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In 2021, 55 farmers in cities within Orange County received a total of $773,993 in 80 farm subsidies, a 269.9% increase from 2020, when the total was just $209,233 in 110 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saxon Becnel & Sons of Texas, LLC | $0 | $563,868 | -- |
| Ralph Wayne Peveto | $36,918 | $45,512 | 23.3% |
| William Michael Beard | $0 | $42,566 | -- |
| Matthew Roper | $0 | $12,053 | -- |
| Keith Huffaker | $20,853 | $11,320 | -45.7% |
| William S. Duncan | $10,082 | $10,082 | 0% |
| Travis L. Trahan | $6,237 | $7,025 | 12.6% |
| Mark Allen Felts | $0 | $6,985 | -- |
| Carol Daigle | $10,800 | $6,387 | -40.9% |
| Ty Johnnie | $14,355 | $6,112 | -57.4% |
| Morgan Michael | $7,868 | $5,984 | -23.9% |
| Dan Harris | $24,956 | $5,782 | -76.8% |
| Desiree Plant | $0 | $4,730 | -- |
| Jack L. Short | $6,564 | $4,521 | -31.1% |
| Julie Kahla | $10,890 | $4,155 | -61.8% |
| Reid W. Rowe | $5,163 | $3,881 | -24.8% |
| Len Alvin Vanmarion | $0 | $3,447 | -- |
| Eva M. Benoit | $3,103 | $3,103 | 0% |
| Farm Service Agency | $0 | $2,757 | -- |
| Norma Jean Berry | $5,851 | $2,743 | -53.1% |
| Paul Neely | $5,544 | $2,586 | -53.4% |
| Linda B. Foster | $2,078 | $2,078 | 0% |
| Trina Jo Norwood | $4,554 | $1,959 | -57% |
| Dan Harris Jr. | $8,511 | $1,470 | -82.7% |
| Lynn Ann Boone | $1,366 | $1,298 | -5% |
| Sammy E. Davis | $2,512 | $1,293 | -48.5% |
| Robert B. Gobert | $2,686 | $1,208 | -55% |
| Harris Farm | $0 | $1,100 | -- |
| John J. Laborde | $1,080 | $1,041 | -3.6% |
| Larry D Schimkowitsch | $1,916 | $847 | -55.8% |
| James D. McClenan | $0 | $679 | -- |
| Martin Living Trust | $2,027 | $606 | -70.1% |
| Juanita D. Smith | $833 | $596 | -28.5% |
| Charlotte D. Alford | $833 | $596 | -28.5% |
| Malcolm Guillory | $3,520 | $533 | -84.9% |
| Sylvia Bickham | $0 | $390 | -- |
| Rodney Moran | $487 | $282 | -42.1% |
| James L. Brewer | $660 | $273 | -58.6% |
| Anita L. Ryan | $704 | $266 | -62.2% |
| Larry J. Schexnider | $383 | $266 | -30.5% |
| Michael Wise | $693 | $260 | -62.5% |
| Beverly Rives | $425 | $258 | -39.3% |
| Tim Castille | $486 | $199 | -59.1% |
| Carl B. Aguillard | $314 | $167 | -46.8% |
| Cynthia Ann W. Picou | $479 | $165 | -65.6% |
| Jason Gateley | $135 | $135 | 0% |
| Christopher Shane Hebert | $1,107 | $126 | -88.6% |
| Andrew R. Vargas | $0 | $86 | -- |
| James Ray Mestepey | $64 | $62 | -3.1% |
| Melanie A. Verde | $344 | $53 | -84.6% |
| Melanie A. Verde | $0 | $38 | -- |
| Mary M. Edwards | $42 | $30 | -28.6% |
| Lexi Nugier | $9 | $17 | 88.9% |
| Karyn Crochet | $14 | $10 | -28.6% |
| Westin Wiegand | $19 | $7 | -63.2% |
| Elizabeth A. White | $84 | $0 | -100% |
| Norman L. Bickham | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Sadie T. Harris | $178 | $0 | -100% |
| Shirley A. Smith | $87 | $0 | -100% |
| Betty Lou McDaniel | $350 | $0 | -100% |
| Gregory L. Scott | $50 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth Jenkins | $94 | $0 | -100% |
| Mary E. Brown | $50 | $0 | -100% |
| Rebecca L. Scott | $50 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $209,233 | $773,993 | 269.9% |
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