -69.7% |
| PM Farms, Inc. | $35,381 | $17,943 | -49.3% |
| David F. Stoltzfus | $18,367 | $17,304 | -5.8% |
| Focus Farms | $55,216 | $16,891 | -69.4% |
| Lee E. Spangler | $22,508 | $14,801 | -34.2% |
| Anchor Farms, Inc. | $11,832 | $14,223 | 20.2% |
| Rodney Walter | $3,378 | $11,471 | 239.6% |
| Larry W. Platt | $23,682 | $11,322 | -52.2% |
| John K. Hauck | $49,325 | $11,157 | -77.4% |
| Allen J. Dimarco | $27,320 | $11,021 | -59.7% |
| John Bzdil III | $8,987 | $10,693 | 19% |
| Brown Family Farms | $20,534 | $8,679 | -57.7% |
| Franklin E. Robbins | $8,481 | $8,481 | 0% |
| Logan D. Stoltzfus | $13,172 | $8,415 | -36.1% |
| Donna L. Ward | $8,380 | $8,380 | 0% |
| Bradly J Sunanday | $10,605 | $8,012 | -24.5% |
| Carl Farley II | $13,212 | $7,946 | -39.9% |
| Hal M. Drick | $8,683 | $7,694 | -11.4% |
| Alvin H. Zimmerman | $91,358 | $7,401 | -91.9% |
| Dustin Seebold | $4,222 | $7,029 | 66.5% |
| Gary E. Gibson | $7,019 | $7,019 | 0% |
| John C. Snook | $7,037 | $6,979 | -0.8% |
| Dennis R. Hess | $2,161 | $6,445 | 198.2% |
| Reeser Farms | $6,229 | $6,229 | 0% |
| David M Ulrich and George J Ulrich Leisure Acre Fa | $0 | $6,051 | -- |
| Turtle Creek Farms | $24,322 | $6,011 | -75.3% |
| Robert M. Sauers | $0 | $5,723 | -- |
| Aaron B. Hoover | $70,695 | $5,590 | -92.1% |
| Sauers Haven | $7,459 | $5,287 | -29.1% |
| Phillip W. Dietrich | $5,010 | $5,010 | 0% |
| Max W. Furman Sr. | $14,022 | $5,000 | -64.3% |
| Stephen E. Solomon | $4,876 | $4,876 | 0% |
| Daryl L. Beiler | $4,227 | $4,851 | 14.8% |
| Christopher P. Ulrich | $14,434 | $4,794 | -66.8% |
| Dennis L. Baker | $4,681 | $4,681 | 0% |
| Snook's Equipment | $0 | $4,610 | -- |
| Arla F. Felker | $9,180 | $4,590 | -50% |
| Twin Gable Farms, LLC | $37,571 | $4,528 | -87.9% |
| Dennis Wolfe | $13,887 | $4,526 | -67.4% |
| Judith C. Marvin | $4,475 | $4,475 | 0% |
| David Z. Hoover | $90,808 | $4,172 | -95.4% |
| L & M Machinery, Inc. | $5,291 | $4,137 | -21.8% |
| Brenton Bacon | $4,092 | $4,092 | 0% |
| Thomas J. Hamm | $15,245 | $4,085 | -73.2% |
| Troxell Farms, Inc. | $0 | $3,685 | -- |
| Suzanne T. McCready | $3,635 | $3,635 | 0% |
| Kenneth T. Shuck | $1,544 | $3,605 | 133.5% |
| Robert H. Wolfe | $3,078 | $3,601 | 17% |
| Phillip Kurtz | $5,597 | $3,552 | -36.5% |
| Jeffrey A. Snyder | $8,053 | $3,360 | -58.3% |
| William S Bzdak | $3,313 | $3,313 | 0% |
| John C. Erdley | $7,272 | $3,241 | -55.4% |
| Paul A. Hetrick Jr. | $3,681 | $3,175 | -13.7% |
| Alanson E Johnson | $7,105 | $3,160 | -55.5% |
| Clyde Garman | $5,806 | $3,155 | -45.7% |
| Jonas R. Zeiset | $38,798 | $3,088 | -92% |
| Lynch Farms | $7,415 | $2,959 | -60.1% |
| Isabel V. Moyer | $2,017 | $2,951 | 46.3% |
| Michael Sanders | $4,524 | $2,832 | -37.4% |
| David W. Nunn | $2,792 | $2,792 | 0% |
| Lorne Miller | $5,251 | $2,654 | -49.5% |
| Gregory R. Hollenbach | $5,152 | $2,615 | -49.2% |
| Harvey Z. Martin | $7,085 | $2,461 | -65.3% |
| Matthew Everitt | $5,396 | $2,385 | -55.8% |
| Edwina Diefenbach | $2,382 | $2,382 | 0% |
| Trent Kling | $7,121 | $2,255 | -68.3% |
| Terry L. Greaser | $4,057 | $2,248 | -44.6% |
| Sauers Farms | $5,891 | $2,093 | -64.5% |
| Michael S. Hoover | $4,349 | $2,066 | -52.5% |
| James W. Showers | $3,810 | $2,012 | -47.2% |
| Brock I. Saylor | $27,767 | $2,003 | -92.8% |
| William K. Baker | $815 | $1,938 | 137.8% |
| Jane Baker | $1,923 | $1,923 | 0% |
| Ernest R. Ritter III | $1,886 | $1,886 | 0% |
| Merlin J. Martin | $31,362 | $1,886 | -94% |
| Kenneth E. Noll | $1,857 | $1,857 | 0% |
| The Copeland Stryker Family Limited Partnership | $6,481 | $1,837 | -71.7% |
| Springhouse Farm, LLC | $6,206 | $1,818 | -70.7% |
| David L. Hurst | $1,123 | $1,809 | 61.1% |
