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In 2021, 135 farmers in cities within Cambria County received a total of $1.7 million in 318 farm subsidies, a 31.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.5 million in 469 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 Cambria County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yahner Brothers Farms | $149,447 | $154,884 | 3.6% |
| High View Ta Vale Wood Farms, Inc. | $181,227 | $127,180 | -29.8% |
| Brent Lowmaster | $170,622 | $117,804 | -31% |
| Thousand Hill Dairy, LLC | $185,950 | $97,641 | -47.5% |
| Skebeck Farms | $69,934 | $69,948 | 0% |
| Martin J. Sherry | $109,190 | $67,943 | -37.8% |
| Maryann M. Kiel | $23,010 | $59,116 | 156.9% |
| James D Smay | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $51,867 | -- |
| Floyd M. Farabaugh | $124,468 | $49,461 | -60.3% |
| Long Farms | $24,344 | $40,447 | 66.1% |
| James Hite | $84,245 | $37,398 | -55.6% |
| Myers Poultry Farm, LLC | $38,487 | $36,110 | -6.2% |
| Ronald Hogue | $43,564 | $35,094 | -19.4% |
| Kelly Hite | $40,108 | $33,897 | -15.5% |
| Strittmatters Dairy | $56,292 | $33,895 | -39.8% |
| Richard Karlheim | $23,581 | $30,819 | 30.7% |
| Sikora Logging, Inc. | $0 | $30,056 | -- |
| Lynn Farabaugh | $25,408 | $29,070 | 14.4% |
| Joseph A. Strittmatter | $43,256 | $27,642 | -36.1% |
| Robert E Kuzar | $37,122 | $25,594 | -31.1% |
| Benjamin Hoover | $50,911 | $24,577 | -51.7% |
| James F. Yahner | $55,180 | $24,496 | -55.6% |
| Thomas Nagle Jr. | $41,954 | $21,968 | -47.6% |
| Jeffrey Kuzar | $8,729 | $18,776 | 115.1% |
| Roush Farms, Inc. | $17,041 | $17,089 | 0.3% |
| Brian L. McMullen | $31,551 | $15,738 | -50.1% |
| Gerard F. Krumenacker | $4,792 | $14,522 | 203% |
| John D. Farkas | $14,144 | $14,144 | 0% |
| Cecelia A. Farabaugh | $13,612 | $13,612 | 0% |
| Bloom's Hill Meadow Farm, LLC | $13,560 | $13,560 | 0% |
| Barefoot Family Real Estate Limited PTR | $0 | $12,833 | -- |
| Krumenacker Farms, LLC | $28,315 | $12,311 | -56.5% |
| Carol A. Cretin | $12,161 | $12,161 | 0% |
| Frederick Hite | $11,848 | $11,848 | 0% |
| J R & L Industries, Inc. | $69,880 | $11,625 | -83.4% |
| Adam Hite | $29,314 | $11,596 | -60.4% |
| Martin Hoover | $27,432 | $11,280 | -58.9% |
| Sherry Farms, LLC | $18,121 | $10,354 | -42.9% |
| J & M Farabaugh Farms, LLC | $21,230 | $9,931 | -53.2% |
| Kenneth J. Noll | $9,408 | $9,408 | 0% |
| David J Farabaugh Revocable Living Trust | $0 | $8,961 | -- |
| George Greiner | $14,765 | $8,650 | -41.4% |
| Daniel L. Rieg | $9,549 | $8,518 | -10.8% |
| Thomas Joseph Bender | $13,206 | $8,499 | -35.6% |
| Theodore J. Farabaugh | $8,103 | $7,991 | -1.4% |
| Farabaugh Commodities | $3,322 | $7,291 | 119.5% |
| James Hite | $7,036 | $7,036 | 0% |
| Thomas E. Smithmyer | $10,496 | $6,834 | -34.9% |
| Steve Farabaugh | $20,626 | $6,661 | -67.7% |
| Anthony Miller | $15,397 | $6,507 | -57.7% |
