Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 35 farmers in cities within Los Alamos County received a total of $186,947 in 66 farm subsidies, a 14.9% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $219,700 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courtright Farms, LLC | $51,625 | $45,771 | -11.3% |
| Herman Manzanares Jr. | $7,425 | $27,763 | 273.9% |
| Logan Kuiper | $25,905 | $25,905 | 0% |
| Charles & Ann Carr Heirs | $5,918 | $16,354 | 176.3% |
| Kenneth L. Coop | $13,017 | $12,269 | -5.7% |
| Yule Tree Lp | $7,802 | $8,430 | 8% |
| Hornung-Bequette Fam PTRP, Ltd. | $6,906 | $7,626 | 10.4% |
| Carr Family Trust | $5,965 | $6,871 | 15.2% |
| Tommy Morris | $4,737 | $4,737 | 0% |
| J&S Boettner Farms, LLC | $11,501 | $3,732 | -67.6% |
| Richard W. Honsinger | $3,839 | $3,688 | -3.9% |
| Bradley L. Wescott | $0 | $3,076 | -- |
| Tanner Trujillo | $2,079 | $3,067 | 47.5% |
| Marks Family, Corp. | $5,867 | $2,014 | -65.7% |
| Cady Family Trust | $2,495 | $1,520 | -39.1% |
| Linda G. Sanders | $4,946 | $1,487 | -69.9% |
| Merle Koepke | $1,531 | $1,473 | -3.8% |
| Agnes F. Lipetzky Land Trust | $1,449 | $1,253 | -13.5% |
| Rhiann Johnson | $708 | $1,118 | 57.9% |
| Morris B. Pongratz | $3,047 | $977 | -67.9% |
| Wilson Family Rev Trust-Christine J Wilson | $0 | $971 | -- |
| James D. Jackson | $1,923 | $843 | -56.2% |
| Linda-Sanders Rev Trust Sanders | $0 | $790 | -- |
| William M. Somers | $4,127 | $759 | -81.6% |
| Joann L. Unruh | $1,269 | $749 | -41% |
| Bradley G. Henderson | $659 | $629 | -4.6% |
| Marvin L. Alme | $0 | $521 | -- |
| Hohner Living Trust | $2,093 | $448 | -78.6% |
| Vicki Lynne Brown | $1,572 | $448 | -71.5% |
| Dallas Hill | $885 | $443 | -49.9% |
| Patricia Jackson | $1,457 | $377 | -74.1% |
| John-Courtright Family Revocable Trust Courtright | $0 | $374 | -- |
| Stanley W & Carol F Moore Family Trust | $565 | $183 | -67.6% |
| Doris E. Thielemann | $449 | $166 | -63% |
| Lori Whitley | $235 | $115 | -51.1% |
| Glen Mazuranich | $111 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Buchholz | $199 | $0 | -100% |
| John Courtright | $858 | $0 | -100% |
| Kory Sylvester | $764 | $0 | -100% |
| Leonard D Gehre | $1,007 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald E. Lucero | $12,363 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronnie Charles Howard Salazar | $3,773 | $0 | -100% |
| Wilson Family Rev Trust | $1,881 | $0 | -100% |
| John C. Lehner | $7,811 | $0 | -100% |
| Kathy Davis | $5,057 | $0 | -100% |
| Lonnie R. Mehlin | $1,523 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy Olaf Nelson | $2,357 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $219,700 | $186,947 | -14.9% |
Alerts Sign-up