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In 2021, 88 farmers in cities within Otero County received a total of $3.2 million in 198 farm subsidies, a 24.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $4.3 million in 365 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mescalero Apache Tribe | $743,568 | $1,024,086 | 37.7% |
| Kincaid Brothers | $203,896 | $207,406 | 1.7% |
| Four Mile Livestock, LLC | $71,199 | $164,487 | 131% |
| Wilbanks Cattle Company, LLC | $91,910 | $137,784 | 49.9% |
| Ronald Parker | $127,519 | $94,231 | -26.1% |
| V-K Cattle Company, Inc. | $143,723 | $90,490 | -37% |
| Holcomb Family Ranch, LLC | $108,308 | $89,141 | -17.7% |
| Alden Elkins | $101,568 | $86,902 | -14.4% |
| Goss & Goss | $113,827 | $84,164 | -26.1% |
| Charles W. Mulcock | $106,918 | $77,518 | -27.5% |
| Bryan Prather | $106,846 | $73,245 | -31.4% |
| John Woodburn | $49,595 | $67,721 | 36.5% |
| Cooper Brothers Livestock, LLC | $157,870 | $64,945 | -58.9% |
| Phillip L. Holcomb | $88,562 | $59,779 | -32.5% |
| Denny K. Burnett | $36,414 | $55,688 | 52.9% |
| Bar H W Ranch, LLC | $0 | $55,416 | -- |
| Sally Walker Ranch, LLC | $89,262 | $51,803 | -42% |
| ELK Cattle Company, LLC | $69,792 | $46,810 | -32.9% |
| Jay Powell | $51,049 | $45,522 | -10.8% |
| Ball Partnership | $27,323 | $33,335 | 22% |
| Stetson Elkins | $66,581 | $32,873 | -50.6% |
| Kent Gillespie | $51,567 | $32,548 | -36.9% |
| Eric C. Jessen | $45,962 | $32,120 | -30.1% |
| Amy Eileen Bell Teague | $0 | $31,014 | -- |
| 5 Star Ranch, LLC | $0 | $29,156 | -- |
| Van Cleve Family Trust | $42,527 | $27,923 | -34.3% |
| Jack W. Coupland | $45,964 | $27,682 | -39.8% |
| Kelly Hibbard | $38,532 | $24,787 | -35.7% |
| Jason Danley | $39,868 | $23,283 | -41.6% |
| Bobby Melton | $34,918 | $21,913 | -37.2% |
| David H. Kincaid | $25,377 | $20,225 | -20.3% |
| Bill Taylor | $12,557 | $18,414 | 46.6% |
| Mike Lisk | $15,740 | $15,707 | -0.2% |
| Peggy Montgomery | $27,027 | $15,657 | -42.1% |
| George L Sims | $16,775 | $14,430 | -14% |
| RC Forest Products, LLC | $0 | $14,306 | -- |
| Odie Prather | $9,307 | $13,746 | 47.7% |
| A Spear Land and Cattle Company, Inc. | $0 | $13,472 | -- |
| Housler Ranch, LLC | $12,325 | $13,195 | 7.1% |
| Bell Mimms, LLC | $9,479 | $12,801 | 35% |
| James G. Havens | $18,055 | $11,713 | -35.1% |
| Wesley R. Housler Jr. | $0 | $11,156 | -- |
| David W Brennand | $31,174 | $10,004 | -67.9% |
| Sierra Blanca Ranch, LLC | $23,833 | $9,889 | -58.5% |
| Kenneth F. Cady | $26,300 | $9,544 | -63.7% |
| Lou B. Gilliam | $8,832 | $8,832 | 0% |
| Janice Lynn Gardner | $7,720 | $8,604 | 11.5% |
| JKH Trust | $0 | $8,603 | -- |
| James R Evrage | $11,808 | $7,777 | -34.1% |
| Arvel Yaste | $14,433 | $6,626 | -54.1% |
| James O. Coupland | $18,583 | $6,039 | -67.5% |
| Bonnie L. Smith | $5,321 | $6,026 | 13.2% |
| John W. Cooper | $7,552 | $5,718 | -24.3% |
| Donald C. Soukup | $7,757 | $5,438 | -29.9% |
| Joni C. Tackett | $4,326 | $4,326 | 0% |
| Charles & Thelma Walker Trust | $33,800 | $4,153 | -87.7% |
| John Dalton Bell | $0 | $4,002 | -- |
| Charles A. Ball | $8,183 | $3,819 | -53.3% |
| Foye Wells | $1,668 | $3,677 | 120.4% |
| James F. Campbell | $6,168 | $3,520 | -42.9% |
| Kendra Goss | $0 | $2,986 | -- |
| Mesa Verde Ranch, LLP | $22,613 | $2,980 | -86.8% |
| Norma a Brooks - Norma a Brooks Trust | $15,491 | $2,759 | -82.2% |
