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In 2021, 138 farmers in cities within Allegan County received a total of $2.7 million in 268 farm subsidies, a 79% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $12.9 million in 600 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.
Farmers and Their Subsidies in Cities Associated with Allegan County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brenner Bros & Sons | $600,892 | $171,744 | -71.4% |
| Hendriksma Farms, LLC | $296,193 | $156,626 | -47.1% |
| Walnutdale Family Farms, LLC | $1,435,252 | $150,945 | -89.5% |
| Clearview Dairy Farm, LLC | $437,965 | $147,954 | -66.2% |
| Deborah S. Brenner | $548,659 | $142,131 | -74.1% |
| Dehaan Dairy, LLC | $330,040 | $135,009 | -59.1% |
| John B Schaendorf Dairy, LLC | $693,288 | $128,609 | -81.4% |
| Crossroads Dairy, LLC | $411,493 | $127,173 | -69.1% |
| Welch-Kin Acres, LLC | $109,935 | $111,746 | 1.6% |
| Thomas J. Meert | $337,735 | $84,681 | -74.9% |
| Lettinga Farms | $420,096 | $76,068 | -81.9% |
| Vandebunte Family Farms | $220,244 | $62,489 | -71.6% |
| Vandenberg & Vandenberg | $97,689 | $60,422 | -38.1% |
| Andrew J. Stoneburner | $116,716 | $57,241 | -51% |
| Wamhoff Family Dairy Farm, LLC | $176,896 | $51,380 | -71% |
| Kevin J. Dykstra | $76,305 | $44,572 | -41.6% |
| Melvin Puschel | $58,177 | $43,471 | -25.3% |
| Mark Hilaski | $59,235 | $41,258 | -30.3% |
| Douglas P. MacVean | $57,803 | $36,680 | -36.5% |
| Maple Hill Farm | $34,916 | $36,250 | 3.8% |
| Schipper Farms, LLC | $115,124 | $34,706 | -69.9% |
| John Scholten | $58,036 | $34,622 | -40.3% |
| Sutherland Farms, LLC | $148,469 | $33,427 | -77.5% |
| Timmer Family Farms, LLC | $78,830 | $33,385 | -57.6% |
| Gold Coast Farms, Inc. | $46,647 | $33,234 | -28.8% |
| Veld Farms, LLC | $140,996 | $32,385 | -77% |
| Rosebrook Farm, LLC | $157,367 | $27,770 | -82.4% |
| Clearview Farms, LLC | $140,938 | $26,486 | -81.2% |
| Dugan Enterprises | $82,185 | $25,678 | -68.8% |
| Warner Scholten | $65,502 | $25,661 | -60.8% |
| Pawloski Farms, LLC | $69,536 | $25,299 | -63.6% |
| Edward Reimink | $85,172 | $24,774 | -70.9% |
| Shane Cameron Weber | $98,422 | $24,753 | -74.9% |
| Paul Modreske | $61,764 | $22,442 | -63.7% |
| Jablonski Farming, LLC | $34,151 | $20,103 | -41.1% |
| Norman H. Andress | $18,619 | $17,527 | -5.9% |
| Demann Farms, LLC | $74,891 | $17,156 | -77.1% |
| James Iciek | $19,453 | $16,376 | -15.8% |
| Brian Westendorp | $69,912 | $15,617 | -77.7% |
| Bernard H. Wolf Jr. | $20,178 | $15,475 | -23.3% |
| Schaendorf Cattle Company, LLC | $58,229 | $14,522 | -75.1% |
| Todd Dykstra | $245,790 | $13,316 | -94.6% |
| Heritage Farms, LLC | $26,353 | $12,508 | -52.5% |
| Steeles Stock Farm, LLC | $36,982 | $12,304 | -66.7% |
| West Michigan Cattle Company | $76,527 | $11,318 | -85.2% |
| Mann Orchards | $11,706 | $10,306 | -12% |
| Levi C. Morse | $39,960 | $10,151 | -74.6% |
| Jody R. Brog | $37,117 | $9,972 | -73.1% |
| Ronald a Mehalski | $9,673 | $9,673 | 0% |
| Robert C. Gano | $7,633 | $8,273 | 8.4% |
| Koster Farms | $19,802 | $8,119 | -59% |
| Norman W. Omeara Jr. | $27,091 | $7,297 | -73.1% |
| John W. Cook Jr. | $3,941 | $6,772 | 71.8% |
| Raymond Jablonski | $13,581 | $6,453 | -52.5% |
