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In 2021, 106 farmers in cities within Butte County received a total of $1.3 million in 257 farm subsidies, a 39.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.1 million in 280 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadie Ranches, Inc. | $124,261 | $90,762 | -27% |
| Elaine R. Sorensen | $123,883 | $81,074 | -34.6% |
| Moore Land and Cattle, LLC | $113,945 | $75,115 | -34.1% |
| Russell Babcock | $24,805 | $53,922 | 117.4% |
| Ramshorn Sheep Company, Inc. | $77,237 | $47,222 | -38.9% |
| Lewene Clark | $44,153 | $43,898 | -0.6% |
| Jay Vaughn Jensen | $52,914 | $43,208 | -18.3% |
| Jared Telford | $33,655 | $42,582 | 26.5% |
| Dean Andersen | $54,024 | $37,755 | -30.1% |
| Williams Farm & Ranch, LLC | $57,036 | $35,165 | -38.3% |
| Stewart Isom Mountain Properties, LLC | $56,862 | $34,147 | -39.9% |
| 2ME Farms, LLC | $36,197 | $33,508 | -7.4% |
| Parkinson Farms | $0 | $30,980 | -- |
| Adam Trent Smith | $39,856 | $29,468 | -26.1% |
| Joel Andersen | $46,282 | $29,451 | -36.4% |
| Mark Telford | $187,472 | $23,476 | -87.5% |
| Paige Telford | $187,472 | $22,976 | -87.7% |
| Smith Ranches, Inc. | $8,786 | $22,066 | 151.1% |
| Hadley C. Clark | $23,452 | $19,828 | -15.5% |
| Wade A. Waddoups | $29,346 | $19,300 | -34.2% |
| Harry Crawford | $28,065 | $17,471 | -37.7% |
| Stephen K. King | $26,087 | $15,958 | -38.8% |
| Pioneer Farms, LLC | $17,162 | $15,755 | -8.2% |
| Moss Farms, Inc. | $4,554 | $15,608 | 242.7% |
| Triple M Land & Cattle, LLC | $42,574 | $15,221 | -64.2% |
| Nolon Beard | $18,165 | $14,854 | -18.2% |
| Richard E. Reynolds | $18,678 | $14,672 | -21.4% |
| Brady Martin Babcock | $18,382 | $12,146 | -33.9% |
| Byron R & Loy G Pehrson | $20,823 | $12,141 | -41.7% |
| Derek Nichols | $11,501 | $12,058 | 4.8% |
| Bob Crump | $25,518 | $12,034 | -52.8% |
| V-V Land and Livestock | $37,802 | $11,636 | -69.2% |
| Travis J. Buckwalter | $11,242 | $11,082 | -1.4% |
| Michael Lane Schrock | $16,499 | $10,565 | -36% |
| Duane Haney | $15,426 | $10,485 | -32% |
| Marcus Carson Kelly | $28,181 | $10,439 | -63% |
| Bradley Keith Nightengale | $20,103 | $10,069 | -49.9% |
| Ashtel Land and Cattle | $30,750 | $9,982 | -67.5% |
| Darrell Lee McDonald | $14,443 | $9,703 | -32.8% |
| Travis R. Andersen | $12,418 | $9,627 | -22.5% |
| Dale Keith Waddoups | $14,279 | $9,547 | -33.1% |
| R. D. Waddoups | $7,761 | $9,405 | 21.2% |
| Joseph S Wanstrom | $14,011 | $9,369 | -33.1% |
| William J. Moncur | $6,934 | $8,584 | 23.8% |
| Jason J. Andersen | $11,964 | $8,295 | -30.7% |
| Penny Hawkins | $19,591 | $7,954 | -59.4% |
| Loy Pehrson | $11,774 | $7,737 | -34.3% |
| Robert K. Moss | $12,042 | $7,301 | -39.4% |
| Byron Pehrson | $10,418 | $7,248 | -30.4% |
| Candy L Bragg | $10,466 | $6,390 | -38.9% |
| Wallace Gary Rogers | $7,623 | $6,158 | -19.2% |
