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In 2021, 47 farmers in cities within Hampden County received a total of $536,106 in 68 farm subsidies, a 70.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.8 million in 129 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England Apiaries, LLC | $53,220 | $136,238 | 156% |
| Earl Palmer & Terry Palmer, Inc. | $108,406 | $82,439 | -24% |
| Blossoming Acres, LLC | $0 | $52,604 | -- |
| Christopher O. Weidler | $0 | $43,109 | -- |
| Pomeroy Farm, LLC | $33,809 | $40,317 | 19.2% |
| Kosinski Farms | $34,864 | $37,483 | 7.5% |
| Sixteen Acres Garden Center, Inc. | $0 | $31,966 | -- |
| Fini's Farm Produce | $0 | $15,248 | -- |
| Corey J. Hinckley | $40,286 | $13,948 | -65.4% |
| Wellspring Harvest Corporation | $0 | $12,013 | -- |
| Hinckley Farms, LLC | $115,031 | $11,475 | -90% |
| Mark Meacham | $16,121 | $10,658 | -33.9% |
| Michael G. Kosinski | $27,954 | $9,476 | -66.1% |
| Dwight Arnold Farms, Inc. | $77,183 | $5,033 | -93.5% |
| David L. Thompson | $0 | $3,982 | -- |
| Calabrese Farms, LLC | $112,369 | $3,540 | -96.8% |
| Gregoire L. Bolduc | $11,351 | $3,412 | -69.9% |
| Rebecca Demetrion | $991 | $3,078 | 210.6% |
| Joseph F. Pease | $1,598 | $2,442 | 52.8% |
| Julie Thomson | $2,746 | $1,942 | -29.3% |
| Pignatare Farms | $15,265 | $1,777 | -88.4% |
| Blue Branch, Inc. | $0 | $1,497 | -- |
| The King's Kids Trust | $3,289 | $1,109 | -66.3% |
| Joseph P. Boisseau | $3,190 | $1,009 | -68.4% |
| Misty Valley Farms, Inc. | $503 | $883 | 75.5% |
| Moose Meadow Brook Farm, LLC | $1,560 | $829 | -46.9% |
| Robert R. Nelson | $669 | $764 | 14.2% |
| Philip Camp | $193 | $751 | 289.1% |
| Kathleen A. Smedberg | $0 | $740 | -- |
| Shaunia Flowers | $0 | $726 | -- |
| Robert P. Miller | $2,496 | $719 | -71.2% |
| Roger Chapman | $572 | $657 | 14.9% |
| Judy Harris | $1,918 | $551 | -71.3% |
| Sandra Sue Sanders | $1,064 | $483 | -54.6% |
| Michael Monahan | $2,668 | $452 | -83.1% |
| Your Choice Brands, LLC | $400 | $400 | 0% |
| Maureen Freniere | $4,439 | $392 | -91.2% |
| Nigel A. Blake | $1,897 | $358 | -81.1% |
| Alan E. Gregoire | $0 | $339 | -- |
| Bradley G. Gerhardson | $138 | $291 | 110.9% |
| Jeffrey Harris | $775 | $290 | -62.6% |
| Craig D. Jameson | $2,696 | $185 | -93.1% |
| Michael Clendenin | $1,089 | $178 | -83.7% |
| Michael Tierney | $0 | $159 | -- |
| Mae, LLC | $96 | $96 | 0% |
| Zimmerman R W Trust 052238 | $6,058 | $65 | -98.9% |
| Mckinstry Market Garden, Inc. | $56,648 | $3 | -100% |
| Cheryl Miller-Harper | $280 | $0 | -100% |
| Heather M. Baylis | $463 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerome Toomey | $413 | $0 | -100% |
| Susan Lopes | $6,607 | $0 | -100% |
| Clifford Campbell | $3,191 | $0 | -100% |
| Frederic Beddall | $1,704 | $0 | -100% |
| Patricia Field | $1,970 | $0 | -100% |
| Berry Knoll Gardens, LLC | $5,771 | $0 | -100% |
| Liberty Family Farms, Inc. | $250,230 | $0 | -100% |
| Florence Solek | $975 | $0 | -100% |
| Jack S. Feldman | $4,257 | $0 | -100% |
| John D. Coward | $98,095 | $0 | -100% |
| Johnson Brook Farms, LLC | $43,078 | $0 | -100% |
| Kara Dziengelewski | $616 | $0 | -100% |
| Meadow View Farms, LLC | $323,788 | $0 | -100% |
| Ray's Family Farm, Inc. | $77,732 | $0 | -100% |
| S Arnold & Company, LLC | $121,497 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas J. McLaughlin | $97,846 | $0 | -100% |
| Benjamin H. Bemis | $2,624 | $0 | -100% |
| Constance L. Adams | $6,079 | $0 | -100% |
| David T. Drugan | $1,399 | $0 | -100% |
| Maurice Boisseau Jr. | $1,703 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul N Tarnauskas | $4,737 | $0 | -100% |
| Tims Bees Apiary, LLC | $2,756 | $0 | -100% |
| Agric Organics, LLC | $4,770 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel P. Fernandes | $4,108 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael B Merrick-Albano | $211 | $0 | -100% |
| Stony Hill Farm | $3,718 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,814,170 | $536,106 | -70.4% |
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