| Harold Lindsey | $15,972 | $6,145 | -61.5% |
| Veenstra Farms, LLC | $10,613 | $6,091 | -42.6% |
| Kevin Miller | $24,296 | $6,073 | -75% |
| Robert A. Haveman | $21,017 | $5,765 | -72.6% |
| Thomas A. Chapman | $14,778 | $5,708 | -61.4% |
| Dugan Family Farms, LLC | $11,253 | $5,673 | -49.6% |
| L & S Farms, LLC | $71,361 | $5,479 | -92.3% |
| Robert Schaendorf | $8,161 | $5,469 | -33% |
| JB Services & Snowplowing, LLC | $10,284 | $5,412 | -47.4% |
| Bruce A. Brenn | $5,113 | $5,113 | 0% |
| Kevin W. Tobin | $18,346 | $4,987 | -72.8% |
| Michael J. Gibson | $17,245 | $4,970 | -71.2% |
| Fisher Dairy, LLC | $15,733 | $4,879 | -69% |
| Marvin Foote | $4,534 | $4,871 | 7.4% |
| Devries Brothers, LLC | $15,601 | $4,840 | -69% |
| Robert E. Veld | $11,601 | $4,748 | -59.1% |
| Thomas S. Reurink | $0 | $4,702 | -- |
| Matthew C. Heynen | $3,665 | $4,697 | 28.2% |
| John Kuperus Jr. | $37,416 | $4,570 | -87.8% |
| Floyd Modreske | $13,895 | $4,540 | -67.3% |
| Walter L. Klawiter | $16,456 | $4,220 | -74.4% |
| Hawks Nest Calf Ranch, LLC | $61,046 | $4,124 | -93.2% |
| Roger Busk | $11,877 | $4,085 | -65.6% |
| Millard P. Doster | $11,412 | $3,663 | -67.9% |
| Kathy L. Veenstra | $14,850 | $3,648 | -75.4% |
| Thomas Berner | $9,244 | $3,626 | -60.8% |
| Leonard a Goyings | $6,968 | $3,619 | -48.1% |
| Benjamin G. Schulz | $5,584 | $3,118 | -44.2% |
| Michael Vincent Karweik | $13,677 | $3,037 | -77.8% |
| Mark Youtzy | $5,327 | $2,920 | -45.2% |
| David L. Mitchell | $3,036 | $2,872 | -5.4% |
| William L. Taylor | $2,825 | $2,825 | 0% |
| Janet F. Morrison | $3,121 | $2,772 | -11.2% |
| Aaron Scholten | $106,453 | $2,541 | -97.6% |
| Kevin D. Brenner | $2,510 | $2,510 | 0% |
| Lucas Trierweiler | $1,966 | $1,966 | 0% |
| Plogsterd Farms | $6,793 | $1,937 | -71.5% |
| Mary R. File | $1,840 | $1,840 | 0% |
| Christopher L. Reinart | $4,644 | $1,792 | -61.4% |
| Robt L. Cardiff Jr. | $1,539 | $1,539 | 0% |
| Bernard Baker | $11,133 | $1,508 | -86.5% |
| Jeremy Biesbrock | $3,524 | $1,397 | -60.4% |
| Kimberly Jones | $1,974 | $1,370 | -30.6% |
| Randall Lee Jager | $1,699 | $1,273 | -25.1% |
| Kim F. Doster | $7,700 | $1,195 | -84.5% |
| Dennis Millirons Test C. B. Tr | $3,238 | $1,192 | -63.2% |
| Vincent James Karweik | $1,889 | $1,118 | -40.8% |
| Daniel J. Ciesla | $5,291 | $1,114 | -78.9% |
| Nathan B. Wolf | $0 | $1,082 | -- |
| Dennis Dyer | $0 | $1,058 | -- |
| Elaine E Munson Revocable Trust | $1,054 | $1,054 | 0% |
| Derek M. Hildebrand | $1,018 | $1,018 | 0% |
| Eloise-Rev Trust Eloise H Doster | $3,635 | $966 | -73.4% |
| William Woodford Clark | $6,087 | $964 | -84.2% |
| Blake Wever | $12,942 | $921 | -92.9% |
| County Line Potato Farms, LLC | $252,041 | $915 | -99.6% |
| Thomas Judge | $2,074 | $906 | -56.3% |
| Andrew Veenstra | $11,748 | $890 | -92.4% |
| Jon E. Nieuwenhuis | $2,769 | $888 | -67.9% |
| Frederick C. Miller | $3,296 | $792 | -76% |
| Mary Alice Byrne | $2,279 | $726 | -68.1% |
| Nevel Overton Slack | $2,633 | $575 | -78.2% |
| Thomas Harold Barnes | $524 | $524 | 0% |
| Konos, Inc. | $750,500 | $500 | -99.9% |
| John Vanvoorhees | $19,668 | $450 | -97.7% |
| Brent Allen Winger | $1,596 | $442 | -72.3% |
| Donald Charles Wila | $1,073 | $425 | -60.4% |
