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In 2021, 78 farmers in cities within Sierra County received a total of $2.3 million in 175 farm subsidies, a 32.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3.4 million in 252 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Cain Ranch, Inc. | $144,072 | $153,018 | 6.2% |
| Beau Trevor Marshall | $120,972 | $148,509 | 22.8% |
| Bar Cross Ranch, Inc. | $144,122 | $148,323 | 2.9% |
| Buckhorn Ranch | $59,072 | $141,936 | 140.3% |
| Darell W. Welty | $173,554 | $124,924 | -28% |
| Organ Dairy, LLC | $173,761 | $120,508 | -30.6% |
| Rod Hille | $89,117 | $117,387 | 31.7% |
| Jack M Cain Limited Partnership | $79,628 | $100,392 | 26.1% |
| Roy Dean Welty | $66,742 | $73,017 | 9.4% |
| Russell Freeman | $57,688 | $70,113 | 21.5% |
| Broken Dipper Cattle, LLC | $86,869 | $66,588 | -23.3% |
| William R. Lindsey | $78,851 | $62,614 | -20.6% |
| CRU H Cochran | $47,757 | $56,487 | 18.3% |
| Jack C. Diamond | $180,433 | $53,971 | -70.1% |
| Sid Savage | $43,043 | $52,868 | 22.8% |
| Ronald C. Woolf | $37,545 | $49,692 | 32.4% |
| Norman Mavencamp-Norman J Mavencamp Revocable Trust | $0 | $46,627 | -- |
| Wesley Henderson | $79,547 | $44,902 | -43.6% |
| James P. Montoya | $38,296 | $42,034 | 9.8% |
| Trevor Roberts | $36,938 | $40,288 | 9.1% |
| Joseph D. Chatfield | $35,993 | $38,655 | 7.4% |
| Kristie Hawkins | $31,078 | $33,547 | 7.9% |
| Denise Y. Lindsey | $57,639 | $31,792 | -44.8% |
| Robert Daugherty Jr. | $23,842 | $29,204 | 22.5% |
| Clay Henderson | $30,084 | $28,965 | -3.7% |
| Kay Hopkins | $0 | $28,550 | -- |
| William C Rabenau and Loretta Rabenau Revocable Trust Agreem | $0 | $26,478 | -- |
| Duane Woods | $18,306 | $26,202 | 43.1% |
| Matthew D Schneberger Rafter Spear Ranch and Sawmill | $0 | $24,623 | -- |
| Leona Wear | $21,276 | $23,207 | 9.1% |
| Judith L. Carter | $31,069 | $22,024 | -29.1% |
| Smith Ranch | $107,825 | $20,938 | -80.6% |
| Dwayne Bauer | $16,439 | $20,299 | 23.5% |
| Sherry Mae Farr | $13,596 | $18,875 | 38.8% |
| Dale Henderson | $15,473 | $17,173 | 11% |
| Nick Ortega | $13,157 | $16,916 | 28.6% |
| Eddie Vasquez | $9,625 | $13,921 | 44.6% |
| Edgar E. Greer | $14,026 | $13,364 | -4.7% |
| Phillip Wallin | $13,390 | $11,364 | -15.1% |
| Chihenne Ranch Company, Ltd. | $0 | $10,570 | -- |
| Charles Sullivan | $10,492 | $10,252 | -2.3% |
| Wendy Fancher | $0 | $10,041 | -- |
| Brandon Muniz | $9,166 | $9,694 | 5.8% |
| Gillis Farms, Inc. | $756,105 | $9,051 | -98.8% |
| Johnny Bob Terrell | $2,640 | $8,095 | 206.6% |
| Siffring Living Trust | $12,641 | $7,178 | -43.2% |
| Robert E. Lara | $5,551 | $6,897 | 24.2% |
| William H. Hopkins | $7,315 | $6,322 | -13.6% |
| D & L Properties | $14,249 | $6,241 | -56.2% |
| Henry Hopkins | $24,621 | $6,096 | -75.2% |
| Amy Boles | $15,246 | $5,545 | -63.6% |
| Sally Bullock | $6,599 | $5,399 | -18.2% |
| Kelikay G Hopkins | $0 | $4,764 | -- |
| Sara Marta | $12,912 | $4,674 | -63.8% |
| Bagwell Cattle Company | $0 | $4,303 | -- |
| Mike Laney | $22,304 | $4,088 | -81.7% |
| Bobby Ham | $4,036 | $4,036 | 0% |
| Mary Lou Smith | $6,664 | $3,787 | -43.2% |
| Stacy Bason | $7,022 | $3,622 | -48.4% |
| William D. Wear | $1,411 | $3,343 | 136.9% |
| Armando Covarrubias | $86,479 | $3,285 | -96.2% |
| Horacio G. Armijo | $2,459 | $3,042 | 23.7% |
| Marcelo Melendez Jr. | $20,856 | $2,915 | -86% |
| Alan L. Gillespie | $4,157 | $2,273 | -45.3% |
| Summer Woods | $5,513 | $1,813 | -67.1% |
| J & N Farms, LLC | $22,733 | $1,750 | -92.3% |
| Frances T. Stout | $0 | $1,717 | -- |
| Clarissa A. McClintock | $0 | $1,572 | -- |
| Daronda Fox-Garrett | $4,570 | $1,377 | -69.9% |
| John A. Bush | $0 | $995 | -- |
| Janice Louise Duran | $297 | $729 | 145.5% |
| Bob Cochran | $475 | $634 | 33.5% |
| Charles D. Goetz | $0 | $427 | -- |
| Ruth S. Bennett | $1,224 | $279 | -77.2% |
| Sterling O. Roberts Jr. | $0 | $231 | -- |
| David L. Bean | $703 | $204 | -71% |
| Gladys Cotrell Living Trust | $727 | $9 | -98.8% |
| Mark H. Bennett | $365 | $5 | -98.6% |
| Armando Covarrubias Jr. | $7,640 | $0 | -100% |
| Emil Lara Matthews | $1,169 | $0 | -100% |
| Marcelo Melendez | $936 | $0 | -100% |
| Percha Pecan, Inc. | $21,474 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard A. Wilson | $2,082 | $0 | -100% |
| Esther Hildreth | $2,353 | $0 | -100% |
| Nestor Gonzales | $644 | $0 | -100% |
| Good Spring., LLC | $24,013 | $0 | -100% |
| Maurice Clyde Chandler | $13,773 | $0 | -100% |
| Rhodi Lynn Lindsey | $2,915 | $0 | -100% |
| Dale Marshall | $7,158 | $0 | -100% |
| John Bush | $995 | $0 | -100% |
| Brent F. Tanzy | $2,280 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary L. Day | $1,760 | $0 | -100% |
| Gloria Felts | $5,028 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeannie Zumwalt | $121 | $0 | -100% |
| Willard Hall | $216 | $0 | -100% |
| Bryan Garrett | $3,333 | $0 | -100% |
| Matthew D Schneberger Rafter Spea | $29,090 | $0 | -100% |
| Vicki Adams | $10,268 | $0 | -100% |
| William C Rabenau and Loretta Rab | $18,611 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $3,416,216 | $2,317,550 | -32.2% |
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