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In 2021, 129 farmers in cities within Dauphin County received a total of $1.5 million in 242 farm subsidies, a 48.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.9 million in 445 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linford R Snyder | $0 | $125,000 | -- |
| Joseph Vanderfeltz | $237,095 | $120,520 | -49.2% |
| The Nature Conservancy | $96,594 | $100,000 | 3.5% |
| Franklin N. Graybill Jr. | $126,826 | $93,314 | -26.4% |
| Ty R. Long | $92,723 | $66,040 | -28.8% |
| Jonathan A. Campbell | $138,042 | $64,853 | -53% |
| Wayne J. Warner | $57,691 | $56,700 | -1.7% |
| Pleasant Hill Dairy Farms, LLC | $68,577 | $52,456 | -23.5% |
| Raymond W Belack | $74,755 | $43,136 | -42.3% |
| Haldeman Farms, Inc. | $82,660 | $42,338 | -48.8% |
| Donald L. Henry | $0 | $41,434 | -- |
| Phillips Farms, LLC | $48,735 | $35,517 | -27.1% |
| Adam T. Rabenold | $45,005 | $35,050 | -22.1% |
| Timothy A. Rabenold | $44,228 | $35,050 | -20.8% |
| Steven Ebersol | $36,477 | $34,508 | -5.4% |
| Thomas G. Rabenold | $38,137 | $31,443 | -17.6% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $30,411 | -- |
| David K. Stoltzfus | $41,790 | $28,886 | -30.9% |
| Trophy Land Management, LLC | $22,660 | $22,272 | -1.7% |
| Darren M. Weaver | $27,146 | $19,927 | -26.6% |
| John Cassel & Sons | $22,936 | $16,088 | -29.9% |
| David F. Strohecker | $35,030 | $14,519 | -58.6% |
| Kim R. Martz | $20,256 | $14,430 | -28.8% |
| Gary D. Bennett | $16,758 | $13,260 | -20.9% |
| Ronald L. Novinger | $25,085 | $12,837 | -48.8% |
| Brandon E. Mauser | $16,791 | $11,597 | -30.9% |
| Lily Shade | $8,655 | $11,587 | 33.9% |
| Jeffrey R. Troutman | $23,058 | $11,574 | -49.8% |
| Matthew C. Miller | $15,413 | $11,224 | -27.2% |
| New Covenant Farm, LLC | $20,327 | $10,397 | -48.9% |
| Danny Van Gerpen | $9,768 | $10,395 | 6.4% |
| Brian T. Meckley | $19,536 | $10,259 | -47.5% |
| Beatrice Fulton | $9,745 | $9,745 | 0% |
| Paul A. Anderson | $9,271 | $9,271 | 0% |
| Dairy Lane Farms, LLC | $12,288 | $9,080 | -26.1% |
| Darwin Erdman | $73,881 | $8,987 | -87.8% |
| Marlin E. Wiest Jr. | $8,581 | $8,703 | 1.4% |
| Richard Koppenhaver | $8,561 | $8,561 | 0% |
| Bonita M. Campbell | $29,192 | $8,005 | -72.6% |
| Elwood R. Stroup Jr. | $12,421 | $7,985 | -35.7% |
| Gerald F. Wiest | $14,713 | $7,922 | -46.2% |
| Megan E. Kolarik | $10,964 | $7,188 | -34.4% |
| Woodfield Farms, LLC | $5,488 | $6,806 | 24% |
| Carl Geesaman | $10,145 | $6,804 | -32.9% |
| Coble's Locust Lane Farm, LLC | $6,455 | $6,398 | -0.9% |
| John S. Neagley | $8,661 | $6,325 | -27% |
| Brandon G. Kolva | $4,716 | $6,306 | 33.7% |
| Derek N. Dunham | $4,196 | $6,169 | 47% |
| Jeffrey Zechman | $9,070 | $5,683 | -37.3% |
| Robert W. Schwartz | $10,987 | $5,599 | -49% |
| TLC Tree Farm, LLC | $0 | $5,369 | -- |
| Eli L. King | $62,438 | $5,354 | -91.4% |
| Robert A. Kessler | $5,994 | $5,183 | -13.5% |
| Edward J. Howard | $4,931 | $4,931 | 0% |
| Curry R. Wagner | $15,226 | $4,868 | -68% |
| Dennis E. Knorr | $9,719 | $4,724 | -51.4% |
| David D. Morgan | $7,517 | $4,502 | -40.1% |
| Neil F. Leffler | $5,922 | $4,212 | -28.9% |
| Mark Sweppenhiser | $11,914 | $4,125 | -65.4% |
| Tom & Ann Raymond Living Trust | $8,474 | $4,063 | -52.1% |
| Deborah E. Risser | $7,928 | $3,314 | -58.2% |
| Oak Ridge Real Estate, LLC | $5,168 | $3,187 | -38.3% |
| Evelyn Marvel | $3,178 | $3,178 | 0% |
| Albert G. Mauser Jr. | $4,693 | $3,125 | -33.4% |
| Erich G. Bair | $5,473 | $3,070 | -43.9% |
| Wendell Poppy | $2,961 | $2,961 | 0% |
| RM Hess Farms, LLC | $9,202 | $2,933 | -68.1% |
| Max Lang | $11,923 | $2,908 | -75.6% |
| Brian K. Hoerner | $1,943 | $2,803 | 44.3% |
| Daniel D. Neagley | $2,631 | $2,590 | -1.6% |
| Larry K Schaeffer, DVM | $3,156 | $2,454 | -22.2% |
| David W. Poorbaugh | $2,453 | $2,453 | 0% |
