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In 2021, 57 farmers in cities within Aransas County received a total of $210,589 in 110 farm subsidies, a 39.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $349,840 in 178 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edith C Sanders FM Property, Inc. | $49,172 | $42,517 | -13.5% |
| Steve Dauer | $0 | $12,483 | -- |
| Richard F. Foley | $11,691 | $10,356 | -11.4% |
| Joe Bruce Hancock Jr. | $988 | $9,786 | 890.5% |
| Nancy S. Dandre | $29,545 | $9,689 | -67.2% |
| Pat Parham | $5,268 | $8,902 | 69% |
| O. T. Maxwell | $12,401 | $8,665 | -30.1% |
| Patricia a Coym | $11,731 | $8,015 | -31.7% |
| Betty L. Mickey | $11,168 | $7,378 | -33.9% |
| Julie H. Dayton | $6,690 | $7,006 | 4.7% |
| Nancy Thiltgen | $18,655 | $5,921 | -68.3% |
| T. W. Thiltgen | $18,655 | $5,921 | -68.3% |
| Ralph B. Finkle | $5,397 | $5,397 | 0% |
| Todd W. Pearson | $4,968 | $4,968 | 0% |
| Cindy Page Colmer | $3,935 | $4,825 | 22.6% |
| Mack Butler | $0 | $4,469 | -- |
| Ellen Cornelius | $5,846 | $4,250 | -27.3% |
| Herbert W Sutter Rev Trustee | $15,673 | $4,132 | -73.6% |
| Gerald Ashbrook | $17,721 | $3,620 | -79.6% |
| Cynthia A. Womack | $5,205 | $3,119 | -40.1% |
| Decker S. Womack Jr. | $5,203 | $3,118 | -40.1% |
| David Denham | $7,667 | $3,073 | -59.9% |
| Sofie A. Perkins | $6,452 | $2,706 | -58.1% |
| Becky Jackson Mathis | $6,712 | $2,169 | -67.7% |
| Barbara Louise Davis | $6,816 | $1,791 | -73.7% |
| Christopher Lucci | $1,791 | $1,791 | 0% |
| Peggy Stoltz | $1,753 | $1,753 | 0% |
| Old San Antonio River Road Limited | $0 | $1,702 | -- |
| Gerald Hudson | $2,158 | $1,481 | -31.4% |
| Steve Gittinger | $1,393 | $1,441 | 3.4% |
| Robert R. Hardesty | $5,551 | $1,392 | -74.9% |
| Charles Chapin | $2,195 | $1,340 | -39% |
| Robert Atkins | $4,355 | $1,278 | -70.7% |
| Greg Gips | $1,606 | $1,122 | -30.1% |
| Colby Mikes | $5,018 | $1,111 | -77.9% |
| James Darrell Turner | $3,677 | $1,035 | -71.9% |
| Barbara Louise Daniels | $1,020 | $1,020 | 0% |
| Jason K. Daniels | $1,019 | $1,019 | 0% |
| Mark Meador | $3,927 | $1,010 | -74.3% |
| Ronald G. Coulston | $986 | $986 | 0% |
| Katherine E. Powers | $4,745 | $975 | -79.5% |
| Patrick Quentin Kiley Estate | $924 | $924 | 0% |
| Sharon K. Cullen | $4,650 | $914 | -80.3% |
| Middle Ground Farms, LLC | $2,752 | $731 | -73.4% |
| Robert Young | $2,596 | $626 | -75.9% |
| Donald Young | $1,727 | $449 | -74% |
| George Rinche II | $572 | $427 | -25.3% |
| Mary Lynne Ruf | $686 | $397 | -42.1% |
| Donald D. Rae | $2,202 | $371 | -83.2% |
| Claude Adrian Wilson | $1,562 | $302 | -80.7% |
| Gayle R. Wright | $691 | $260 | -62.4% |
| Rebecca Cobb Lowe | $569 | $202 | -64.5% |
| Jorge Garza | $220 | $102 | -53.6% |
| Jeffrey J. Steckler | $450 | $88 | -80.4% |
| Clarence Hanzelka | $226 | $55 | -75.7% |
| Jacqueline Riley | $650 | $8 | -98.8% |
| Lois Jean Amason | $0 | $1 | -- |
| Kim L. Hines | $433 | $0 | -100% |
| Beverly Jean Waddell | $698 | $0 | -100% |
| George M Graham JR Estate | $5,476 | $0 | -100% |
| K Bar Cattle Company | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Kelli M Bergoon | $4,097 | $0 | -100% |
| Lawrence Williams | $3,987 | $0 | -100% |
| Peggy Bringle | $2,083 | $0 | -100% |
| Ramon D. Hinojosa III | $1,578 | $0 | -100% |
| Zabel Farms | $1,543 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $349,840 | $210,589 | -39.8% |
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