Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 48 farmers in cities within Saguache County received a total of $2 million in 123 farm subsidies, a 32.3% increase from 2020, when the total was $1.5 million in 120 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corey J. Hill | $117,546 | $274,474 | 133.5% |
| Flying X Cattle Company, Inc. | $127,550 | $267,175 | 109.5% |
| Kristi K Hill-Staudt | $84,536 | $192,793 | 128.1% |
| Aubrey Hill | $117,487 | $165,290 | 40.7% |
| Edward Tate Scanga | $61,342 | $151,398 | 146.8% |
| Cyril J. Weis | $15,922 | $138,302 | 768.6% |
| Josh Staudt | $84,032 | $111,124 | 32.2% |
| Martin T. Shellabarger | $57,385 | $87,513 | 52.5% |
| Gary G. Hill | $120,513 | $80,153 | -33.5% |
| Ward Ranches, Inc. | $14,850 | $72,870 | 390.7% |
| Coleman Ranches, Inc. | $48,074 | $65,671 | 36.6% |
| Kelly Scanga | $60,587 | $40,898 | -32.5% |
| Monte Innes | $86,706 | $40,804 | -52.9% |
| Sutherland Ranches | $10,692 | $35,137 | 228.6% |
| Dale Frank Gerstberger | $72,229 | $30,352 | -58% |
| Jase Staudt | $18,604 | $24,689 | 32.7% |
| John L. Werner | $16,962 | $22,509 | 32.7% |
| Davey Family Partnership LLLP, Ltd. | $12,727 | $20,590 | 61.8% |
| John M. Baxter | $46,926 | $19,694 | -58% |
| Joseph Gilbert Quintana | $23,496 | $16,654 | -29.1% |
| Robert Bunker | $2,178 | $15,560 | 614.4% |
| Jeffrey Scott Phillips | $55,745 | $15,197 | -72.7% |
| Brady S. Stagner | $11,972 | $8,284 | -30.8% |
| Timothy N. Lovato | $18,937 | $8,148 | -57% |
| San Juan Land & Livestock, LLC | $36,492 | $7,711 | -78.9% |
| Kathleen F. Shoup | $14,000 | $7,470 | -46.6% |
| David O. Schmittel | $28,639 | $7,450 | -74% |
| Vasher Land Syndicate | $17,528 | $7,213 | -58.8% |
| Dale L. Tecklenburg | $0 | $5,032 | -- |
| John T. Scanga | $21,692 | $4,868 | -77.6% |
| Alex A. Abeyta | $7,193 | $4,606 | -36% |
| Charles E. Nelson | $0 | $3,997 | -- |
| Carlos A. Silva | $7,260 | $3,822 | -47.4% |
| Rebecca Peregrino | $16,335 | $3,337 | -79.6% |
| Phillip J. Ortega | $18,977 | $2,490 | -86.9% |
| Kevin Pete Stagner | $5,874 | $2,242 | -61.8% |
| WD 40 Ranch | $5,313 | $2,008 | -62.2% |
| Green Earth, Inc. | $900 | $1,750 | 94.4% |
| James P. Grubbs | $4,235 | $956 | -77.4% |
| Chance Baker | $1,518 | $689 | -54.6% |
| Heather D'Alessio | $0 | $527 | -- |
| Nadine Dieckman | $980 | $493 | -49.7% |
| Fox Organic Farms, Inc. | $891 | $374 | -58% |
| Wanetta Tipsword | $0 | $328 | -- |
| Ian J. Smith | $394 | $186 | -52.8% |
| Kelly J. Smith | $394 | $186 | -52.8% |
| Kimberly Ann Wheeler | $869 | $173 | -80.1% |
| Timothy Morgan | $5,562 | $156 | -97.2% |
| Michael Leo Dowd | $891 | $0 | -100% |
| Sheila Ramsey | $3,380 | $0 | -100% |
| Cougar Run, Inc. | $3,600 | $0 | -100% |
| Sandy M. Shean | $1,989 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,491,904 | $1,973,343 | 32.3% |
Alerts Sign-up