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In 2021, 121 farmers in cities within Alamosa County received a total of $3.9 million in 304 farm subsidies, a 56.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $8.8 million in 300 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike & Jim Kruse Partnership | $604,388 | $466,661 | -22.8% |
| Martinez Farms, LLC | $842,261 | $329,645 | -60.9% |
| Jesse Lloyd Reynolds | $338,766 | $268,802 | -20.7% |
| AMP Operating Company | $919,083 | $189,245 | -79.4% |
| John B Shawcroft Ranches | $94,914 | $153,770 | 62% |
| Rio Vega Ranch, LLC | $192,114 | $141,840 | -26.2% |
| Nortonville Cattle Company | $146,908 | $129,382 | -11.9% |
| Zapata Seed Company | $938,540 | $79,032 | -91.6% |
| Gerald Ziegler | $120,578 | $78,984 | -34.5% |
| Matthew E. Bush | $72,334 | $72,363 | 0% |
| Jayce S. Booth | $64,688 | $69,940 | 8.1% |
| Arthur Holland | $0 | $68,193 | -- |
| Dean A. Reynolds | $25,924 | $66,284 | 155.7% |
| Quarter Circle a Farms, LLC | $66,571 | $62,809 | -5.7% |
| Chiles Farms, LLC | $358,678 | $61,680 | -82.8% |
| Raymond Shahan | $24,251 | $60,046 | 147.6% |
| Curto Family Farms, LLC | $134,789 | $57,772 | -57.1% |
| Gail J Bowman Revocable Trust | $0 | $49,843 | -- |
| Ronald R Bowman Revocable Trust | $42,727 | $49,843 | 16.7% |
| Laurelin Kruse | $48,670 | $47,252 | -2.9% |
| Mirko Kruse | $48,670 | $47,252 | -2.9% |
| Michael Jones | $4,404 | $47,200 | 971.8% |
| Esperanza Farms, LLC | $1,168,054 | $47,136 | -96% |
| Clayton Farms, LLC | $4,500 | $46,488 | 933.1% |
| Holly Grace Murphy | $48,038 | $46,009 | -4.2% |
| Cindy Adkins | $40,884 | $45,696 | 11.8% |
| Schulz Farms, LLC | $36,965 | $44,805 | 21.2% |
| David Teem | $22,738 | $43,944 | 93.3% |
| Tolsma Farms, LLC | $4,276 | $43,817 | 924.7% |
| Barbara Kruse | $43,225 | $43,225 | 0% |
| Bothe W. Kretsinger | $42,985 | $42,985 | 0% |
| John Kretsinger | $49,912 | $41,817 | -16.2% |
| Trudi Kretsinger | $41,817 | $41,817 | 0% |
| Anthony Moore | $0 | $35,487 | -- |
| Robert E. Zimmerman | $0 | $27,806 | -- |
| John Schoolland | $12,695 | $27,802 | 119% |
| Fransen Family Farm, LLC | $6,558 | $27,345 | 317% |
| Wayne D. Cody | $3,605 | $26,892 | 646% |
| Cleave A. Simpson | $262 | $25,650 | 9,690.1% |
| Howard L Crowder | $9,649 | $24,546 | 154.4% |
| Curtis Schneider | $17,745 | $22,659 | 27.7% |
| Wiescamp, LLC | $17,516 | $22,327 | 27.5% |
| Alfonso F. Vigil Jr. | $57,619 | $22,151 | -61.6% |
| Sand Dune Farm, LLC | $21,700 | $21,700 | 0% |
| Jacob Ryan Burris | $0 | $21,350 | -- |
| Melvin Deherrera | $5,320 | $19,421 | 265.1% |
| Lois M Booth | $0 | $18,970 | -- |
| David Holland | $18,550 | $18,550 | 0% |
| Rodney D. Archer | $3,063 | $17,815 | 481.6% |
| Brazos Cattle Company, Inc. | $3,688 | $15,417 | 318% |
| Robert G Middlemist | $23,246 | $15,222 | -34.5% |
| Gerrit Schneider | $0 | $15,012 | -- |
| Theodore J. Heersink | $760 | $14,989 | 1,872.2% |
| Brownell Farms, LLC | $0 | $14,072 | -- |
| Gilbert J. Fransen | $16,230 | $13,410 | -17.4% |
| Terry L. Beckner | $32,491 | $13,307 | -59% |
| Darius Allen | $83,490 | $12,963 | -84.5% |
| W H Lester Ranches, Inc. | $55,394 | $12,753 | -77% |
| Ryan Blue Allen | $39,025 | $12,191 | -68.8% |
| Cody Burns | $7,948 | $11,911 | 49.9% |
| Virgil F. Valdez | $17,011 | $11,781 | -30.7% |
| Neufeld Farms, Ltd. | $343,661 | $10,681 | -96.9% |
| Faustin J. Martinez | $3,708 | $10,217 | 175.5% |
