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In 2021, 146 farmers in cities within Athens County received a total of $535,664 in 210 farm subsidies, a 57.9% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.3 million in 384 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth R. Gambill Jr. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Hartman Limited Partnership | $57,034 | $50,736 | -11% |
| Ervin's Dairy Farm, LLC | $55,816 | $47,088 | -15.6% |
| Eric Marvin Brooks | $122,048 | $45,701 | -62.6% |
| Lynn Semingson | $46,874 | $31,631 | -32.5% |
| Eric Cotterill | $46,838 | $22,946 | -51% |
| Ralph C. Keefer | $31,667 | $15,698 | -50.4% |
| Russell Lon Crabtree | $27,582 | $15,587 | -43.5% |
| John Gillogly | $39,483 | $15,086 | -61.8% |
| Dana K. Stone | $23,158 | $13,834 | -40.3% |
| Kenneth Kirk Keefer | $31,861 | $13,503 | -57.6% |
| Abfall Farms, LLC | $52,244 | $13,085 | -75% |
| Leonard Haning | $12,462 | $11,652 | -6.5% |
| David L. Funk | $8,231 | $8,737 | 6.1% |
| Red Bird Ranch, Inc. | $27,965 | $8,192 | -70.7% |
| Larry Simmons Farms, LLC | $26,707 | $7,739 | -71% |
| Cheadle Farms, LLC | $26,202 | $7,014 | -73.2% |
| Crouse Brothers Livestock Dealers | $52,883 | $7,000 | -86.8% |
| Rodney W. Schilling | $5,864 | $5,864 | 0% |
| Brian Mansfield | $16,910 | $5,048 | -70.1% |
| Brent Kasler | $7,706 | $4,746 | -38.4% |
| Paul Southall | $35,435 | $4,687 | -86.8% |
| Billy G. Collins | $12,668 | $4,537 | -64.2% |
| Stephen Dishong | $28,396 | $4,398 | -84.5% |
| Val Oakes | $23,198 | $4,066 | -82.5% |
| Sweat Hollow Holsteins, LLC | $14,097 | $3,951 | -72% |
| Eleanor F Jokisch 2000 Trust | $18,140 | $3,946 | -78.2% |
| Ty Holdcroft | $3,879 | $3,879 | 0% |
| Gene A. Hines | $3,781 | $3,781 | 0% |
| James Graham | $3,559 | $3,559 | 0% |
| Curt Cline | $14,643 | $3,516 | -76% |
| Ball Brothers Farm, Inc. | $13,136 | $2,916 | -77.8% |
| Cool Country Farms, LLC | $10,899 | $2,856 | -73.8% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $2,820 | -- |
| Commodity Credit Corporation | $240 | $2,522 | 950.8% |
| Bernard Salzman | $0 | $2,464 | -- |
| Mark Goeglein | $2,919 | $2,352 | -19.4% |
| Boyd L. Allen | $20,973 | $2,278 | -89.1% |
| Terry Harvey | $2,874 | $2,179 | -24.2% |
| Frances Robinette | $0 | $2,067 | -- |
| Sheila K. Dickinson | $2,521 | $1,904 | -24.5% |
| Willard Stanley Jr. | $11,041 | $1,880 | -83% |
| Sugarbush Valley, LLC | $1,794 | $1,794 | 0% |
| Bruce E. Allen | $8,613 | $1,673 | -80.6% |
| Hocking River Commission | $1,621 | $1,621 | 0% |
| Christopher Cohn Keefer | $2,154 | $1,604 | -25.5% |
| Paul Kostival | $1,558 | $1,558 | 0% |
| Jeff Wilson | $1,547 | $1,547 | 0% |
| Donald Buck | $10,332 | $1,462 | -85.8% |
| Jeffrey Wayne Miller | $2,631 | $1,370 | -47.9% |
| Cj Williams | $4,004 | $1,334 | -66.7% |