| David R. Russell | $2,305 | $2,305 | 0% |
| Lykens Valley Beagle Club | $4,484 | $2,242 | -50% |
| Walter C Eshenaur | $2,239 | $2,239 | 0% |
| Alvin J. Fisher | $32,158 | $2,192 | -93.2% |
| John Lee Saufley | $2,525 | $2,169 | -14.1% |
| Richard Bennett-Briar Hill Farm | $26,993 | $2,111 | -92.2% |
| Daniel J. King | $27,931 | $2,080 | -92.6% |
| Eric Spotts | $0 | $2,070 | -- |
| Craig L. Welker | $1,966 | $1,821 | -7.4% |
| Jeffry J. Eisenbise | $1,113 | $1,788 | 60.6% |
| Brock Snyder | $328 | $1,607 | 389.9% |
| Robert N. Miller | $1,591 | $1,568 | -1.4% |
| Spring-Nook Farms | $30,182 | $1,551 | -94.9% |
| Lee K. Saufley | $1,539 | $1,539 | 0% |
| Amos K. King | $28,231 | $1,446 | -94.9% |
| Ivan S. Zook | $2,271 | $1,415 | -37.7% |
| David K. King | $37,098 | $1,350 | -96.4% |
| Randy R. Matter | $1,698 | $1,335 | -21.4% |
| Deep Creek Farms, Inc. | $2,640 | $1,172 | -55.6% |
| Elmer F. King | $43,929 | $1,172 | -97.3% |
| William E. Neagley | $3,155 | $1,133 | -64.1% |
| Anthony W. Mauser | $2,336 | $1,099 | -53% |
| Tonya D. Wenger | $0 | $1,093 | -- |
| Daniel W. Smucker | $1,091 | $1,091 | 0% |
| Greg Moore | $984 | $984 | 0% |
| JT Poultry, LLC | $2,787 | $960 | -65.6% |
| Fred and Linda Harteis Family Limited Partnership | $0 | $921 | -- |
| Allen M. Wenger | $0 | $894 | -- |
| Ezra L. Fisher | $0 | $868 | -- |
| Todd L. Laudenslager | $810 | $810 | 0% |
| Elwood Stroup | $806 | $806 | 0% |
| Albert N. Morgan | $2,738 | $784 | -71.4% |
| Samuel Huffman | $3,088 | $774 | -74.9% |
| Kent A. Adams | $268 | $734 | 173.9% |
| Marlin Warner | $795 | $716 | -9.9% |
| Samuel Ebersol | $786 | $695 | -11.6% |
| Jeffrey D. Hassinger | $2,644 | $625 | -76.4% |
| Thomas E Powers Trust | $1,493 | $619 | -58.5% |
| Thomas L. Novinger | $3,778 | $594 | -84.3% |
| Karl J. Mauser | $777 | $573 | -26.3% |
| Harold Bingaman | $44,404 | $562 | -98.7% |
| Raymond P. Hartman | $532 | $532 | 0% |
| Daniel R. King | $0 | $500 | -- |
| Ralph J. Farabaugh Jr. | $490 | $490 | 0% |
| Eric W. Fackler | $3,516 | $413 | -88.3% |
| William R. Shade Jr. | $409 | $409 | 0% |
| John A. Schmidt | $704 | $289 | -58.9% |
| Craig Levinsky | $371 | $258 | -30.5% |
| Natural Hope Herb Farm, LLC | $245 | $245 | 0% |
| Ben Stoffel | $178 | $178 | 0% |
| Marcia G. Leatherman | $480 | $127 | -73.5% |
| Melvin J. Brandt | $21,039 | $117 | -99.4% |
| Donald L. Kerstetter | $190 | $95 | -50% |
| Jennifer Stabley | $78 | $78 | 0% |
| Glen M. Williard | $61 | $61 | 0% |
| Lester O. Hoover | $37,139 | $30 | -99.9% |
| Amos A. King | $0 | $21 | -- |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $31,848 | $0 | -100% |
| Earl E. Campbell | $10,360 | $0 | -100% |
| Ann L. Bonitz | $7,633 | $0 | -100% |
| Fred and Linda Harteis Family Lim | $921 | $0 | -100% |
| James D. Markle | $629 | $0 | -100% |
| Leslie I Leauber | $535 | $0 | -100% |
| Rudy Farm and Rentals | $17,310 | $0 | -100% |
| Strites' Orchard, LLC | $64,409 | $0 | -100% |
| Warren R. Hoover | $1,175 | $0 | -100% |
| Christian S. Beiler | $55,354 | $0 | -100% |
| Eleanor Eby-Patterson | $881 | $0 | -100% |
| John B. King | $17,026 | $0 | -100% |
| Brookside Farms, Inc. | $255 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles J. Dehart III Esq. | $646 | $0 | -100% |
| Dennis Coleman | $6,152 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Bennett | $24,856 | $0 | -100% |
| Delmar L. Weaver | $1,362 | $0 | -100% |
| Isaac E. Lantz | $31,838 | $0 | -100% |
| Raymond S. Petersheim | $128,285 | $0 | -100% |
| Jonas S. Smucker | $88,794 | $0 | -100% |
| Mervin Esch | $8,044 | $0 | -100% |
| Reuben Lantz | $33,281 | $0 | -100% |
| Samuel E. Lantz | $20,378 | $0 | -100% |
| Samuel K. Stoltzfus | $668 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,896,966 | $1,501,216 | -48.2% |
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