| William Westrick | $9,184 | $6,265 | -31.8% |
| Lauer Farms | $6,025 | $6,080 | 0.9% |
| Ridge Road Farms, LLC | $16,996 | $5,964 | -64.9% |
| Timothy M. Gresh | $15,915 | $5,730 | -64% |
| Justin Beyer | $25,444 | $5,374 | -78.9% |
| Robert G. Long | $4,999 | $5,280 | 5.6% |
| Jeffrey C. Hollen | $6,344 | $4,823 | -24% |
| Gerald F. Leiden | $6,497 | $4,765 | -26.7% |
| Senft Farms, LLC | $9,820 | $4,607 | -53.1% |
| Pamela A. Halcrow | $4,460 | $4,460 | 0% |
| Greiner Farms | $6,930 | $4,344 | -37.3% |
| Cheryl a Kepshire Revocable Living Trust | $0 | $4,320 | -- |
| Jennifer Blough | $0 | $4,289 | -- |
| Brian L. Springer | $0 | $4,069 | -- |
| Denise Yahner | $4,064 | $4,064 | 0% |
| Michael J. Brawley | $3,883 | $3,883 | 0% |
| Robert Veneskey | $706 | $3,739 | 429.6% |
| William Krug | $14,889 | $3,624 | -75.7% |
| Mark Krug | $7,512 | $3,606 | -52% |
| Daniel Farabaugh | $6,537 | $3,563 | -45.5% |
| R' N' R. Dairy | $6,404 | $3,339 | -47.9% |
| Richard Plowman | $3,248 | $3,235 | -0.4% |
| Larry E. Neff | $11,541 | $3,210 | -72.2% |
| Robert Duman | $4,706 | $3,134 | -33.4% |
| Francis A. Farabaugh | $2,797 | $2,959 | 5.8% |
| Daniel Davis | $8,967 | $2,483 | -72.3% |
| Gary Hite | $2,388 | $2,388 | 0% |
| Dennis R. Garretson | $6,434 | $2,376 | -63.1% |
| Shevchik Family Farm, LLC | $2,315 | $2,315 | 0% |
| Kathleen M Lazere | $4,092 | $2,198 | -46.3% |
| David Prasko | $3,680 | $2,141 | -41.8% |
| Dale Bracken | $6,274 | $2,066 | -67.1% |
| Joseph A. Westrick | $5,961 | $2,063 | -65.4% |
| Ellen R. Ford | $2,038 | $2,038 | 0% |
| Lloyd S. Ford | $2,038 | $2,038 | 0% |
| Kenneth Byrne | $1,261 | $1,890 | 49.9% |
| Daniels Family PTNSP, Ltd. | $14,490 | $1,842 | -87.3% |
| Daniel J. Durica | $463 | $1,785 | 285.5% |
| Ethan T. Hoover | $4,185 | $1,734 | -58.6% |
| Raymond Link | $3,008 | $1,711 | -43.1% |
| Edward P. Emigh | $5,257 | $1,629 | -69% |
| Dennis Hines | $3,752 | $1,611 | -57.1% |
| Matthew Venesky | $4,455 | $1,529 | -65.7% |
| Michael J. Beyer | $4,173 | $1,452 | -65.2% |
| Robert W. Davis | $983 | $1,415 | 43.9% |
| Alex S. Hoffman | $3,778 | $1,412 | -62.6% |
| David Kline | $5,491 | $1,399 | -74.5% |
| David Miller | $5,179 | $1,384 | -73.3% |
| Glenn Bracken | $9,977 | $1,370 | -86.3% |
| Dennis Schenk | $5,560 | $1,223 | -78% |
| Joseph M. Davis Jr. | $1,851 | $1,164 | -37.1% |
| Gary A. Paul | $3,042 | $978 | -67.9% |
| Ethan B Itle-Szpala | $1,765 | $974 | -44.8% |
| Ronald Greiner | $936 | $936 | 0% |
| Eric Dixon | $1,453 | $911 | -37.3% |
| Edward L. Galovich Jr. | $7,039 | $891 | -87.3% |
| Jesse A. Ditson | $1,324 | $836 | -36.9% |
| Ronald Paronish | $1,803 | $834 | -53.7% |
| Angelo Divittorio | $777 | $777 | 0% |
| Pileski Beef | $856 | $722 | -15.7% |
| Thomas Lee Johnston | $762 | $648 | -15% |
| Robert Weiland | $1,828 | $641 | -64.9% |
| William R. Parrish | $2,149 | $640 | -70.2% |
| Dennis Sheehan | $613 | $613 | 0% |
