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In 2021, 87 farmers in cities within Waushara County received a total of $1.9 million in 158 farm subsidies, a 74.9% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $7.7 million in 374 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert H Heath Farms, Inc. | $0 | $183,626 | -- |
| Heidi Heath Farms, Inc. | $0 | $158,187 | -- |
| Dopp Dairy Domain, Inc. | $377,670 | $155,032 | -59% |
| Magdanz Dairy, LLC | $591,264 | $154,368 | -73.9% |
| Scott Seward | $454,833 | $145,715 | -68% |
| Hanson Farms, LLC | $251,473 | $130,403 | -48.1% |
| Flyte Family Farms, LLC | $1,059,578 | $129,253 | -87.8% |
| Paul Miller Farms, Inc. | $0 | $105,200 | -- |
| Bacon Farms, Inc. | $288,245 | $88,437 | -69.3% |
| Jonathan G. Blake | $109,278 | $80,446 | -26.4% |
| Spring Breeze Dairy, LLC | $50,639 | $72,186 | 42.6% |
| Pine Breeze Dairy, LLC | $556,666 | $62,745 | -88.7% |
| Robert J. Nigbor Jr. | $76,610 | $48,158 | -37.1% |
| Coloma Farms, Inc. | $382,744 | $25,815 | -93.3% |
| Golden Sands Ranch, Inc. | $258,108 | $25,156 | -90.3% |
| Dean E. Gustin | $32,165 | $22,480 | -30.1% |
| Kevin J. Sigourney | $230,981 | $21,958 | -90.5% |
| Joseph L. Andersen | $17,671 | $18,694 | 5.8% |
| Patty L. Andersen | $27,728 | $18,694 | -32.6% |
| Archer Farms, LLC | $33,983 | $15,960 | -53% |
| Pionke Brothers Farms | $45,294 | $13,811 | -69.5% |
| Walter a Wouts | $43,334 | $12,853 | -70.3% |
| Horizon Cranberry Farms, LLC | $19,227 | $10,486 | -45.5% |
| Century Plus Farms, Inc. | $14,752 | $10,040 | -31.9% |
| Richard R. Yeska | $24,595 | $9,274 | -62.3% |
| Sorenson Hillview Jersey Farm, Inc. | $19,243 | $8,318 | -56.8% |
| Ron Niemuth | $30,649 | $8,266 | -73% |
| Robert Nigbor Sr. | $27,157 | $8,147 | -70% |
| Timothy G. Soda | $20,695 | $7,689 | -62.8% |
| MCS Farms, LLC | $12,644 | $7,599 | -39.9% |
| Mossyridge Enterprises, Inc. | $13,271 | $7,214 | -45.6% |
| Gary W. Detlor | $42,372 | $6,812 | -83.9% |
| Dorsett Farms, Inc. | $16,140 | $6,628 | -58.9% |
| Galen D. Detlor | $41,037 | $6,626 | -83.9% |
| Gordon L. Detlor | $41,037 | $6,626 | -83.9% |
| Fenske Farms, Inc. | $103,790 | $6,572 | -93.7% |
| Bartsch Farms | $35,404 | $5,880 | -83.4% |
| John D. Engel | $11,490 | $5,674 | -50.6% |
| Kent F. Peterson | $24,021 | $5,658 | -76.4% |
| Sattler Farms, LLC | $10,029 | $5,478 | -45.4% |
| Scott E. Kasuboski | $8,450 | $5,388 | -36.2% |
| Micah W. Robbert | $9,300 | $5,334 | -42.6% |
| Patricia L. Nigbor | $14,011 | $5,249 | -62.5% |
| Robert W. Bray | $14,612 | $5,225 | -64.2% |
| Mark F Muscavitch | $15,284 | $4,953 | -67.6% |
| Bula-Gieringer Farms II, LLC | $1,008,894 | $4,842 | -99.5% |
| Perry N. Keyes | $0 | $4,322 | -- |
| Lauritzen, Inc. | $5,543 | $4,172 | -24.7% |
| Mark L. Pomplun | $13,107 | $3,984 | -69.6% |
| Douglas E. Strupp | $8,001 | $3,940 | -50.8% |
| Gordon D. Engel | $6,005 | $3,915 | -34.8% |
| Russell Heise | $10,037 | $3,851 | -61.6% |
| David L. Rickert | $13,254 | $3,787 | -71.4% |
| Thomas S. McGregor | $5,146 | $3,332 | -35.3% |
