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In 2021, 36 farmers in cities within Broome County received a total of $329,417 in 62 farm subsidies, a 63.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $893,858 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whittaker Farms, LLC | $566,454 | $146,501 | -74.1% |
| Price Farm, LLC | $47,269 | $33,583 | -29% |
| AL-Mar Farms, Inc. | $32,129 | $20,514 | -36.2% |
| Daniel Thomas | $29,240 | $18,604 | -36.4% |
| Derek Pavelski | $6,787 | $17,225 | 153.8% |
| Wagner Enterprises LP | $17,743 | $15,258 | -14% |
| Adele Jeffers Everett | $15,561 | $12,081 | -22.4% |
| Steven Hurbis | $10,102 | $10,639 | 5.3% |
| John M. Travis | $23,298 | $10,135 | -56.5% |
| David L. Eaton | $17,923 | $7,088 | -60.5% |
| Richard J Pilc | $32,695 | $4,633 | -85.8% |
| Susan Bird | $0 | $3,596 | -- |
| Gerald Leahy | $6,332 | $3,528 | -44.3% |
| Nancy Jo Wade-Hull | $3,462 | $3,462 | 0% |
| Michael Altemose | $7,300 | $3,244 | -55.6% |
| Travis Sessions | $6,332 | $2,803 | -55.7% |
| Lawrence Lepak | $2,159 | $2,098 | -2.8% |
| Thomas Bullock | $2,027 | $2,027 | 0% |
| Henry Ticknor | $1,589 | $1,589 | 0% |
| Lois Brown | $1,300 | $1,300 | 0% |
| Walter C. Wright | $4,300 | $1,094 | -74.6% |
| Francis W Gallent | $2,189 | $1,010 | -53.9% |
| Ricardo Stefano | $1,702 | $1,000 | -41.2% |
| Barrett Brenton | $924 | $924 | 0% |
| Robert B. Finch II | $0 | $715 | -- |
| Paul Ferencik | $0 | $644 | -- |
| Kathy Kovach | $0 | $626 | -- |
| Ithamus Studgeon | $621 | $621 | 0% |
| David McGowan | $615 | $615 | 0% |
| Jamie Wooten | $513 | $513 | 0% |
| Cynthia L. Lawrence | $2,215 | $440 | -80.1% |
| Alan Griffith | $2,411 | $424 | -82.4% |
| Henry Keicher | $1,270 | $377 | -70.3% |
| Gary Ellis | $114 | $324 | 184.2% |
| Cheryl Poyneer | $91 | $91 | 0% |
| Ronald Vandeburg | $599 | $91 | -84.8% |
| Hillcrest Farms, Inc. | $243 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert and Daniel Kirsch | $4,609 | $0 | -100% |
| Albert W. Andrews Jr. | $1,064 | $0 | -100% |
| Gene Molyneaux | $2,853 | $0 | -100% |
| James Jackson | $6,290 | $0 | -100% |
| Ruthanne Phelps | $1,910 | $0 | -100% |
| Sandra Haines | $4,253 | $0 | -100% |
| Tuf-E, LLC | $92 | $0 | -100% |
| Justin Lewis | $347 | $0 | -100% |
| Kimberly's Greenhouses, Inc. | $18,072 | $0 | -100% |
| Kevin Gorman | $1,540 | $0 | -100% |
| Alan Spence | $1,057 | $0 | -100% |
| Livingston Acres | $4,131 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Coleman | $131 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $893,858 | $329,417 | -63.1% |
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