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In 2021, 65 farmers in cities within Baltimore County received a total of $252,452 in 101 farm subsidies, a 79% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.2 million in 169 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expressway Corporation | $5,058 | $34,674 | 585.5% |
| Landover Farms, LLC | $54,005 | $33,486 | -38% |
| George B. Asplen | $28,886 | $28,886 | 0% |
| Liberty Delight Farms, Inc. | $0 | $18,654 | -- |
| Herr Family, LLC | $18,297 | $16,009 | -12.5% |
| Branchwater Farms, Inc. | $26,595 | $10,090 | -62.1% |
| Stagwell LMTD Partnership | $10,713 | $9,315 | -13% |
| Paul F. Zelenka | $9,129 | $9,129 | 0% |
| Seba Propeties - James Richard Seba MBR, LLC | $0 | $7,763 | -- |
| Irvine Natural Science Center, Inc. | $6,863 | $6,835 | -0.4% |
| S. Glenn Elseroad | $4,607 | $4,855 | 5.4% |
| Ella Weer | $13,254 | $4,655 | -64.9% |
| Isaac B Rehert | $4,639 | $4,639 | 0% |
| Joseph M. Olin | $3,733 | $3,694 | -1% |
| Hubbell Family Limited Partnershi | $17,181 | $3,253 | -81.1% |
| W Conrad Hoskins Test Trust | $6,198 | $3,013 | -51.4% |
| David B. Bosley | $1,068 | $2,780 | 160.3% |
| James Lou Mosley | $2,722 | $2,722 | 0% |
| Five Doves Farm, LLC | $6,412 | $2,711 | -57.7% |
| M Margaret Dickerson 2003 Revocable Trust | $0 | $2,526 | -- |
| Claire H. Oates | $2,439 | $2,439 | 0% |
| Thomas D Morris, Inc. | $41,906 | $2,416 | -94.2% |
| Rosemary H. Lippy | $0 | $2,370 | -- |
| Glenn King Hay & Straw, Inc. | $5,771 | $2,365 | -59% |
| Henry H. Jenkins | $2,312 | $2,312 | 0% |
| Edwin F. Hale | $0 | $2,177 | -- |
| Curlen H Lee | $2,035 | $2,035 | 0% |
| Bailey Alfred's, LLC | $2,034 | $2,034 | 0% |
| John L. Milcarek | $1,264 | $1,937 | 53.2% |
| Murray Family Limited Partnership | $1,892 | $1,892 | 0% |
| Richard S. Munford | $3,231 | $1,759 | -45.6% |
| Judy Sweeney Liv L. Tr | $2,158 | $1,682 | -22.1% |
| Charles J. Stumpf | $0 | $1,624 | -- |
| Tonia E. Burnette | $1,521 | $1,521 | 0% |
| Timothy Hitchens | $1,174 | $1,174 | 0% |
| Frances Ann Henderson | $1,091 | $1,091 | 0% |
| Elisa Wakefield | $1,195 | $997 | -16.6% |
| Courtenay T. Jenkins III | $931 | $931 | 0% |
| Jack M & Elizabeth J Holt Family Trust | $1,935 | $789 | -59.2% |
| Deborah G. Savage | $681 | $681 | 0% |
| Vernon T. Savage | $681 | $681 | 0% |
| Anne Holman | $1,718 | $621 | -63.9% |
| Karen a Beckhardt | $1,205 | $612 | -49.2% |
| Robert G. Hamilton | $574 | $574 | 0% |
| Charles A. Hendrix Jr. | $0 | $557 | -- |
| Ferris Farm, LLC | $2,879 | $548 | -81% |
| Rebecca Clark | $536 | $536 | 0% |
| Irene O. Traska | $517 | $517 | 0% |
| Mark A. Winters | $963 | $504 | -47.7% |
| William A. Crock III | $1,003 | $428 | -57.3% |
| Patricia a Rienhoff | $557 | $375 | -32.7% |
| Laura Paschall McGrath | $615 | $328 | -46.7% |
| Barbara W Horneffer | $1,606 | $316 | -80.3% |
| Joseph Matanoski | $618 | $309 | -50% |
| Moira Mclean Hoen | $304 | $258 | -15.1% |
| Andrew M. Tucker | $241 | $241 | 0% |
| William a Harlowe SR Trust | $440 | $186 | -57.7% |
| Leon W. Wynne Jr. | $175 | $175 | 0% |
| Terry Roe | $344 | $158 | -54.1% |
| Bruce H. Fenwick | $631 | $151 | -76.1% |
| Robert S. Claiborne | $0 | $145 | -- |
| Joseph Gajdosik | $255 | $125 | -51% |
| James D. Blum III | $1,060 | $79 | -92.5% |
| Jennie S Marsh Trust | $201 | $63 | -68.7% |
| Robert B. Walter | $209 | $50 | -76.1% |
| Mary Ann Giles | $703 | $0 | -100% |
| John Melville Estate | $3,019 | $0 | -100% |
| June E. Gee | $195 | $0 | -100% |
| Little Gunpowder, LLC | $2,167 | $0 | -100% |
| William J. Pinner | $4,731 | $0 | -100% |
| Salvo Nurseries, Inc. | $26,635 | $0 | -100% |
| David Fischer | $11,626 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Dilworth | $7,246 | $0 | -100% |
| Black Timber, LLC | $1,209 | $0 | -100% |
| Martin Farms Harvest, LLC | $3,342 | $0 | -100% |
| William Earl Martin Jr. | $16,490 | $0 | -100% |
| Diane M. Klingelhofer | $2,892 | $0 | -100% |
| James Larry Klingelhofer | $1,255 | $0 | -100% |
| Anne Beecher Martin | $633 | $0 | -100% |
| Justin M. Harrison | $270 | $0 | -100% |
| George W Radebaugh & Sons, Inc. | $229,786 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Dutton Seba Estate | $5,705 | $0 | -100% |
| Maryland Flower and Foliage Company, Inc. | $194,864 | $0 | -100% |
| Richardson's Chicken Farm, Inc. | $380,310 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,203,340 | $252,452 | -79% |
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