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In 2021, 132 farmers in cities within Travis County received a total of $721,531 in 275 farm subsidies, a 38.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.2 million in 402 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barkley Farms, Inc. | $64,508 | $51,926 | -19.5% |
| T Diamond Enterprises, Ltd. | $67,032 | $37,912 | -43.4% |
| Kenneth Hees | $61,688 | $36,403 | -41% |
| Javier Escobar Jr. | $35,749 | $34,590 | -3.2% |
| Sharon Vars | $21,904 | $34,201 | 56.1% |
| Jon Vars | $21,784 | $33,440 | 53.5% |
| LA Parrilla Ranch, Ltd. | $29,073 | $31,334 | 7.8% |
| Patsy Herrington | $0 | $28,346 | -- |
| Lana Sassman Wilson Estate Matthew Sitra Per Representative | $0 | $25,797 | -- |
| Bryan D. Weiss | $0 | $21,418 | -- |
| Matthew Sitra | $0 | $18,996 | -- |
| Jacob K. Hohertz | $62,237 | $18,395 | -70.4% |
| Ricky Turner | $35,475 | $17,785 | -49.9% |
| Mike Sellers | $23,396 | $16,732 | -28.5% |
| Beth Nall Jernigan | $30,585 | $16,101 | -47.4% |
| Kimberly Ham Eudy | $21,395 | $15,571 | -27.2% |
| William P. Kirchner | $32,952 | $13,793 | -58.1% |
| Nita L Degrassi Irrevocable Trust | $9,729 | $12,874 | 32.3% |
| Clay K. Hohertz | $40,637 | $12,797 | -68.5% |
| Tim Heine | $20,527 | $12,087 | -41.1% |
| Caswell H. Hook | $12,172 | $11,230 | -7.7% |
| Anne Burkett | $13,526 | $9,898 | -26.8% |
| Dona J. Sinclair | $8,344 | $9,749 | 16.8% |
| Terri Frazier | $8,280 | $8,280 | 0% |
| Gary W. Schur | $15,051 | $7,182 | -52.3% |
| Kermit Hees | $15,032 | $6,724 | -55.3% |
| Clifton Gonzenbach | $15,805 | $6,539 | -58.6% |
| David R. Lee | $7,216 | $6,230 | -13.7% |
| Sally G. Hazard | $8,366 | $6,074 | -27.4% |
| Richard J Habbinga | $18,085 | $5,684 | -68.6% |
| Rodney Schmidt | $8,191 | $5,381 | -34.3% |
| Carol Ann Kieffer Family Limited Partnership | $16,971 | $5,343 | -68.5% |
| Turner Land and Hay Company | $11,583 | $5,282 | -54.4% |
| Joyce Petersen Decedents Trust | $10,327 | $4,609 | -55.4% |
| Horan Interests LP | $20,434 | $4,581 | -77.6% |
| Donald Lauritsen | $11,790 | $4,544 | -61.5% |
| Betty T. Cutshall | $5,679 | $4,484 | -21% |
| Joe E. Tristan | $22,566 | $4,387 | -80.6% |
| Louis K. Durrett | $4,122 | $4,122 | 0% |
| Lillian Dianne Raska | $0 | $4,052 | -- |
| Pakles, LLC | $7,942 | $3,976 | -49.9% |
| Spencer Family Trust | $3,907 | $3,907 | 0% |
| Petersen Living Trust | $12,340 | $3,690 | -70.1% |
| Connie Kelley | $2,457 | $3,594 | 46.3% |
| F & Z Willett Farms | $8,554 | $3,436 | -59.8% |
| Darcy Rindahl | $0 | $3,256 | -- |
| Ada Loylene Northcutt | $0 | $2,920 | -- |
| Leslie G. Hamann | $6,055 | $2,661 | -56.1% |
| Monte J. Mosiman | $0 | $2,499 | -- |
| Emma N. Wilsey | $539 | $2,415 | 348.1% |
