Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 50 farmers in cities within Somerset County received a total of $2 million in 77 farm subsidies, a 42.5% increase from 2020, when the total was $1.4 million in 112 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dostie Farm | $137,570 | $999,061 | 626.2% |
| Cooley Farms, LLC | $130,568 | $86,510 | -33.7% |
| Dean L. Paine | $97,584 | $58,382 | -40.2% |
| Fletcher Farm, LLC | $214,302 | $55,113 | -74.3% |
| John A. McKenna III | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| E J Carrier, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Edmond Roy & Sons, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Hoyt's Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| JJ Hibbard Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Doug Thomas Trucking & Firewood | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| SKS Furbush Logging, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Warren Logging, Inc. | $0 | $46,866 | -- |
| Broadcrest Farm, LLC | $67,510 | $43,666 | -35.3% |
| Heald Stream Construction | $0 | $41,523 | -- |
| Miller Logging, Inc. | $0 | $32,168 | -- |
| Pamela J. Clark | $37,038 | $31,366 | -15.3% |
| David S. Krebs | $28,577 | $28,915 | 1.2% |
| Bedard Morissette Sugar Camp | $0 | $22,414 | -- |
| Vincent J. Briggs | $0 | $18,527 | -- |
| Brandon A. Taylor | $0 | $18,121 | -- |
| Paradis Logging | $0 | $17,925 | -- |
| Allen Gray | $0 | $17,883 | -- |
| Dan E. Mantor | $22,265 | $17,578 | -21.1% |
| Brian A. McKenna | $0 | $16,154 | -- |
| Jean-Claude Pare | $0 | $15,007 | -- |
| Carrier Sugar House, Inc. | $0 | $13,379 | -- |
| RPDM Sugar Camp, Inc. | $0 | $11,648 | -- |
| Gabriel W. Clark | $23,935 | $10,729 | -55.2% |
| Quwic Maple Syrup Farm, Inc. | $0 | $9,387 | -- |
| Steven N. Tozier | $36,986 | $9,193 | -75.1% |
| Johanna K. Davis | $0 | $7,790 | -- |
| Arnold Farm Sugarhouse | $53,504 | $6,475 | -87.9% |
| Barry E. Spencer | $0 | $4,380 | -- |
| Out on a Limb Maple Farm, LLC | $119,896 | $3,893 | -96.8% |
| Craig J. Belliveau | $1,672 | $1,479 | -11.5% |
| Nancy a Chadborne | $0 | $1,444 | -- |
| Paul B. Frederic | $1,430 | $1,355 | -5.2% |
| Keith B. Magoon | $4,479 | $1,254 | -72% |
| Rock Maple Sugarhouse, LLC | $52,923 | $1,204 | -97.7% |
| Juanita Paine | $0 | $984 | -- |
| Scot L. Adams | $4,281 | $948 | -77.9% |
| Balfour Farm, LLC | $3,458 | $734 | -78.8% |
| Trent A. Cates | $638 | $648 | 1.6% |
| Cristy A. Quinn | $3,980 | $621 | -84.4% |
| Scott A. Anton | $642 | $619 | -3.6% |
| Shawn M. Dunning | $0 | $551 | -- |
| Raymond E Reitze JR | $0 | $530 | -- |
| Kevin D. Madore | $0 | $244 | -- |
| Ashley Kay Pairitz | $609 | $123 | -79.8% |
| Nathan Howard Anton | $3,659 | $49 | -98.7% |
| Frank Hunnewell III | $703 | $0 | -100% |
| Marilyn Meyerhans | $52,596 | $0 | -100% |
| Johnny Thibodeau | $20,582 | $0 | -100% |
| Mountain Maple Products | $39,099 | $0 | -100% |
| Rodney Boyington | $31,002 | $0 | -100% |
| Sawyer's Maple Farm | $4,683 | $0 | -100% |
| Judith D. Dimock | $30,078 | $0 | -100% |
| Maine Maple Products, Inc. | $42,425 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Haulk | $899 | $0 | -100% |
| Bruce G. Agren | $266 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Holland | $2,864 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael T. Clewley | $2,833 | $0 | -100% |
| Somerset Farms Lp | $147,201 | $0 | -100% |
| Onelio Lopez | $32 | $0 | -100% |
| Ernest W. Hilton | $88 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,422,857 | $2,026,965 | 42.5% |
Alerts Sign-up