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In 2021, 45 farmers in cities within Fairfax city received a total of $191,338 in 72 farm subsidies, a 14.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $224,660 in 124 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael William Prior | $0 | $58,001 | -- |
| Ray Bostow | $16,721 | $16,721 | 0% |
| Langley Farms, LLLP | $18,212 | $14,262 | -21.7% |
| Langerman Family Revocable Living Trust | $13,381 | $13,381 | 0% |
| Bruce Knight | $34,917 | $9,069 | -74% |
| Juanita H Anderson Survivor Trust | $4,519 | $8,526 | 88.7% |
| C a Wignes Associates, LLLP | $12,297 | $7,004 | -43% |
| Curtis L. Kennedy Jr. | $0 | $5,456 | -- |
| Gunn Family Trust | $4,975 | $5,162 | 3.8% |
| Fitch Farm, LLC | $13,249 | $3,862 | -70.9% |
| Anne Fehr | $3,115 | $3,065 | -1.6% |
| Trafton Ridge, LLC | $3,064 | $3,064 | 0% |
| Twp-12 Blueberry, LLC | $0 | $3,022 | -- |
| Richard E. Armstrong III | $8,293 | $2,991 | -63.9% |
| Fredric K. Schroeder | $1,592 | $2,708 | 70.1% |
| Andrea N. Knop | $3,708 | $2,651 | -28.5% |
| Judith A. Ellison | $5,505 | $2,556 | -53.6% |
| Lloyd a ERNST Trust | $0 | $2,519 | -- |
| Linda Maciver | $1,440 | $2,163 | 50.2% |
| Kahle Family Trust | $0 | $2,070 | -- |
| David & Myrna Welter Family Trust | $2,062 | $2,062 | 0% |
| Kathleen Larson | $2,019 | $2,019 | 0% |
| Decarlo Enterprises | $4,321 | $1,960 | -54.6% |
| Broadway Run, LLC | $2,180 | $1,800 | -17.4% |
| Leah R Fuller-Friel | $0 | $1,689 | -- |
| Normark Family Farm, LLP | $3,760 | $1,426 | -62.1% |
| Alfers Family Investments 4 | $7,321 | $1,401 | -80.9% |
| David J. Garms | $2,018 | $1,305 | -35.3% |
| Laura G Cramer Trust | $4,947 | $1,137 | -77% |
| Michele C. Fejfar | $4,285 | $1,108 | -74.1% |
| Howrey Farms, LLC | $0 | $1,097 | -- |
| Moyna Gunn Estate | $0 | $1,011 | -- |
| Claudia G Zaccarino | $4,064 | $820 | -79.8% |
| Darlene Baker - Baker Revocable Liv Trust | $2,767 | $785 | -71.6% |
| Carol Willey | $2,965 | $733 | -75.3% |
| Skoglund Family Trust | $2,064 | $629 | -69.5% |
| Rodney Klima | $399 | $399 | 0% |
| Jane A. Marshall | $176 | $365 | 107.4% |
| Godlove Family Trust | $1,913 | $311 | -83.7% |
| Anne Nell Neely Sullivan | $275 | $285 | 3.6% |
| Jane Carolyn Kelsey | $715 | $268 | -62.5% |
| William Harbison Trust | $798 | $196 | -75.4% |
| Brian K. Mitchell | $319 | $125 | -60.8% |
| Jeffrey S. McCormack | $220 | $110 | -50% |
| Howrey Family Irrevocable Trust | $1,396 | $44 | -96.8% |
| Alvin E. Mynar | $597 | $0 | -100% |
| Boyd Sinclair Brown | $4,818 | $0 | -100% |
| Catherine H Foresman Trust | $3,244 | $0 | -100% |
| Doris Chapman Houston | $267 | $0 | -100% |
| Faith Osborn | $1,166 | $0 | -100% |
| Franklin E Hokana | $5,665 | $0 | -100% |
| Jennifer Lynn Lewis | $708 | $0 | -100% |
| Leah Fuller - Friel | $243 | $0 | -100% |
| Leah Fuller Friel | $1,921 | $0 | -100% |
| Leah Fuller-Friel | $789 | $0 | -100% |
| Moyna Gunn | $337 | $0 | -100% |
| Phil Banks | $509 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Dickerson | $836 | $0 | -100% |
| The Estate of Roy Silvert Carlsen | $7,588 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $224,660 | $191,338 | -14.8% |
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