| Native Prairies Association of Texas | $0 | $2,367 | -- |
| Quad B Ranch | $8,369 | $2,356 | -71.8% |
| Charles B. Rountree | $1,089 | $2,268 | 108.3% |
| Robert D Rosener Land Company | $5,000 | $2,266 | -54.7% |
| Jayson Danek | $12,539 | $2,177 | -82.6% |
| Susan Speck Sumners | $8,416 | $2,165 | -74.3% |
| Tom Triavit Wiri | $0 | $2,127 | -- |
| Ron Eudy | $1,997 | $2,123 | 6.3% |
| David Day | $0 | $2,110 | -- |
| Alfred G. Wendland Jr. | $7,338 | $2,082 | -71.6% |
| Darwin K. Klein | $2,072 | $2,072 | 0% |
| Thomas C. Cardwell | $6,964 | $2,039 | -70.7% |
| Donald W. Richardson | $3,898 | $2,037 | -47.7% |
| Craig P. Helwig | $1,988 | $1,988 | 0% |
| Robert W. Bearden | $1,595 | $1,936 | 21.4% |
| Laverne N. Engelmann | $3,076 | $1,888 | -38.6% |
| Michael Gary Randig | $15,825 | $1,872 | -88.2% |
| Dewyth D Beltz | $3,805 | $1,854 | -51.3% |
| Scott Alan Gurley | $637 | $1,774 | 178.5% |
| Rhonda H Mcknight 2019 Trustee | $0 | $1,602 | -- |
| Wiriyathain Family Trustee II | $0 | $1,540 | -- |
| Lwj-Mej Family, LLC | $0 | $1,397 | -- |
| Steve Ellis | $3,413 | $1,329 | -61.1% |
| Scott L. Branson | $3,202 | $1,307 | -59.2% |
| Catherine Rains | $0 | $1,204 | -- |
| Donald S. Mawdsley | $5,047 | $1,043 | -79.3% |
| Maser Farms, LLC | $1,892 | $1,034 | -45.3% |
| Ruth O. Hyatt | $2,115 | $1,005 | -52.5% |
| Lester Pope Trust | $0 | $916 | -- |
| Alexander Family, LLC | $1,979 | $885 | -55.3% |
| Stanley Hartmann | $1,533 | $838 | -45.3% |
| New Sweden Lutheran Church | $1,478 | $826 | -44.1% |
| Beverly B. Rosson | $1,116 | $820 | -26.5% |
| June Moore | $2,653 | $782 | -70.5% |
| Harold D. Lanham | $1,377 | $749 | -45.6% |
| Daniel Krenek | $2,583 | $743 | -71.2% |
| Michael G. Gebert | $1,018 | $716 | -29.7% |
| Dolores Gaddy | $1,801 | $673 | -62.6% |
| Shirley Huse Jones | $758 | $647 | -14.6% |
| Layne Thomas | $1,954 | $637 | -67.4% |
| William Harold Fisherman | $1,319 | $634 | -51.9% |
| Margaret K. Hanus | $6,154 | $614 | -90% |
| Norman G. Boehme | $2,553 | $604 | -76.3% |
| Raymond Robbins | $4,304 | $601 | -86% |
| Lillian M Nelson Trust | $2,002 | $586 | -70.7% |
| Davis Dorchester, Ltd. | $1,158 | $584 | -49.6% |
| Rhonda McKnight 2019 Trust | $0 | $580 | -- |
| Eric Blomberg | $2,286 | $578 | -74.7% |
| Mary D. Ratliff | $853 | $530 | -37.9% |
| Benjamin Wyly Slaughter Trust | $523 | $523 | 0% |
| Elizabeth Leftwich Slaughter Trust | $0 | $523 | -- |
| Sally Anne Slaughter Trust | $523 | $523 | 0% |
| Zachary Nelson Slaughter Trust | $523 | $523 | 0% |
| Dale L. Martin | $1,037 | $496 | -52.2% |
| Matthew Gordon Bennett | $931 | $477 | -48.8% |
| Jan Ford Mustin Trust | $952 | $453 | -52.4% |
| James H. Weiss | $3,248 | $448 | -86.2% |
| Brenda H. Kirchner | $955 | $401 | -58% |
