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In 2021, 103 farmers in cities within Burnett County received a total of $1.1 million in 170 farm subsidies, a 53.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.3 million in 378 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Cubs Farm, LLC | $868,213 | $149,940 | -82.7% |
| Michael V. Byl | $246,994 | $146,777 | -40.6% |
| Diamond Lake Dairy, Inc. | $97,362 | $71,863 | -26.2% |
| Djock Forest Products, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Erik J. Melin | $82,606 | $42,252 | -48.9% |
| Mark R. Nelson | $36,320 | $36,309 | -0% |
| Mark David Unnasch | $26,145 | $36,071 | 38% |
| Village Floral of Grantsburg, LLC | $0 | $34,394 | -- |
| Kent W. Krause | $47,680 | $32,576 | -31.7% |
| James A. Petersen | $61,797 | $27,928 | -54.8% |
| David B Miklya | $25,706 | $24,411 | -5% |
| Fornengo Cattle Company | $124,461 | $23,089 | -81.4% |
| Tim O. Hesla | $21,317 | $20,157 | -5.4% |
| Richard C. Melin | $28,925 | $19,697 | -31.9% |
| David F. Melin | $16,661 | $17,430 | 4.6% |
| James A. Byers | $39,010 | $15,681 | -59.8% |
| Keith R. Byers | $39,044 | $15,681 | -59.8% |
| Michael Chell | $36,338 | $15,195 | -58.2% |
| Patricia M. Melin | $13,147 | $14,702 | 11.8% |
| David L. Corty | $5,142 | $14,355 | 179.2% |
| Dale A. Peterson | $15,262 | $12,537 | -17.9% |
| Roger C Tollander | $20,166 | $12,134 | -39.8% |
| Thomas D. Hanson | $22,999 | $11,314 | -50.8% |
| Doyle K. Christian | $24,242 | $10,887 | -55.1% |
| Marek Family Farm | $0 | $10,338 | -- |
| Kyle R. Robelia | $16,896 | $10,237 | -39.4% |
| Florence Nelson | $9,706 | $9,706 | 0% |
| Anderson Farms | $24,429 | $9,639 | -60.5% |
| Anthony J. Petersen | $18,048 | $8,213 | -54.5% |
| Fairview Dairy Farms, Inc. | $17,413 | $8,020 | -53.9% |
| Branstad Farm, Inc. | $16,696 | $7,482 | -55.2% |
| David B. Carlson | $19,849 | $6,694 | -66.3% |
| Clayton Henschke | $6,648 | $6,648 | 0% |
| Gary Wickstrom | $9,246 | $6,412 | -30.7% |
| Douglas J. Wickstrom | $7,427 | $5,370 | -27.7% |
| Nathaniel D. Melin | $4,192 | $5,068 | 20.9% |
| Adam Lm Smestad | $4,945 | $5,063 | 2.4% |
| Marlene M. Biondo - Biondo Family Trust | $0 | $5,052 | -- |
| Edwin Schmuhl | $5,442 | $4,953 | -9% |
| Vance M. Wedin | $16,511 | $4,206 | -74.5% |
| Olson Brothers Farms, LLC | $4,563 | $4,003 | -12.3% |
| Kevin J. Peterson | $7,332 | $3,817 | -47.9% |
| Donald Bonneville | $8,534 | $3,808 | -55.4% |
| Jason Maurice Johnson | $0 | $3,776 | -- |
| Walter L. Johnson | $6,765 | $3,730 | -44.9% |
| Jerry W. Marek | $6,019 | $3,582 | -40.5% |
| Kenneth Pardun Jr. | $6,866 | $3,448 | -49.8% |
| Robert B Miklya | $6,594 | $3,341 | -49.3% |
| David Robert Olson | $13,418 | $3,288 | -75.5% |
| Gerald O. Olson | $7,458 | $3,186 | -57.3% |
| John E. Meyer | $5,176 | $3,077 | -40.6% |
| Alan J. Maslow | $3,823 | $2,911 | -23.9% |
| Daniel Wicklund | $1,353 | $2,844 | 110.2% |
| Cheryl L. Frank | $2,553 | $2,553 | 0% |
| David Brekken | $2,169 | $2,515 | 16% |
