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In 2021, 50 farmers in cities within Monmouth County received a total of $1.2 million in 68 farm subsidies, a 58.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3 million in 115 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brock Farms Nurseries, Inc. | $0 | $310,293 | -- |
| Reed Sod Farm, LLC | $0 | $198,629 | -- |
| Reid Sod Farm | $0 | $145,528 | -- |
| Bahr's Nursery, LLC | $0 | $80,877 | -- |
| David Barclay | $0 | $73,136 | -- |
| Peter's Farm, Inc. | $0 | $55,587 | -- |
| John Samaha | $38,681 | $39,391 | 1.8% |
| Brock Farms, Inc. | $0 | $35,772 | -- |
| D'Amico's Farm, LLC | $35,183 | $30,603 | -13% |
| New Bedford Growers, LLC | $0 | $27,916 | -- |
| R. L. Gravatt Farms, LLC | $62,148 | $23,465 | -62.2% |
| Twin Pond Farm, LLC | $234,298 | $22,727 | -90.3% |
| Tucker Farms, LLC | $0 | $18,601 | -- |
| David Schulmeister | $0 | $18,357 | -- |
| Freiberger Brothers, LLC | $38,968 | $15,718 | -59.7% |
| Beyond Organic Growers, LLC | $0 | $14,178 | -- |
| Nathan Smith | $12,412 | $12,412 | 0% |
| Sunwa Farms, Inc. | $0 | $12,190 | -- |
| Joseph Zborovancik | $9,763 | $9,763 | 0% |
| 4 J G's Orchards & Vineyards, LLC | $0 | $8,942 | -- |
| Robert O'Connell | $55,159 | $6,682 | -87.9% |
| Mendies Farm, LLC | $0 | $5,999 | -- |
| Smiling Earth Mushrooms, LLC | $0 | $5,952 | -- |
| S & R Farms, LLC | $0 | $5,829 | -- |
| Joseph W. Schultz | $0 | $5,409 | -- |
| Wemrock Orchards, Inc. | $0 | $5,323 | -- |
| Madge & Madge Farm | $3,124 | $4,834 | 54.7% |
| Clayton Family Farm, LLC | $16,755 | $4,696 | -72% |
| Helmlinger's Meadow Hill Farm, LLC | $28,745 | $4,673 | -83.7% |
| Ellen Karcher | $0 | $4,545 | -- |
| Anthony Degennaro | $0 | $4,097 | -- |
| Ellsworth Gibson Jr. | $4,383 | $3,285 | -25.1% |
| D & N Farm | $6,970 | $3,175 | -54.4% |
| Patrick J. Freiberger | $3,141 | $3,141 | 0% |
| Wright Way Farms | $6,956 | $2,966 | -57.4% |
| Heritage Hill at Walnford, LLC | $9,204 | $1,982 | -78.5% |
| Four Seasons Nursery & Landscape Company, LLC | $0 | $1,967 | -- |
| Briana Larrauri | $2,772 | $1,538 | -44.5% |
| Elizabeth F. Trapp | $1,021 | $1,021 | 0% |
| Gerry C. Balzer | $1,812 | $774 | -57.3% |
| Edmund Sidorski | $670 | $670 | 0% |
| Rebecca S Rubel Rev Liv Trustee | $1,465 | $651 | -55.6% |
| Julius Roehrs Company | $24,402 | $614 | -97.5% |
| Kim M Daetz | $702 | $479 | -31.8% |
| The Fir Farm, LLC | $0 | $400 | -- |
| Robert Montfort | $322 | $322 | 0% |
| Red Coast USA, LLC | $0 | $318 | -- |
| RDS Farm, LLC | $0 | $203 | -- |
| Michael Singer | $0 | $107 | -- |
| Doug Kauffman | $5,068 | $74 | -98.5% |
| Joseph Kaczor Jr. | $29,563 | $0 | -100% |
| Kube-Pak, Corp. | $749,950 | $0 | -100% |
| Barnegat Oyster Holdings, LLC | $16,886 | $0 | -100% |
| East Wind, Inc. | $1,772 | $0 | -100% |
| Good Feeling Farms, LLC | $43,666 | $0 | -100% |
| PSK Fisheries, LLC | $6,113 | $0 | -100% |
| D&S Fisheries, LLC | $28,742 | $0 | -100% |
| Mickey Brie, LLC | $49,392 | $0 | -100% |
| Battleview Orchards, Inc. | $158,628 | $0 | -100% |
| Coastal Nursery, LLC | $99,025 | $0 | -100% |
| Commodity Credit Corporation | $47,965 | $0 | -100% |
| Linwyck Gardens, LLC | $83,940 | $0 | -100% |
| Patterson Greenhouses & Farm, LLC | $15,436 | $0 | -100% |
| Donald R Luisi Rvoc Trust | $39,328 | $0 | -100% |
| Shirley J Luisi Rev Trust | $13,269 | $0 | -100% |
| Four Seasons Nursery & Landscape | $166,731 | $0 | -100% |
| Happy Day Farm, LLC | $23,452 | $0 | -100% |
| Mushroom King Farm | $384,857 | $0 | -100% |
| Hinck Turkey Farm, Inc. | $41,449 | $0 | -100% |
| John Samaha | $72,947 | $0 | -100% |
| L. J. Pesce, LLC | $60,124 | $0 | -100% |
| Vincent F. Plantamura | $75 | $0 | -100% |
| David Isaksen, LLC | $5,847 | $0 | -100% |
| Rebecca L. Dorn | $1,008 | $0 | -100% |
| Charlotte J. Dey | $2,988 | $0 | -100% |
| Two River Gourmet Mushrooms, LLC | $7,570 | $0 | -100% |
| Barlow Flower Farm, Inc. | $224,233 | $0 | -100% |
| F-V Marielle Renee, LLC | $6,500 | $0 | -100% |
| Ernest Cismowski | $3,457 | $0 | -100% |
| Chris N. Plantamura | $75 | $0 | -100% |
| Fishing Vessel Donna Lynn, LLC | $9,388 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,998,500 | $1,235,811 | -58.8% |
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