| Brent A. Huff | $1,643 | $395 | -76% |
| Nancy L. Galloway | $910 | $383 | -57.9% |
| David Haubenstricker | $461 | $371 | -19.5% |
| Brian Kuperus | $1,263 | $364 | -71.2% |
| Nelson L. Zandbergen Jr. | $11,248 | $364 | -96.8% |
| Bryan Brown | $0 | $361 | -- |
| Martin and Sons Farm, LLC | $5,023 | $356 | -92.9% |
| Joyce Sebring | $336 | $336 | 0% |
| Patrick William Rakowski | $7,421 | $312 | -95.8% |
| Otto Family Homestead, LLC | $0 | $287 | -- |
| Taylor A. Winger | $331 | $207 | -37.5% |
| Alan Wayne Wallace | $26,009 | $157 | -99.4% |
| Ybema Farms, LLC | $231,756 | $148 | -99.9% |
| Kelly Black | $174 | $104 | -40.2% |
| Alan M. Arbanas | $756 | $101 | -86.6% |
| Mary E. Dandrow | $189 | $72 | -61.9% |
| Robert J. Reurink | $4,877 | $32 | -99.3% |
| Blue Star Farms, Inc. | $175,135 | $0 | -100% |
| Douglas Mcgregor J. Est Sr. | $5,268 | $0 | -100% |
| Evergreen Lane Farm, LLC | $578 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary Hunsberger | $7,906 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeremy Brink | $3,361 | $0 | -100% |
| Marc Moeller | $39,728 | $0 | -100% |
| Mary Ann Krammin | $2,475 | $0 | -100% |
| Maslanka Farms, LLC | $5,697 | $0 | -100% |
| Van Til's Greenhouse, LLC | $49,900 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles Wamhoff | $3,185 | $0 | -100% |
| Dave Wilson | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Dennis Duryea | $1,484 | $0 | -100% |
| Douglas Hoffmaster | $1,233 | $0 | -100% |
| Hickory Grove Acres | $961 | $0 | -100% |
| Louis Fifelski | $1,888 | $0 | -100% |
| M&H Family Farms, LLC | $8,221 | $0 | -100% |
| Meeuwse Farms | $7,114 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Ludlam | $7,005 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Meert | $1,200 | $0 | -100% |
| Bj Nh Andress | $16,177 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard A. Davis | $19,069 | $0 | -100% |
| Schneider Enterprises, LLC | $5,831 | $0 | -100% |
| Bradley Keeler | $273 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel L. Barnhart | $985 | $0 | -100% |
| Derek J. Humphreys | $950 | $0 | -100% |
| Deyoung Pork, Inc. | $1,014,500 | $0 | -100% |
| Goyings, LLC | $2,317 | $0 | -100% |
| James R. Bingham | $137 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth E. Eddy | $1,371 | $0 | -100% |
| Phillip D. Collins | $2 | $0 | -100% |
| Shaun B. Brown | $74 | $0 | -100% |
| Susan J. Maurer | $615 | $0 | -100% |
| Bruce Modreske | $87,485 | $0 | -100% |
| Dale Welch | $1,241 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel L. Dykstra | $20,879 | $0 | -100% |
| Grand Flower Growers, Inc. | $650,000 | $0 | -100% |
| James E Wykoski | $1,848 | $0 | -100% |
| Jason J. Stegink | $1,320 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Bronkhorst | $161 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth L. Koster | $161 | $0 | -100% |
| Lee Roy Reurink | $2,022 | $0 | -100% |
| Logan D. Dekoning | $906 | $0 | -100% |
| Regal Bison Company, LLC | $2,626 | $0 | -100% |
| Tammy Tullar | $2,972 | $0 | -100% |
| W-N Seagly Trustee | $332 | $0 | -100% |
| Welch-Kin Acres | $6,386 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $12,909,579 | $2,707,308 | -79% |
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