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In 2021, 63 farmers in cities within De Baca County received a total of $2.2 million in 134 farm subsidies, a 55.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $5 million in 205 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornerstone Ranch, Inc. | $296,494 | $206,961 | -30.2% |
| Mccollum Cattle, Inc. | $414,742 | $185,334 | -55.3% |
| J & W Cattle Company | $249,334 | $184,010 | -26.2% |
| 4MCC Cattle Company, LLC | $232,193 | $159,837 | -31.2% |
| Steele Ranch Incorporated | $243,979 | $156,522 | -35.8% |
| William Schade - William Charles Schade III Family Rev Trust | $0 | $143,032 | -- |
| Bull Canyon, Inc. | $142,877 | $133,585 | -6.5% |
| A Spear Ranch, LLC | $67,922 | $98,960 | 45.7% |
| Scott Lewis | $157,519 | $98,590 | -37.4% |
| Cortese Farm & Ranch, Inc. | $203,623 | $98,168 | -51.8% |
| 4-D Cattle Company, Inc. | $376,556 | $88,632 | -76.5% |
| Powhatan Carter III | $78,914 | $63,201 | -19.9% |
| Hisel Family Trust | $56,872 | $62,218 | 9.4% |
| Betty F. Upton | $0 | $53,111 | -- |
| Emmet Fallon | $90,661 | $53,066 | -41.5% |
| Sealy Cattle Company, LLC | $188,693 | $51,675 | -72.6% |
| Pitsauac, LLC | $73,075 | $31,032 | -57.5% |
| Stanley T. Dunbar | $43,931 | $29,715 | -32.4% |
| DE Baca Land & Cattle, LLC | $70,255 | $28,948 | -58.8% |
| David L. Kenyon | $15,107 | $27,776 | 83.9% |
| Douglas W. Johnson | $31,330 | $27,436 | -12.4% |
| Joan Key Gramma Valley Ranch | $45,948 | $26,459 | -42.4% |
| Knox Cortese | $40,703 | $26,199 | -35.6% |
| Willie Patterson | $74,767 | $24,997 | -66.6% |
| Hadley Patterson | $0 | $19,292 | -- |
| Larry W. Reagan | $38,452 | $17,782 | -53.8% |
| Jerry Sparks | $18,073 | $15,775 | -12.7% |
| James A. Head | $10,075 | $15,473 | 53.6% |
| Charles Harris | $9,223 | $13,237 | 43.5% |
| William W West | $23,278 | $13,217 | -43.2% |
| Guy York | $8,558 | $11,888 | 38.9% |
| L&S Cattle, Inc. | $118,862 | $10,072 | -91.5% |
| Connie Mobley | $7,341 | $7,341 | 0% |
| Track Dairy, L L C | $762,249 | $4,018 | -99.5% |
| Happy Bees, LLC | $901 | $3,458 | 283.8% |
| Tolar Land & Cattle Company | $53,746 | $3,011 | -94.4% |
| Daryl Dirks | $31,205 | $2,870 | -90.8% |
| Parker Reed Lewis | $13,251 | $2,687 | -79.7% |
| Peyton Lane Lewis | $17,289 | $2,628 | -84.8% |
| William T Pitman Personal Representative | $0 | $2,309 | -- |
| Loyd A. Russ | $2,458 | $1,869 | -24% |
| Jason Jack | $9,251 | $1,496 | -83.8% |
| Lester R. Turner | $2,885 | $1,451 | -49.7% |
| Samuel C. Fech | $1,386 | $1,386 | 0% |
| Kenyon Farms, LLC | $5,639 | $1,293 | -77.1% |
| John Fallon | $2,100 | $1,185 | -43.6% |
| Adam Garrett West | $4,239 | $904 | -78.7% |
| Doug McCloy | $4,087 | $868 | -78.8% |
| Wesley Everett Jensen | $1,874 | $808 | -56.9% |
| Kristen Danielle Tibbs | $1,584 | $789 | -50.2% |
| Sergio Alejandro Castillo | $1,959 | $761 | -61.2% |
| V3 Cattle Company, LLC | $0 | $714 | -- |
| Andrew J. Unruh | $20,240 | $641 | -96.8% |
| Mary Lou Pitman | $2,142 | $533 | -75.1% |
| Granja Rocosa, LLC | $1,503 | $525 | -65.1% |
| Felipe Delgadillo | $1,760 | $425 | -75.9% |
| John Stallard | $5,985 | $210 | -96.5% |
| Jeremy A. Ensz | $1,435 | $180 | -87.5% |
| Brody Dale Stallard | $0 | $165 | -- |
| Karl Ensz | $0 | $129 | -- |
| Edna Rose Unruh | $1,716 | $119 | -93.1% |
| Clifford Gunn | $5,910 | $35 | -99.4% |
| Adolfo Lucero | $2,984 | $8 | -99.7% |
| Alan C West | $3,353 | $0 | -100% |
| Canyon Blanco Ranch, Inc. | $123,432 | $0 | -100% |
| Carlos Armendariz | $27,828 | $0 | -100% |
| Clayton T. Stallings | $1,242 | $0 | -100% |
| Denece a Robbins | $1,282 | $0 | -100% |
| Fallon Living Trust | $27,216 | $0 | -100% |
| Joe H. Gammill | $3,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Kyle Mobley | $758 | $0 | -100% |
| Luke Cortese | $360,440 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas G. Marshall | $334 | $0 | -100% |
| Tyson Bruce Henry | $56 | $0 | -100% |
| William C. Schade | $85,690 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $5,023,866 | $2,221,016 | -55.8% |
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