| Rutgers Brothers | $10,394 | $10,146 | -2.4% |
| Eva Sinclair | $9,218 | $9,980 | 8.3% |
| James Higel and Greg Higel Partnership | $41,682 | $8,849 | -78.8% |
| Adrian Absmeier | $14,091 | $8,441 | -40.1% |
| Anthony Bagwell | $14,302 | $7,901 | -44.8% |
| Star Farms, LLC | $9,112 | $7,108 | -22% |
| Leroy O. Martinez | $9,357 | $6,980 | -25.4% |
| Dale R. Adams | $975 | $6,871 | 604.7% |
| Chandler Schneider | $0 | $6,783 | -- |
| Brandon Bagwell | $13,539 | $6,579 | -51.4% |
| Brian Glynn | $9,305 | $6,458 | -30.6% |
| Aaron Kip Palmer | $27,584 | $6,363 | -76.9% |
| Francis and Sons, Inc. | $24,105 | $6,240 | -74.1% |
| G-4, Inc. | $20,820 | $6,011 | -71.1% |
| Jerry L. Honeycutt | $10,605 | $5,534 | -47.8% |
| Luke Arnold Archer | $0 | $5,425 | -- |
| Lam Operating Company | $46,563 | $5,364 | -88.5% |
| Stanley Shaw | $8,509 | $5,310 | -37.6% |
| Roy H. Oliver | $24,312 | $5,302 | -78.2% |
| Lisa K. Sykes | $11,326 | $5,116 | -54.8% |
| Glenn T. Sykes | $3,672 | $4,896 | 33.3% |
| Rogers Bros Farms, Inc. | $630 | $4,622 | 633.7% |
| Don R. Schulz | $28,350 | $4,534 | -84% |
| Felix L. Trujillo | $1,782 | $4,478 | 151.3% |
| Scidmore Farms | $19,710 | $4,128 | -79.1% |
| Razor Creek Outfitters, Inc. | $0 | $4,015 | -- |
| John Galyen | $2,343 | $3,969 | 69.4% |
| Arlin Lepp | $19,458 | $3,967 | -79.6% |
| Willie Sanchez | $300 | $3,827 | 1,175.7% |
| North Road Farm | $42,141 | $3,608 | -91.4% |
| Jim Ford Farms, Inc. | $198,515 | $3,593 | -98.2% |
| Tel Honeycutt | $1,881 | $3,394 | 80.4% |
| Rebecca Peregrino | $16,335 | $3,337 | -79.6% |
| Ho Enterprises | $0 | $3,010 | -- |
| Justin G. Rogers | $4,458 | $2,180 | -51.1% |
| Cloud Company Farms, LLC | $0 | $2,065 | -- |
| David Todd Horning | $3,848 | $1,930 | -49.8% |
| Michael Singer | $3,770 | $1,804 | -52.1% |
| Margie L. Clemmer | $2,142 | $1,608 | -24.9% |
| Robert M. Kirkham | $3,767 | $1,587 | -57.9% |
| Carmen Copley | $2,480 | $1,445 | -41.7% |
| James Romero | $846 | $1,299 | 53.5% |
| Linda Haston | $900 | $1,200 | 33.3% |
| Greg Higel | $851 | $1,135 | 33.4% |
| Wayne Brown | $89,111 | $1,129 | -98.7% |
| Steven Lunt | $1,275 | $1,074 | -15.8% |
| Adeline Jane C. Martin | $398 | $1,030 | 158.8% |
| Duane Fransen | $1,368 | $1,017 | -25.7% |
| Russell Christensen | $3,718 | $882 | -76.3% |
| Marvin L. Calkin | $1,034 | $831 | -19.6% |
| Clarence Gordon II | $728 | $579 | -20.5% |
| Zachary David Horning | $880 | $575 | -34.7% |
| Fred Nipple | $729 | $561 | -23% |
| Robert Jones | $8,988 | $500 | -94.4% |
| Larry S. Martinez | $1,122 | $464 | -58.6% |
| Terry Reisner | $872 | $429 | -50.8% |
| Gary Gardner Trust | $1,033 | $235 | -77.3% |
| Norman Lee Williams | $125 | $154 | 23.2% |
| Colorado Mushroom Farm, LLC | $498,192 | $0 | -100% |
| Deer Valley Farms, LLC | $20,337 | $0 | -100% |
| Gail J Bowman Revocable Trust-Old | $42,727 | $0 | -100% |
| George J. Malouff | $466 | $0 | -100% |
| Jesse R. Booth | $2,200 | $0 | -100% |
| Joan Elaine Pelton Irrev Trust | $12,589 | $0 | -100% |
| Kevin Voss | $1,386 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Goodart | $360 | $0 | -100% |
| Roland Crowder | $9,649 | $0 | -100% |
| State Board of Land Commissioners | $38,298 | $0 | -100% |
| Thelma M. Dawson | $10,674 | $0 | -100% |
| JDM Farms, LLC | $16,134 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $8,821,957 | $3,867,826 | -56.2% |
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