| Jared R. Ashton | $9,346 | $5,911 | -36.8% |
| Meshawn B. Woolf | $8,982 | $5,587 | -37.8% |
| Craig Stewart | $6,232 | $5,398 | -13.4% |
| Shane Lee Dirks | $22,149 | $5,378 | -75.7% |
| Nathan Carpenter | $8,461 | $4,785 | -43.4% |
| Kurt Alan Nightingale | $4,853 | $4,406 | -9.2% |
| Jerry Browne | $5,721 | $4,392 | -23.2% |
| Granite Trust Organization | $0 | $4,339 | -- |
| Seth Beal | $4,203 | $4,241 | 0.9% |
| Marc T. Hansen | $10,420 | $3,925 | -62.3% |
| Dale Smith | $7,168 | $3,869 | -46% |
| Chris van Etten | $3,655 | $3,705 | 1.4% |
| Chase Fredrick Nielson | $9,617 | $3,661 | -61.9% |
| Young Harvey Walker | $2,989 | $3,439 | 15.1% |
| Kirk Robertson | $5,291 | $3,187 | -39.8% |
| Larry D. Jensen | $4,757 | $2,993 | -37.1% |
| Gary Jensen | $4,702 | $2,982 | -36.6% |
| Camille Babcock | $4,207 | $2,920 | -30.6% |
| Chris J. Lord | $5,236 | $2,559 | -51.1% |
| Richard Blair Waddoups | $2,327 | $2,406 | 3.4% |
| Alvin Wheeler | $3,924 | $2,400 | -38.8% |
| Harry Farm and Service | $4,100 | $2,271 | -44.6% |
| Sandie Smith | $11,396 | $2,251 | -80.2% |
| Larry Quist | $3,888 | $2,189 | -43.7% |
| Josh Reese | $9,972 | $2,173 | -78.2% |
| Kurt Wanstrom | $4,644 | $1,940 | -58.2% |
| Mike Peterson | $2,438 | $1,875 | -23.1% |
| Troy Buxton | $3,650 | $1,813 | -50.3% |
| Casey Wayne Johnson | $825 | $1,637 | 98.4% |
| Marshal Todd Perkes | $1,896 | $1,369 | -27.8% |
| Norma L. Perkes | $1,896 | $1,369 | -27.8% |
| Malena Kelly | $1,796 | $1,246 | -30.6% |
| Gary Stav | $1,208 | $1,089 | -9.9% |
| Marty Coburn | $1,510 | $1,054 | -30.2% |
| Dean Moncur | $662 | $883 | 33.4% |
| Bruce Blackmer | $1,304 | $873 | -33.1% |
| Lois Joan Walker Estate | $1,198 | $797 | -33.5% |
| Lerrina Collins | $2,979 | $626 | -79% |
| John Mead | $708 | $620 | -12.4% |
| Morgan Scully | $5,101 | $606 | -88.1% |
| Sarah Lorraine Smith | $3,592 | $574 | -84% |
| Drew Clint Jensen | $428 | $570 | 33.2% |
| Jacob Hansen | $2,442 | $534 | -78.1% |
| Cindy Archer | $890 | $522 | -41.3% |
| Trilby Mcaffee | $814 | $466 | -42.8% |
| Cindy Jo Wanstrom | $700 | $393 | -43.9% |
| Marlene Folkman | $838 | $389 | -53.6% |
| Kerry Allen Boyack | $0 | $337 | -- |
| Dan Wanstrom | $122 | $285 | 133.6% |
| James S. Babcock | $532 | $261 | -50.9% |
| Michael R. Flory | $451 | $259 | -42.6% |
| Craig Collins | $0 | $240 | -- |
| Donald C. Nelson | $572 | $221 | -61.4% |
| Floyd Collins Jr. | $279 | $215 | -22.9% |
| Brett T. Williams | $150 | $204 | 36% |
| Marilyn Mowrey-Lambert | $353 | $0 | -100% |
| Spraker Land and Livestock, LLC | $14,601 | $0 | -100% |
| Cheyenne Barnes | $1,782 | $0 | -100% |
| Crystal Springs Investments, LLC | $224 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel Kelly | $2,591 | $0 | -100% |
| Marc D. Kelly | $1,940 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,095,586 | $1,270,031 | -39.4% |
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