| Justine R. Stephens | $8,789 | $2,310 | -73.7% |
| Jeremy S. Scheider | $6,105 | $2,178 | -64.3% |
| Daniel Gomulak | $0 | $2,145 | -- |
| Cheryl Redman | $2,008 | $2,008 | 0% |
| John a Hill Revocable Trust | $1,942 | $1,942 | 0% |
| Mary Anne Kuehn | $6,706 | $1,906 | -71.6% |
| Steven J. Swanson | $2,843 | $1,631 | -42.6% |
| David L. Roberts | $2,451 | $1,623 | -33.8% |
| John Albert Erickson | $49 | $1,619 | 3,204.1% |
| James A. Kolander | $2,441 | $1,608 | -34.1% |
| Willkie C. Petersen | $4,686 | $1,514 | -67.7% |
| Maple Hight, Ltd. | $0 | $1,480 | -- |
| Shawn M. Brown | $5,172 | $1,402 | -72.9% |
| Daryl P. Jewell | $4,196 | $1,373 | -67.3% |
| Hendricks Family, LLP | $1,350 | $1,350 | 0% |
| Rick R. Danielson | $5,687 | $1,269 | -77.7% |
| Michael A. Erick | $3,435 | $1,140 | -66.8% |
| Michael Hoefs | $0 | $1,092 | -- |
| Kurt Louis Tyberg | $1,903 | $987 | -48.1% |
| John L. Erickson | $1,988 | $976 | -50.9% |
| Carson K. Christian | $2,331 | $974 | -58.2% |
| Richard D. Morse Sr. | $2,149 | $934 | -56.5% |
| Vickie Fry | $814 | $814 | 0% |
| Lee Family Farms, LLC | $1,069 | $705 | -34.1% |
| Daniel A. Strabel | $1,347 | $615 | -54.3% |
| Robert J. Byers | $702 | $593 | -15.5% |
| Kevin Louis | $587 | $509 | -13.3% |
| Lynn Patricia Manthie | $1,552 | $502 | -67.7% |
| Joel W. Isaacson | $1,628 | $444 | -72.7% |
| Dwight C. Anderson | $430 | $430 | 0% |
| Daryl Wedin | $3,528 | $401 | -88.6% |
| Brett O. Luedtke | $510 | $307 | -39.8% |
| James A. Melin | $2,854 | $293 | -89.7% |
| Karen E. Scheunemann | $0 | $259 | -- |
| Dana Olson | $845 | $220 | -74% |
| Dennis A. Quimby | $985 | $200 | -79.7% |
| Kirk E. Lehmann | $514 | $156 | -69.6% |
| Carl M. Lindgren Jr. | $0 | $139 | -- |
| Gerald F. Kozak Jr. | $0 | $118 | -- |
| Vernon Bistram | $2,467 | $77 | -96.9% |
| David J. Falk | $4,986 | $57 | -98.9% |
| John Donlin | $40 | $53 | 32.5% |
| Patrick Donlin | $40 | $53 | 32.5% |
| Shannon J. Swanson | $0 | $42 | -- |
| Roger P Wagenius | $457 | $33 | -92.8% |
| Ken K. Luke | $793 | $13 | -98.4% |
| John L. Brande | $49 | $4 | -91.8% |
| Paul Haferbecker | $155 | $3 | -98.1% |
| Katherine Fornengo | $1,172 | $0 | -100% |
| Marlene M. Biondo - Biondo Family | $6,012 | $0 | -100% |
| Darrell R. Olson | $44 | $0 | -100% |
| Douglas S. Anderson | $539 | $0 | -100% |
| Gerald F. Adolphson | $503 | $0 | -100% |
| James E. Peterson | $226 | $0 | -100% |
| Joel A. Glover | $2,530 | $0 | -100% |
| Karen Jean Smestad | $3,164 | $0 | -100% |
| Maple Forest Corporation | $6,472 | $0 | -100% |
| Raymond A. Yerigan | $1,515 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Kallman | $260 | $0 | -100% |
| Anthony J Dalsveen | $335 | $0 | -100% |
| Gloria J. Dahl | $48 | $0 | -100% |
| Calvin E. Petersen | $1,368 | $0 | -100% |
| Gaylen Derrick | $1,772 | $0 | -100% |
| Virgil Bjorklund | $368 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,278,519 | $1,061,736 | -53.4% |
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