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In 2021, 51 farmers in cities within Camas County received a total of $989,898 in 114 farm subsidies, an 11.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.1 million in 113 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf One Farms, Inc. | $142,500 | $158,909 | 11.5% |
| Selby Crossing, LLC | $103,490 | $109,962 | 6.3% |
| Lou & Teresa Andersen Ranches, Inc. | $93,868 | $79,509 | -15.3% |
| Simon Farms, Inc. | $56,644 | $61,849 | 9.2% |
| Mclam Farms, Inc. | $39,548 | $47,180 | 19.3% |
| Willow Creek Ranch, LLC | $52,988 | $43,002 | -18.8% |
| C. S. Miller | $36,699 | $41,288 | 12.5% |
| Dirk Hallowell | $26,983 | $40,175 | 48.9% |
| Butte Springs Ranch, LLC | $22,556 | $33,113 | 46.8% |
| David T. Knowlton Jr. | $0 | $30,460 | -- |
| Crandall Family Farms, Inc. | $25,038 | $29,300 | 17% |
| Teri Backstrom | $23,304 | $28,458 | 22.1% |
| David E. Coates | $41,174 | $26,629 | -35.3% |
| Delbert McMurdo Jr. | $29,240 | $22,910 | -21.6% |
| Gordon Schmidt | $25,877 | $21,669 | -16.3% |
| William A. Simon | $19,919 | $21,067 | 5.8% |
| Joshua Robert Ivie | $17,300 | $19,215 | 11.1% |
| Gary L. Reagan | $15,722 | $19,141 | 21.7% |
| Wolf Springs Ranch | $50,491 | $19,116 | -62.1% |
| Frostenson Farms | $16,905 | $18,684 | 10.5% |
| Jimmy D. Kramer | $25,046 | $13,946 | -44.3% |
| Robert Jim Ivie | $9,419 | $13,185 | 40% |
| David A. Simon | $11,082 | $12,883 | 16.3% |
| Prescott Cattle and Consulting, LLC | $98,521 | $11,952 | -87.9% |
| Marc Schmidt | $10,584 | $9,060 | -14.4% |
| Scott T. Scheer | $13,098 | $8,151 | -37.8% |
| The Frostenson Legacy, LLC | $6,215 | $7,509 | 20.8% |
| Frostenson Heritage Farms, LLC | $11,266 | $7,446 | -33.9% |
| Mule Shoe, LLC | $19,483 | $5,685 | -70.8% |
| Arlin Ashmead | $4,876 | $5,624 | 15.3% |
| Bill R. Simon | $3,713 | $4,140 | 11.5% |
| Mark Montgomery | $1,794 | $3,746 | 108.8% |
| Opal Davis | $19,002 | $2,278 | -88% |
| Glenn Koch | $9,889 | $2,084 | -78.9% |
| Brittni J. McLam | $0 | $2,066 | -- |
| Mollie J. McLam | $784 | $1,278 | 63% |
| James Steven Miller | $2,179 | $1,087 | -50.1% |
| Dale C. Eldredge | $2,834 | $1,061 | -62.6% |
| Sam Stroud | $3,838 | $1,049 | -72.7% |
| Benjamin M. McLam | $772 | $1,029 | 33.3% |
| Jonathan A. Botz | $1,391 | $728 | -47.7% |
| Steven J. Cox | $1,837 | $410 | -77.7% |
| Lisa Adamski | $510 | $366 | -28.2% |
| Stacie Cronquist | $0 | $308 | -- |
| Joell Olson | $214 | $285 | 33.2% |
| Beverly Gaskill | $16,483 | $274 | -98.3% |
| Gary Scott Marolf | $0 | $175 | -- |
| Buttercup Mountain Company, LLC | $710 | $162 | -77.2% |
| Bethany N. McLam | $182 | $130 | -28.6% |
| Fred Marolf | $164 | $90 | -45.1% |
| Timothy Painter | $0 | $75 | -- |
| Beulah Baldwin | $783 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward R Rablin | $2,200 | $0 | -100% |
| Joanna Marie Ivie | $545 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,119,660 | $989,898 | -11.6% |
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