| Brett G. Taylor | $6,851 | $1,768 | -74.2% |
| Gary Pfleegor | $1,552 | $1,552 | 0% |
| Charles G. Ulrich | $3,642 | $1,501 | -58.8% |
| Donald P Voneida | $6,852 | $1,467 | -78.6% |
| Steven Pysher | $3,099 | $1,383 | -55.4% |
| John E. King | $1,295 | $1,295 | 0% |
| Scott Kling | $1,289 | $1,289 | 0% |
| Kerry E. Ficks | $1,251 | $1,251 | 0% |
| Dale E. Gessner | $2,475 | $1,160 | -53.1% |
| Dennis Boop Jr. | $665 | $1,045 | 57.1% |
| Neil R. Moyer | $3,503 | $1,015 | -71% |
| Cyril J. Johnson | $1,122 | $997 | -11.1% |
| Eric Lutz | $964 | $964 | 0% |
| Hollenbach Commercial Properties, LLC | $0 | $936 | -- |
| Dr. Ralph Starkey | $1,323 | $858 | -35.1% |
| Kevin E. Gessner | $1,145 | $850 | -25.8% |
| Theresa R Bzdil | $828 | $828 | 0% |
| Wayne M. Stahl | $0 | $818 | -- |
| John K. Lapp Jr. | $30,760 | $770 | -97.5% |
| Timothy W. Feaster | $1,969 | $753 | -61.8% |
| Ronald J. Hamm | $2,186 | $698 | -68.1% |
| Johanna Kodlick&Susanna K Jackson | $0 | $695 | -- |
| Brian D. Keister | $552 | $552 | 0% |
| James Bender | $505 | $505 | 0% |
| Todd Hiller | $439 | $439 | 0% |
| Joshua L Satteson | $399 | $399 | 0% |
| James R and Susan R Kodlick Income Only Primary Re | $0 | $369 | -- |
| Melanchthon Mench | $337 | $337 | 0% |
| Cynthia A. Martin | $325 | $325 | 0% |
| Alan J. Ard | $5,427 | $316 | -94.2% |
| Anne Finck | $447 | $309 | -30.9% |
| George W. Heiges | $270 | $270 | 0% |
| Richard Scott Crandell | $268 | $268 | 0% |
| Byerly Bros, Inc. | $4,796 | $252 | -94.7% |
| William H. Deitrick | $1,650 | $234 | -85.8% |
| James E. Kurtz | $143 | $143 | 0% |
| Margaret L. Kennedy | $135 | $135 | 0% |
| Bar Z Farms | $1,842 | $124 | -93.3% |
| Saranne L Corbin | $112 | $112 | 0% |
| Eric Imgrund | $916 | $11 | -98.8% |
| Aaron K. Lapp Jr. | $10,189 | $0 | -100% |
| Aaron S. Lapp | $18,225 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel L. Stoltzfus Sr. | $4,680 | $0 | -100% |
| David M Ulrich and George J Ulric | $14,354 | $0 | -100% |
| Elam F. Lapp | $15,713 | $0 | -100% |
| Henry F. Lapp | $27,897 | $0 | -100% |
| Henry P. Esh | $8,957 | $0 | -100% |
| Henry S. Lapp | $26,208 | $0 | -100% |
| Samuel S. Lapp | $27,577 | $0 | -100% |
| Aaron W. Nolt | $1,135 | $0 | -100% |
| Calvin R. Stoltzfus | $43,194 | $0 | -100% |
| Dale L. Metzler | $56,850 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel L. Stoltzfus | $15,657 | $0 | -100% |
| David E and David R Hackenberg, H | $62,743 | $0 | -100% |
| Eugene Z. Horning | $31,242 | $0 | -100% |
| Fero Vineyards and Winery, LLC | $10,010 | $0 | -100% |
| Lavern J. Zook | $21,096 | $0 | -100% |
| Lloyd R. Zimmerman Jr. | $10,803 | $0 | -100% |
| David P. Eisenhauer | $1,399 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert L. Peachy | $2,933 | $0 | -100% |
| William P. Criswell | $10,033 | $0 | -100% |
| Chester L. Bender | $632 | $0 | -100% |
| Estate of Wendell E Stahl | $246 | $0 | -100% |
| Hollenbach Commercial Properties | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Ivan S. Nolt Jr. | $17,844 | $0 | -100% |
| John J. Thomas Sr. | $76 | $0 | -100% |
| Justin L. Martin | $31,585 | $0 | -100% |
| Leonard M. Zimmerman | $28,305 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark M. Kurtz | $564 | $0 | -100% |
| Ralph F. Dietrich Jr. | $2,360 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard J. Fry | $1,190 | $0 | -100% |
| Roy H. Hoover | $25,296 | $0 | -100% |
| Sheldon Zeiset | $34,805 | $0 | -100% |
| T Nevin T Holdings, LLC | $367,400 | $0 | -100% |
| Harmony Springs Farm/Dennis Spang | $64,626 | $0 | -100% |
| Harry Yost | $238 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $4,062,920 | $1,497,696 | -63.1% |
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