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In 2021, 75 farmers in cities within Thomas County received a total of $937,937 in 89 farm subsidies, a 78.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $4.3 million in 214 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hall & Sons Cattle Company | $321,154 | $76,947 | -76% |
| Hoffman Ranch, LLC | $202,150 | $76,936 | -61.9% |
| Brush Creek Ranch, LLC | $251,873 | $60,292 | -76.1% |
| Eatinger Cattle Company, Inc. | $266,699 | $57,094 | -78.6% |
| TLC Land & Cattle, LLC | $107,552 | $38,071 | -64.6% |
| Shirley Hanna | $122,949 | $35,488 | -71.1% |
| Manning Ranch Company | $110,419 | $32,363 | -70.7% |
| Lemoyne E. Dailey | $129,198 | $28,281 | -78.1% |
| Matthew Miles | $133,658 | $27,915 | -79.1% |
| Whitland Company | $76,942 | $26,542 | -65.5% |
| Gary D. Reiser | $104,313 | $24,024 | -77% |
| Blackford Ranch, LLC | $81,986 | $22,971 | -72% |
| Stuart L. Scranton | $176,721 | $22,099 | -87.5% |
| Albert Ericksen | $91,091 | $22,036 | -75.8% |
| Carnell and Shadbolt, LLC | $184,751 | $21,672 | -88.3% |
| Tracy L. Merz | $95,441 | $20,666 | -78.3% |
| Wayne V. Licking | $81,193 | $20,490 | -74.8% |
| Pat Simonson | $139,187 | $17,364 | -87.5% |
| Mark Nutter - Mark a & Marian L Nutter Family Trust | $0 | $17,230 | -- |
| Finney Cattle Company | $99,287 | $16,975 | -82.9% |
| Heath Rasmussen | $88,133 | $16,701 | -81.1% |
| Licking Brothers, Inc. | $89,869 | $16,302 | -81.9% |
| Broken Heart Livestock, LLC | $100,610 | $14,843 | -85.2% |
| John M. Lee | $59,173 | $14,837 | -74.9% |
| Steven Morrison | $63,546 | $14,406 | -77.3% |
| Gary A. Schaeffer | $60,275 | $11,695 | -80.6% |
| Marc Ericksen | $49,031 | $11,688 | -76.2% |
| Hamilton Ranch, LLC | $56,793 | $11,280 | -80.1% |
| Michael Gordon McLeod | $52,253 | $11,143 | -78.7% |
| Mcintosh Ranch Partnership | $76,700 | $11,024 | -85.6% |
| Licking, LLC | $48,169 | $9,845 | -79.6% |
| Leroy Morrison | $35,519 | $7,084 | -80.1% |
| Cedar Ridge Farms, Inc. | $1,476 | $7,061 | 378.4% |
| Martin Denaeyer | $48,567 | $7,006 | -85.6% |
| Josh Call | $0 | $6,766 | -- |
| Russell J. Licking | $32,068 | $6,210 | -80.6% |
| Tom Licking | $33,560 | $6,172 | -81.6% |
| James F. Johnston | $22,914 | $6,158 | -73.1% |
| Jeffrey W. Johnston | $34,240 | $5,900 | -82.8% |
| 47 Ranch Company, LLC | $15,081 | $5,884 | -61% |
| Royce G. Jennings | $35,424 | $5,785 | -83.7% |
| Carolyn Warren | $24,079 | $5,169 | -78.5% |
| William H. Knoll | $48,219 | $4,670 | -90.3% |
| Kyle Haake | $38,492 | $4,374 | -88.6% |
| Michael Matulka | $9,570 | $3,578 | -62.6% |
| Leon L. Gift | $17,138 | $3,498 | -79.6% |
| Gus Reiser | $25,112 | $3,026 | -87.9% |
| Mick Collins | $6,825 | $2,616 | -61.7% |
| Chance T. Greeley | $12,463 | $2,518 | -79.8% |
| Lee A. Ray | $6,518 | $2,500 | -61.6% |
| Royce Brown | $3,156 | $2,138 | -32.3% |
| Brett Haake | $9,764 | $2,132 | -78.2% |
| Gordon G. Most | $14,764 | $2,113 | -85.7% |
| Seven Pines Ranch | $8,789 | $2,091 | -76.2% |
| Lyle D. Rath | $9,734 | $2,068 | -78.8% |
| Troy Collins | $16,995 | $1,981 | -88.3% |
| Norman R. Egle | $4,785 | $1,804 | -62.3% |
| Luke McLeod | $0 | $1,682 | -- |
| Matthew John McLeod | $8,623 | $1,671 | -80.6% |
| John R. Jochem IV | $3,774 | $1,643 | -56.5% |
| Richard W. Jameson | $10,151 | $1,615 | -84.1% |
| Harald Hesseltine | $3,900 | $1,466 | -62.4% |
| Kirby Eppert | $3,190 | $1,441 | -54.8% |
| Eric S. Morrison | $6,380 | $1,421 | -77.7% |
| Joellis I Merz | $6,039 | $1,328 | -78% |
| Phillip Licking | $8,943 | $1,297 | -85.5% |
| Orrin Schaeffer | $4,191 | $858 | -79.5% |
| Trent Zimmerman | $0 | $793 | -- |
| Skeeter A. Connell | $3,003 | $751 | -75% |
| Tyler Lee | $8,140 | $692 | -91.5% |
| Bobbie Scott | $990 | $518 | -47.7% |
| Brent James Thomas | $2,178 | $436 | -80% |
| Taylor Davis | $1,727 | $357 | -79.3% |
| John Jeff Staub | $1,804 | $356 | -80.3% |
| Julianna Schaeffer | $231 | $90 | -61% |
| Kayden T. Licking | $2,948 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas Sevier | $10,599 | $0 | -100% |
| Adam Clark | $1,210 | $0 | -100% |
| Diane Rogers-Mcleod | $30,415 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Purdum | $1,870 | $0 | -100% |
| Josh Call | $32,973 | $0 | -100% |
| Luke Thomas McLeod | $9,319 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Nutter | $59,473 | $0 | -100% |
| Neiman and Neiman | $16,916 | $0 | -100% |
| Spencer Quinn Larsen | $10,509 | $0 | -100% |
| Terry L. Purdum | $605 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $4,286,469 | $937,937 | -78.1% |
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