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In 2021, 61 farmers in cities within Beaver County received a total of $352,918 in 119 farm subsidies, a 46.5% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $659,374 in 214 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Timber & Pulp, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| James Scott Swiontek | $59,908 | $43,935 | -26.7% |
| Breeze Ridge Farm, LLC | $46,889 | $42,626 | -9.1% |
| Yost Farms, Inc. | $109,570 | $33,126 | -69.8% |
| Wright Brothers Dairy, LLC | $42,636 | $25,848 | -39.4% |
| Mcgaffick Anderson Farm, LLC | $23,869 | $12,507 | -47.6% |
| Goehring Brothers Dairy | $14,770 | $10,992 | -25.6% |
| Lyn-Jon Acres | $31,665 | $10,768 | -66% |
| Matthew Diehl | $22,040 | $7,748 | -64.8% |
| Nancy Heberling | $7,220 | $7,220 | 0% |
| Jeffrey J. McKinney | $0 | $6,904 | -- |
| Ryan Boyer | $12,191 | $6,711 | -45% |
| Frederick E. Pflugh | $11,343 | $6,202 | -45.3% |
| Ryan K. Werner | $5,593 | $4,681 | -16.3% |
| Samuel B Kuhlber | $9,378 | $4,659 | -50.3% |
| Sweetwater Farms Pennsylvania, LLC | $0 | $4,608 | -- |
| Myron L. Bonzo | $12,341 | $4,486 | -63.6% |
| Robert Bauder | $15,742 | $4,484 | -71.5% |
| Kurtis H. Sniezek | $12,906 | $4,340 | -66.4% |
| Elder Vogel Jr. | $5,160 | $4,034 | -21.8% |
| David Ivey | $3,789 | $3,789 | 0% |
| Jay H. Patterson | $9,564 | $3,319 | -65.3% |
| Kevin Caldwell | $30,203 | $3,061 | -89.9% |
| Peter L Norge JR | $6,877 | $2,737 | -60.2% |
| Wesley R. Diehl | $20,251 | $2,722 | -86.6% |
| Paul Daniels | $15,437 | $2,699 | -82.5% |
| Jonathan B. Laughner | $5,106 | $2,596 | -49.2% |
| John R Wolsmann SR Family Trust | $6,285 | $2,414 | -61.6% |
| James D. Jackson | $5,259 | $2,407 | -54.2% |
| Charles R Kurella | $507 | $1,948 | 284.2% |
| Bruce A. Senior | $1,798 | $1,798 | 0% |
| Richard J Fabyanic | $3,349 | $1,725 | -48.5% |
| William D. Anderson | $5,435 | $1,648 | -69.7% |
| Richard C. McElhaney | $6,546 | $1,638 | -75% |
| John J Norge | $3,771 | $1,562 | -58.6% |
| Jean G. Puglia | $0 | $1,188 | -- |
| Woodard Family Trust | $1,112 | $1,112 | 0% |
| David P. Anderson | $1,081 | $1,081 | 0% |
| John R. McCoy | $1,567 | $1,043 | -33.4% |
| Crason Farms, LLC | $4,654 | $1,005 | -78.4% |
| Ryan Evan Henry | $1,716 | $994 | -42.1% |
| Lewis Family Farms, LLC | $4,803 | $947 | -80.3% |
| Carl Young | $2,205 | $918 | -58.4% |
| Michael G. Allison | $3,696 | $901 | -75.6% |
| Dolores M. McCoy | $774 | $774 | 0% |
| Nickolas Girting | $3,300 | $765 | -76.8% |
| Valley View Farm, LLC | $3,658 | $724 | -80.2% |
| Regina McCabe | $2,453 | $718 | -70.7% |
| Jonathan Miller | $700 | $700 | 0% |
| Anita Halstead | $2,019 | $653 | -67.7% |
| McBride Farms | $13,779 | $568 | -95.9% |
| Saggy Barn Farm, LLC | $3,837 | $553 | -85.6% |
| Terri Ash | $1,777 | $495 | -72.1% |
| Aaron Bernstine | $4,490 | $471 | -89.5% |
| Linda Schlafer | $396 | $441 | 11.4% |
| Charles Werner | $300 | $400 | 33.3% |
| William S. Parish | $2,079 | $361 | -82.6% |
| Curtis J. Kovalesky | $2,202 | $360 | -83.7% |
| Debra Durr | $5,187 | $337 | -93.5% |
| Donald E. Anderson | $1,331 | $298 | -77.6% |
| William E. mc Bride | $2,273 | $294 | -87.1% |
| Cynthia Kay Patten | $6,188 | $0 | -100% |
| Marge Gropp | $3,236 | $0 | -100% |
| Susanna Tobias | $676 | $0 | -100% |
| Steven Wuebbles | $400 | $0 | -100% |
| Bruce Ferrebee | $2,623 | $0 | -100% |
| Johnathan T. Shepler | $2,072 | $0 | -100% |
| Matthew Wade Johnson | $124 | $0 | -100% |
| James S Olayer | $3,066 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul M. Dodds | $981 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul Maier | $1,221 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $659,374 | $352,918 | -46.5% |
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