| Eric Scott Lind | $6,907 | $3,260 | -52.8% |
| Lindside Farms, Inc. | $5,474 | $3,020 | -44.8% |
| Adam L. Buchholtz | $9,929 | $2,759 | -72.2% |
| James S. Sattler | $12,430 | $2,433 | -80.4% |
| Robert M. Dunn Sr. | $4,418 | $2,341 | -47% |
| Earl Pomplun | $3,874 | $2,228 | -42.5% |
| Bohn's Shady Acres | $2,966 | $2,058 | -30.6% |
| Steven L. Andersen | $3,274 | $2,025 | -38.1% |
| Paulette A. Hansen | $0 | $1,979 | -- |
| Barry M. Engel | $3,188 | $1,969 | -38.2% |
| Karen J. Fahey | $1,963 | $1,963 | 0% |
| Matthew T. Hennig | $3,662 | $1,886 | -48.5% |
| Sara J. Bruss | $5,045 | $1,886 | -62.6% |
| Boyds' North 40, LLC | $0 | $1,650 | -- |
| Daniel A. Anderson | $2,208 | $1,633 | -26% |
| Mark E. Mushinski | $2,369 | $1,580 | -33.3% |
| Ryan O. Deppe | $3,789 | $1,490 | -60.7% |
| Richard Lucas Grain, LLC | $6,820 | $1,362 | -80% |
| Ralph J Makurat | $4,438 | $1,329 | -70.1% |
| Sandra Kettlewell | $1,339 | $1,255 | -6.3% |
| Duane Pionke | $7,702 | $1,248 | -83.8% |
| Mountain Acres | $2,441 | $1,156 | -52.6% |
| Dale E. Tietz | $3,596 | $1,023 | -71.6% |
| Steven W. Miller | $1,260 | $1,018 | -19.2% |
| Robert E. Gates | $2,019 | $1,011 | -49.9% |
| Douglas A. Gies | $5,876 | $996 | -83% |
| Wilstar Holsteins, LLC | $261 | $950 | 264% |
| Edward L. Burrows | $1,333 | $560 | -58% |
| John Shipley | $542 | $358 | -33.9% |
| Judy A. Fenske | $196 | $168 | -14.3% |
| Carol M Schliepp | $294 | $112 | -61.9% |
| Ruth A. Brooks | $166 | $6 | -96.4% |
| Gary H. Lawrence | $72 | $4 | -94.4% |
| Boardwalk Farms, LLC | $36,950 | $0 | -100% |
| Bula-Gieringer Farms | $7,900 | $0 | -100% |
| Gerald Cardo | $77 | $0 | -100% |
| Green Leaf Farms, LLC | $125,000 | $0 | -100% |
| M&S Adventures II, LLC | $508 | $0 | -100% |
| Triple C Acres, Inc. | $1,150 | $0 | -100% |
| Gerald J. Polakowski Jr. | $3,709 | $0 | -100% |
| Heartland Farms, Inc. | $750,000 | $0 | -100% |
| Martin Pionke Jr. | $1,599 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert M. Wedell | $85 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas A. Whalley | $163 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas Hendricksen | $292 | $0 | -100% |
| Todd R. Dukelow | $78,737 | $0 | -100% |
| Brian V. Loehrke | $2,572 | $0 | -100% |
| Carl F. Kalies Jr. | $132 | $0 | -100% |
| James Hobson | $230 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard E. Cartwright | $493 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy J. Krentz Jr. | $188 | $0 | -100% |
| John H Piechowski | $41,642 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark E. Wegner | $63 | $0 | -100% |
| Deborah F. Sattler | $195 | $0 | -100% |
| George Thompson | $161 | $0 | -100% |
| Hudziak Farms, LLC | $1,345 | $0 | -100% |
| Leland G. Brownlow | $1,804 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Mushinski | $1,815 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas H. Stepanek | $355 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $7,694,477 | $1,933,174 | -74.9% |
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