| Ernest Calaway | $7,765 | $1,333 | -82.8% |
| Joann Pfeiffer | $5,772 | $1,326 | -77% |
| Kasler Family Farm, LLC | $5,325 | $1,320 | -75.2% |
| Athens Conservancy | $1,315 | $1,315 | 0% |
| Geoffrey Beetem | $1,221 | $1,221 | 0% |
| Ralph P. Mingus | $2,938 | $1,218 | -58.5% |
| Donald R. Cheadle | $1,509 | $1,214 | -19.5% |
| Ronald Burke | $4,527 | $1,169 | -74.2% |
| Catherine A. Sayers | $1,146 | $1,146 | 0% |
| CCC | $0 | $1,130 | -- |
| Penne L. Smith | $0 | $1,113 | -- |
| Dolphus Burke Jr. | $0 | $1,100 | -- |
| Rex Whited | $7,395 | $1,088 | -85.3% |
| Stephen Abfall | $9,978 | $1,062 | -89.4% |
| South Stitch Farm, LLC | $3,632 | $1,061 | -70.8% |
| Joe Lucas | $3,817 | $984 | -74.2% |
| Dana Smith | $9,249 | $944 | -89.8% |
| Richard Norman | $2,519 | $884 | -64.9% |
| Joseph Reitano | $4,978 | $868 | -82.6% |
| Jane Linscott | $3,734 | $864 | -76.9% |
| Justin Smith | $4,055 | $863 | -78.7% |
| William Nose | $3,553 | $846 | -76.2% |
| Jim Ator | $2,668 | $827 | -69% |
| Ryan O. Gassaway | $825 | $825 | 0% |
| William C. Martin | $4,169 | $818 | -80.4% |
| J David Sturbois | $3,806 | $813 | -78.6% |
| Bradley M. Brooks | $0 | $790 | -- |
| Harold O. Brooks | $790 | $790 | 0% |
| Travis West | $2,831 | $724 | -74.4% |
| Clyde West | $4,106 | $708 | -82.8% |
| Jason Pullins | $2,937 | $678 | -76.9% |
| Ronald Muhn | $2,103 | $659 | -68.7% |
| Daniel Bowles | $3,675 | $655 | -82.2% |
| Jacob Bush | $18,914 | $636 | -96.6% |
| Jesse Walker | $0 | $632 | -- |
| Geoffrey Baker | $5,843 | $631 | -89.2% |
| Norma Humphreys | $1,521 | $601 | -60.5% |
| Benny Wolfe | $1,791 | $551 | -69.2% |
| Jonathan Oberholzer | $2,269 | $538 | -76.3% |
| Scott Sanders | $2,783 | $537 | -80.7% |
| Mark Lane | $1,129 | $524 | -53.6% |
| Joshua K. Allen | $3,296 | $514 | -84.4% |
| Kenneth T. Brooks | $1,271 | $512 | -59.7% |
| Chris R. Russell | $511 | $511 | 0% |
| Lacy Russell | $511 | $511 | 0% |
| Charles Kincade | $2,013 | $506 | -74.9% |
| Jeff Oxley | $1,294 | $501 | -61.3% |
| Randy Fisher | $2,396 | $490 | -79.5% |
| Joseph A. Troiano | $1,508 | $483 | -68% |
| Kyle J. Reinhart | $0 | $466 | -- |
| Gary Smeeks | $1,862 | $464 | -75.1% |
| Brian Williams | $1,799 | $460 | -74.4% |
| Richard Skinner | $0 | $440 | -- |
| Aaron Sayre | $651 | $400 | -38.6% |
| Richard L. Meadows | $1,925 | $388 | -79.8% |
| Kayla Cline | $1,485 | $380 | -74.4% |
| Philip Thomas | $1,073 | $343 | -68% |
| Katherine Jellison | $645 | $329 | -49% |
| Clint Goins | $1,440 | $328 | -77.2% |
| Chad Brown | $1,601 | $327 | -79.6% |
| Hylie Voss | $324 | $324 | 0% |
| Steven C. Stone | $299 | $299 | 0% |
| Danny R. Williams | $1,659 | $297 | -82.1% |
| Matthew Sayers | $1,595 | $290 | -81.8% |
| William Allen Krusling | $35,093 | $287 | -99.2% |
| Bradley Ervin | $454 | $286 | -37% |
| Scott D. Ervin | $454 | $286 | -37% |
