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In 2021, 41 farmers in cities within Herkimer County received a total of $965,312 in 69 farm subsidies, a 34.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.5 million in 187 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Livingston Farm | $98,599 | $139,524 | 41.5% |
| Jane Casler | $269,911 | $120,508 | -55.4% |
| Maypar Farm | $163,592 | $106,898 | -34.7% |
| Herbert H. Fountain | $0 | $86,314 | -- |
| David R. Fitch | $104,413 | $67,622 | -35.2% |
| Kim M. Nelson | $79,761 | $58,640 | -26.5% |
| Stephen R. Collins | $51,553 | $54,419 | 5.6% |
| Eric B. Gigliotti | $23,940 | $48,929 | 104.4% |
| Robert A. Lyon | $19,818 | $38,569 | 94.6% |
| Parker Smith | $24,865 | $36,338 | 46.1% |
| Dale Covert | $29,394 | $24,845 | -15.5% |
| Deborah U. Pugh | $51,381 | $21,942 | -57.3% |
| Richard H. Pugh | $51,381 | $21,942 | -57.3% |
| Brian D. Allen | $18,101 | $14,643 | -19.1% |
| Robert D. Allen | $18,204 | $14,643 | -19.6% |
| Black Iron Dairy, LLC | $79,265 | $14,210 | -82.1% |
| Stephen N. Keblish | $22,216 | $13,430 | -39.5% |
| Steven Will | $21,816 | $13,009 | -40.4% |
| Joshua A. Pugh | $0 | $8,212 | -- |
| Hope Springs Ranch | $19,977 | $7,770 | -61.1% |
| James C. Stoughton | $7,593 | $7,705 | 1.5% |
| John Maring | $3,334 | $6,688 | 100.6% |
| Charles Fred Casler Jr. | $22,763 | $6,203 | -72.7% |
| Burt Homestead Farms | $2,274 | $5,991 | 163.5% |
| Mat Kay Farm | $12,182 | $3,603 | -70.4% |
| Cindy Bell | $1,920 | $3,539 | 84.3% |
| Deborah Kidder | $4,010 | $3,425 | -14.6% |
| Janet Sue Clatterbuck | $11,435 | $3,033 | -73.5% |
| Thomas E. Clatterbuck | $11,582 | $3,033 | -73.8% |
| Wendell E. Rogers | $5,833 | $1,841 | -68.4% |
| Robin Fitch | $35,530 | $1,669 | -95.3% |
| Timothy Powers | $0 | $1,272 | -- |
| Jack Connor Casler | $1,446 | $1,069 | -26.1% |
| Rhonda Bateman | $4,474 | $844 | -81.1% |
| Heartsease Hill, LLC | $0 | $691 | -- |
| Gasstrom Farms, LLC | $2,609 | $536 | -79.5% |
| Mary Lou Thall | $0 | $484 | -- |
| Theodore B Teletnick | $367 | $377 | 2.7% |
| Kelvin L. Smith | $0 | $361 | -- |
| Susan J. Huxtable | $371 | $299 | -19.4% |
| Barbara Huntley | $288 | $242 | -16% |
| Our Woods Maple Syrup & Products | $948 | $0 | -100% |
| Wild Mountain Apiaries | $81,017 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $24,454 | $0 | -100% |
| George Lyga | $188 | $0 | -100% |
| Gordon Crossett | $1,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Jones Family Farm, LLC | $4,279 | $0 | -100% |
| Kast Hill Farms | $648 | $0 | -100% |
| Mildred Wheeler | $1,455 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert A. Lyon Jr. | $1,921 | $0 | -100% |
| Barry G. Allen | $36,342 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel Brace Jones | $524 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward Meyer | $505 | $0 | -100% |
| Henry F and Eric D Huxtable Farm | $627 | $0 | -100% |
| Jack C. Spooner | $307 | $0 | -100% |
| James Gates | $7,664 | $0 | -100% |
| Joshua Pugh | $22,933 | $0 | -100% |
| Justin P Pavlot | $4,381 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,465,491 | $965,312 | -34.1% |
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