| Tracy Eugene Mimms | $4,395 | $2,183 | -50.3% |
| Thomas Mendez | $2,387 | $1,776 | -25.6% |
| Don Hindman | $0 | $1,766 | -- |
| Marjorie P. Fleming | $6,287 | $1,590 | -74.7% |
| Roger and Bonnie Herman Irrevocable Trust | $0 | $1,543 | -- |
| Michael Alton Jones | $8,856 | $1,458 | -83.5% |
| Linda K O'Quinn - O'Quinn & Rothchild Trust | $2,048 | $1,409 | -31.2% |
| Joe Alan Watkins | $1,189 | $1,181 | -0.7% |
| Miles Crowell | $1,408 | $980 | -30.4% |
| Rudy Gabaldon | $4,400 | $862 | -80.4% |
| Larry Madl | $1,304 | $804 | -38.3% |
| James Madl | $1,304 | $804 | -38.3% |
| Lee E. Poague | $1,740 | $801 | -54% |
| Patsy Ann Huff | $1,197 | $746 | -37.7% |
| Oscar Marquardt | $1,061 | $595 | -43.9% |
| Robert Harmon | $0 | $490 | -- |
| Clifton Varbel | $726 | $444 | -38.8% |
| Lee Rowland | $9,030 | $412 | -95.4% |
| Eduardo Barraza | $734 | $386 | -47.4% |
| Jesse Cone A. A. Tr | $544 | $346 | -36.4% |
| Anthony D. Dobias | $684 | $317 | -53.7% |
| Nichols Ranch | $23,734 | $211 | -99.1% |
| Shanny V Housler | $0 | $182 | -- |
| Genger Nunn | $330 | $136 | -58.8% |
| Benjamin W. Rush | $113 | $113 | 0% |
| Alamo Land Barons, LLC | $7,399 | $0 | -100% |
| Betty T. Dalton | $694 | $0 | -100% |
| Catherine Bell | $4,737 | $0 | -100% |
| Corine Mirabal | $947 | $0 | -100% |
| Deborah Bee | $2,232 | $0 | -100% |
| Eagle Ranch Pistachios, LLC | $220,530 | $0 | -100% |
| Fairchild Ranch Lp | $7,396 | $0 | -100% |
| Garvin mac Griffin | $45,350 | $0 | -100% |
| Wadell H. Maupin | $5,421 | $0 | -100% |
| Martha Curtis Shelton | $4,349 | $0 | -100% |
| Reva L. Buttram | $1,288 | $0 | -100% |
| Rick Carrier | $635 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Harmon | $1,094 | $0 | -100% |
| Sally Walker | $52,657 | $0 | -100% |
| Schweers Properties, LLC | $7,719 | $0 | -100% |
| The Nelson Nut Farm, LLC | $1,826 | $0 | -100% |
| Copa, Inc. | $4,861 | $0 | -100% |
| Twila Tuttle | $1,692 | $0 | -100% |
| Ernie-Lee Miller | $4,676 | $0 | -100% |
| Estate of Ernie-Lee Miller | $2,873 | $0 | -100% |
| Rick Williamson | $66,243 | $0 | -100% |
| W M Pecan Farm | $16,526 | $0 | -100% |
| Cooper Brothers Land, LLC | $29,033 | $0 | -100% |
| A Spear Land and Cattle Company I | $9,192 | $0 | -100% |
| Amy Eileen Bell | $50,313 | $0 | -100% |
| Commodity Credit Corporation | $302 | $0 | -100% |
| Linda Taylor | $7,979 | $0 | -100% |
| Chance Guiles | $339 | $0 | -100% |
| Circle Cross Land & Cattle Company | $9,845 | $0 | -100% |
| David McCall | $39,319 | $0 | -100% |
| 5 Star Ranch, LLC | $46,770 | $0 | -100% |
| Amy Cook | $9,864 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward E. Norman | $1,713 | $0 | -100% |
| Ernest Stogden | $1,823 | $0 | -100% |
| Glover Farms, Inc. | $143,858 | $0 | -100% |
| Homer C. Johnson | $306 | $0 | -100% |
| James Brewer | $3,200 | $0 | -100% |
| Kara Lynn Cochran | $9,623 | $0 | -100% |
| Lee Gilpin | $8,057 | $0 | -100% |
| Michelle Rene Salomon | $5,405 | $0 | -100% |
| Nannie Sue Clark | $511 | $0 | -100% |
| Phillip Rodriguez | $587 | $0 | -100% |
| Roger and Bonnie Herman Irrevocab | $3,064 | $0 | -100% |
| Saben Lessentine | $4,015 | $0 | -100% |
| Sandra Spangler | $3,927 | $0 | -100% |
| Steve Reay | $4,958 | $0 | -100% |
| TPG, Inc. | $31,016 | $0 | -100% |
| John Dolton Bell | $37,677 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $4,254,584 | $3,215,451 | -24.4% |
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