| Justin Sayers | $1,862 | $284 | -84.7% |
| Terrapene Terrace, LLC | $232 | $232 | 0% |
| Jenna Casandra Meeks | $946 | $228 | -75.9% |
| Jeremy Jordan | $2,725 | $225 | -91.7% |
| Gregory J. Mickunas | $222 | $222 | 0% |
| David Hasley | $0 | $220 | -- |
| James Lochary | $213 | $213 | 0% |
| James Steve Shipley | $212 | $212 | 0% |
| Karen Brite | $803 | $212 | -73.6% |
| Michael Yandrich | $173 | $173 | 0% |
| Julie Cooper | $297 | $170 | -42.8% |
| David M. Holmes | $660 | $166 | -74.8% |
| Conrad M. Phillippi | $295 | $165 | -44.1% |
| Ray Hall | $671 | $156 | -76.8% |
| Boyd Montle | $1,048 | $156 | -85.1% |
| Mike Grebeck | $143 | $143 | 0% |
| David John Niese | $363 | $142 | -60.9% |
| Kristanne Beetem | $104 | $104 | 0% |
| Jacquelynn Nelson | $271 | $102 | -62.4% |
| Floyd Martin Jr. | $93 | $93 | 0% |
| Jeneen Martin | $93 | $93 | 0% |
| Paul W. Owens | $308 | $93 | -69.8% |
| Brion Withrow | $0 | $50 | -- |
| Matthew L Van Nostran | $50 | $50 | 0% |
| Dalelene Stafford | $52 | $22 | -57.7% |
| Lawrence Grinstead | $19 | $9 | -52.6% |
| Richard L. Grinstead | $19 | $9 | -52.6% |
| Robert K. Grinstead | $19 | $9 | -52.6% |
| Adam M. Blaney | $2,460 | $0 | -100% |
| Billy Joe Johnson | $6,716 | $0 | -100% |
| Bryan Jordan | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles Robinette | $2,540 | $0 | -100% |
| Dolphus Daniel Burke | $5,115 | $0 | -100% |
| E. W. Holcomb | $1,606 | $0 | -100% |
| James R. Hill | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Louise Moysaenko | $367 | $0 | -100% |
| Marco Jeffers | $10,526 | $0 | -100% |
| Mike Daniels | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Mushroom Harvest Provisions, LLC | $7,387 | $0 | -100% |
| Ralph P. Mingus | $349 | $0 | -100% |
| Cheryl Brooks | $544 | $0 | -100% |
| Don Van Nostran | $9,211 | $0 | -100% |
| Douglas Michael Sherman | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Flournoy-Voss Timber Holdings LP | $3,840 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffery Niese | $7,150 | $0 | -100% |
| Kristina Gerig | $44 | $0 | -100% |
| Lloyd E. Richard | $58 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Jeffers | $2,145 | $0 | -100% |
| Edwin D. Richardson | $972 | $0 | -100% |
| Edwin W. Richardson | $504 | $0 | -100% |
| Eric Miller | $605 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Hall | $165 | $0 | -100% |
| Ralph Robinson | $806 | $0 | -100% |
| Steven Williams | $544 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald L. Smith | $935 | $0 | -100% |
| Ben Fannin | $3,168 | $0 | -100% |
| Ryan Elliott | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Vest Berries & Produce, LLC | $1,757 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,272,312 | $535,664 | -57.9% |
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