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In 2021, 70 farmers in cities within Harford County received a total of $870,686 in 134 farm subsidies, a 52.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.8 million in 207 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutledge Brick House Farm, Inc. | $230,937 | $138,580 | -40% |
| James H. Archer Jr. | $227,190 | $132,894 | -41.5% |
| Grimmel Farm Partners | $341,496 | $105,000 | -69.3% |
| My Girls Glen, Inc. | $46,242 | $68,818 | 48.8% |
| Blue Valley Farms, LLC | $164,048 | $44,085 | -73.1% |
| Furn-Dale Farm, LLC | $19,004 | $39,929 | 110.1% |
| Rigdon Farms, Inc. | $146,597 | $37,615 | -74.3% |
| Holloway Brothers PTR | $107,623 | $36,369 | -66.2% |
| MA & PA Farms, LLC | $38,872 | $22,492 | -42.1% |
| David A. Hopkins | $5,181 | $16,846 | 225.1% |
| B G S Jourdan & Sons PTR | $43,199 | $16,741 | -61.2% |
| Richard N. Heston | $15,970 | $12,753 | -20.1% |
| David M. Keyes | $65,135 | $12,010 | -81.6% |
| Samuel B. Fielder III | $9,790 | $11,822 | 20.8% |
| Dougherty Farms, LLC | $40,703 | $11,611 | -71.5% |
| Indian Spring Farm, LLC | $21,057 | $10,907 | -48.2% |
| Jason R Krankowski | $17,048 | $9,577 | -43.8% |
| Gregory D. Stewart | $32,835 | $9,388 | -71.4% |
| Stanley Wielepski | $8,274 | $8,274 | 0% |
| William Douglas Worthington Tripple Union Farms, LLC | $23,174 | $8,105 | -65% |
| Belvedere Farm, LLC | $0 | $7,810 | -- |
| Lawrence Bowman | $1,907 | $7,755 | 306.7% |
| Linda B. Worthington | $6,957 | $7,284 | 4.7% |
| Johnathan F. Beltz | $27,651 | $5,760 | -79.2% |
| William T. Harrison | $3,670 | $4,746 | 29.3% |
| Roy L. Testerman | $7,734 | $4,692 | -39.3% |
| Alan R. Burdette Jr. | $10,211 | $4,646 | -54.5% |
| Gallion's Farm | $1,394 | $4,478 | 221.2% |
| Janet Warren | $15,716 | $3,987 | -74.6% |
| Barbara W. Lowe | $5,666 | $3,889 | -31.4% |
| Benjamin Roy Lowe | $8,409 | $3,646 | -56.6% |
| Thomas P. Ensor | $3,483 | $3,483 | 0% |
| Hartland Valley Simmentals, LLC | $441 | $3,202 | 626.1% |
| James E. Garrison | $3,185 | $3,185 | 0% |
| Thomas Burkheimer | $3,239 | $3,112 | -3.9% |
| Robert J. Tibbs Jr. | $16,917 | $2,953 | -82.5% |
| Thomas Webster | $2,862 | $2,862 | 0% |
| Stephen P. Smith | $8,811 | $2,797 | -68.3% |
| Albert B. Isennock | $2,641 | $2,641 | 0% |
| Harvey's Rest, LLC | $2,602 | $2,602 | 0% |
| W E Scott Jasion | $2,474 | $2,559 | 3.4% |
| Melvin R. Huber Jr. | $1,917 | $2,217 | 15.6% |
| David Button | $3,416 | $2,186 | -36% |
| Linda L. Moxley | $5,966 | $2,037 | -65.9% |
| Kimberly Archer Lewis | $4,707 | $1,936 | -58.9% |
| Dorothy M. Proctor | $1,521 | $1,863 | 22.5% |
| Troyer Farms Jv | $17,269 | $1,726 | -90% |
| Richard Black | $13,438 | $1,710 | -87.3% |
| John W. Holland | $2,474 | $1,649 | -33.3% |
| James C. Richardson | $1,622 | $1,622 | 0% |
| Grimmel Girls Show Cattle, LLC | $5,359 | $1,371 | -74.4% |
| Phillip D. Crocker | $1,161 | $1,161 | 0% |
| Jerry C. Preston | $1,118 | $1,118 | 0% |
| Bethke Farm, LLC | $1,102 | $1,102 | 0% |
| Steven W. Archer | $1,936 | $1,009 | -47.9% |
| John W. Cairnes | $805 | $805 | 0% |
| Karl N. Mandl Jr. | $6,242 | $723 | -88.4% |
| Charles T. Williams III | $696 | $696 | 0% |
| David C. Davis | $0 | $578 | -- |
| Debra G. Speyer | $0 | $563 | -- |
| Robert Mehlman | $1,661 | $515 | -69% |
| Thomas W. Swift | $2,645 | $414 | -84.3% |
| Darlene E. Walther | $356 | $356 | 0% |
| Andrew Cassilly | $351 | $351 | 0% |
| Kent Greimel | $1,562 | $326 | -79.1% |
| Howard L. Blakeley | $262 | $262 | 0% |
| Matthew C. B. Rothwell | $221 | $221 | 0% |
| Roger G. Hall | $171 | $171 | 0% |
| Sabrina D. Mapp | $83 | $83 | 0% |
| Senora Walls Haywood | $29 | $10 | -65.5% |
| Jean Tsuji | $215 | $0 | -100% |
| Norman B. Hooker | $9,701 | $0 | -100% |
| Chris Scholz | $205 | $0 | -100% |
| Harry T. McCallister | $497 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,829,053 | $870,686 | -52.4% |
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