| Germaine Swenson | $1,286 | $397 | -69.1% |
| Dickie D Greenwood Estate | $0 | $384 | -- |
| William R. Taylor | $1,585 | $372 | -76.5% |
| Brittany L. Jones | $1,065 | $284 | -73.3% |
| Janet Stone Hughes Exempt Family Trust | $0 | $274 | -- |
| Larry E. Vorwerk | $3,279 | $262 | -92% |
| Judy Bigon | $342 | $252 | -26.3% |
| Debra G. Smyth | $0 | $250 | -- |
| Kelly M. Kidd | $444 | $229 | -48.4% |
| Nicole J. Steward | $980 | $214 | -78.2% |
| Harold L. Lundgren | $412 | $205 | -50.2% |
| Dinah S. Welsh | $1,776 | $199 | -88.8% |
| Christopher A. Hartmann | $363 | $172 | -52.6% |
| Nancy Roser | $266 | $165 | -38% |
| Frances Diane Lietzau | $247 | $141 | -42.9% |
| Charles R. Stauffer | $316 | $135 | -57.3% |
| John Marchak | $199 | $109 | -45.2% |
| Betty R. Shaw | $506 | $105 | -79.2% |
| Elizabeth Ann Camp | $187 | $87 | -53.5% |
| Perry Evans Crut FBO Deann Hickman Remainder Steve | $0 | $83 | -- |
| Esther H. Beltz | $0 | $78 | -- |
| Kimberly D. Strong | $27 | $23 | -14.8% |
| Mark Daubert | $35 | $7 | -80% |
| Stephen L. Johnson | $451 | $5 | -98.9% |
| Johnson and Hayes, LLC | $7,132 | $0 | -100% |
| Barbara A. Muncy | $5,841 | $0 | -100% |
| Leah M. Collins | $253 | $0 | -100% |
| Louise Swindell Trust | $3,778 | $0 | -100% |
| Perry Evans Crut FBO Deann Hickma | $83 | $0 | -100% |
| Brenda Lea Rickert | $4,568 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles H. Neuenschwander | $182 | $0 | -100% |
| Hatten Farms I, LLC | $13,228 | $0 | -100% |
| Hatten Farms II, LLC | $7,580 | $0 | -100% |
| John C. Barnes | $5,333 | $0 | -100% |
| Rhonda McKnight | $2,286 | $0 | -100% |
| Roy Nierdieck | $86 | $0 | -100% |
| Eric Newcomer | $1,641 | $0 | -100% |
| French Family Trust | $3,730 | $0 | -100% |
| Clifford L. Johnson | $451 | $0 | -100% |
| Gayle Anderson | $371 | $0 | -100% |
| Grassdale, LLC | $6,777 | $0 | -100% |
| Howard O. Kay | $3,715 | $0 | -100% |
| Island Chicken Ranch, LLC | $648 | $0 | -100% |
| Lanfang Farm and Ranch, LLC | $2,380 | $0 | -100% |
| Lori O. Sellers | $913 | $0 | -100% |
| Loyd A. Shrout | $6,310 | $0 | -100% |
| Milton Kokel | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Shelia A. Dewbre | $251 | $0 | -100% |
| Steelbow Farm, LLC | $11,278 | $0 | -100% |
| Walter D. Randig | $618 | $0 | -100% |
| Wilburn H Scheffel Family Trust | $2,959 | $0 | -100% |
| Elizabeth Leftwich Slaughter Trus | $523 | $0 | -100% |
| George Scott | $8,985 | $0 | -100% |
| Janet Stone Hughes Exempt Family | $5,605 | $0 | -100% |
| Lazy S Land, Inc. | $43,191 | $0 | -100% |
| Thompsons Abbott Farms | $600 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,167,465 | $721,531 | -38.2% |
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