| Robert Eugene Mikesell Jr. | $3,265 | $581 | -82.2% |
| Charles Rese | $330 | $433 | 31.2% |
| James Henry Hollingsworth III Trustee FBO Hollingsworth Family | $1,222 | $421 | -65.5% |
| William J Holbay JR | $749 | $355 | -52.6% |
| Scott Bloom | $31 | $328 | 958.1% |
| William J. Zett Jr. | $307 | $307 | 0% |
| Billie Dixon | $535 | $299 | -44.1% |
| Lanny Dixon | $535 | $299 | -44.1% |
| Mento Custom Farming, LLC | $607 | $296 | -51.2% |
| Paul Holtz | $389 | $285 | -26.7% |
| Phyllis Rager | $234 | $234 | 0% |
| Daniel C. Sherry | $95 | $149 | 56.8% |
| Edward J. Farabaugh Jr. | $502 | $72 | -85.7% |
| Thomas Beyer | $4,303 | $56 | -98.7% |
| T & E Farms, LLC | $47,698 | $52 | -99.9% |
| Mcdermott Farm, LLC | $38 | $51 | 34.2% |
| Joseph M. Farabaugh | $252 | $50 | -80.2% |
| Mark C. Eckenrode | $44 | $24 | -45.5% |
| Russell Grieff | $1,312 | $14 | -98.9% |
| Susan Nicoloff | $0 | $4 | -- |
| McNulty Brothers Farms | $592 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Niebauer | $3,312 | $0 | -100% |
| Frederick Weakland | $4,555 | $0 | -100% |
| George Eckenrode | $57 | $0 | -100% |
| Amy M. O'Donnell | $28,841 | $0 | -100% |
| David J Farabaugh Revocable Livin | $26,487 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $18,940 | $0 | -100% |
| Gerald L. Panczak | $2,394 | $0 | -100% |
| John R. Evans | $53 | $0 | -100% |
| John Shoemaker | $190 | $0 | -100% |
| Nicholas Carpinello | $246 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas Feighner | $29 | $0 | -100% |
| Barefoot Family Real Estate Limit | $12,833 | $0 | -100% |
| Adam Z. Farabaugh | $1,119 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward Obrien Jr. | $3,256 | $0 | -100% |
| Barry L. Pugh | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Joiner Dairy Partnership | $4,700 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles Davis | $370 | $0 | -100% |
| Cheryl a Kepshire Revocable Livin | $4,320 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffrey R. Holtz | $5,394 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Wharton | $93 | $0 | -100% |
| Martin J. Link | $8,526 | $0 | -100% |
| Roy E. Holtz | $5,394 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth Haberkorn | $772 | $0 | -100% |
| Raymond Partsch | $5,388 | $0 | -100% |
| Ellenberger Farms | $1,352 | $0 | -100% |
| Miller's Green House | $2,675 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,538,122 | $1,747,611 | -31.1% |
ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY
Borough of Carrolltown• Borough of Daisytown• Borough of Northern Cambria• Sidman• Salix• Johnstown• Borough of Wilmore• Borough of Cresson• Borough of Loretto• Lilly Borough• Nanty-Glo• Borough of Hastings• Borough of Patton• Borough of Vintondale• Dunlo• Borough of Ebensburg• Borough of Ashville• Borough Of Chest Springs• Borough Of South Fork
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