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In 2021, 78 farmers in cities within San Augustine County received a total of $863,770 in 89 farm subsidies, a 49.7% increase from 2020, when the total was $576,957 in 142 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John F. Henly | $0 | $92,087 | -- |
| Patricia E. Blount | $0 | $64,540 | -- |
| Prairie Creek Farms, LLC | $0 | $60,840 | -- |
| Pham Dinh Corporation | $0 | $56,529 | -- |
| Cedrick Holman | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| God & Evad, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Jepathy C Lee | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Nh Ranch Lp | $36,999 | $50,136 | 35.5% |
| Barry G. Welch | $12,441 | $46,992 | 277.7% |
| Thomas Wallace | $0 | $46,692 | -- |
| Arrow Farms, LLC | $0 | $42,822 | -- |
| Richard Dominey Logging | $0 | $36,417 | -- |
| Chau Ngoc, LLC | $0 | $25,496 | -- |
| Fred Dade | $0 | $20,119 | -- |
| Jack B. Nichols | $14,982 | $14,254 | -4.9% |
| Maurice Parks | $0 | $12,658 | -- |
| Boswell Farm Operations, LLC | $10,360 | $11,348 | 9.5% |
| Clifford L. Kingsley | $5,280 | $6,359 | 20.4% |
| JBM Cattle Company, LLC | $27,118 | $6,279 | -76.8% |
| Shane Martin Smith | $0 | $5,830 | -- |
| Cleve Brad Haley | $5,480 | $5,480 | 0% |
| Mathews Cattle, LLC | $31,713 | $5,479 | -82.7% |
| Dusty Lout Agri Services LP | $26,105 | $4,797 | -81.6% |
| Alton Charles Alford | $22,800 | $4,660 | -79.6% |
| Pay Day Bulls, LLC | $20,063 | $4,527 | -77.4% |
| Blount Farm, LLC | $16,863 | $4,501 | -73.3% |
| Randy Isenblitter | $27,316 | $4,194 | -84.6% |
| William C. Richards | $18,993 | $4,032 | -78.8% |
| S. J. Butler | $3,234 | $4,024 | 24.4% |
| Edward McEachern | $16,379 | $3,352 | -79.5% |
| Nelson Byley | $20,410 | $3,306 | -83.8% |
| Michael Riggins | $20,922 | $3,058 | -85.4% |
| Wesley Keith Bennefield | $25,915 | $2,951 | -88.6% |
| Dan Fussell | $11,965 | $2,568 | -78.5% |
| Bennis P. Steptoe | $11,539 | $2,464 | -78.6% |
| Kenneth J. Stanley | $7,108 | $2,386 | -66.4% |
| John-Henry Nico Birdwell | $18,735 | $2,381 | -87.3% |
| Joseph Lee Seale | $10,604 | $2,318 | -78.1% |
| David McEachern | $9,702 | $2,214 | -77.2% |
| Mark Bohannon | $0 | $2,200 | -- |
| R. D. Griffin Jr. | $2,046 | $2,178 | 6.5% |
| Dixie Miller | $1,644 | $2,110 | 28.3% |
| Pete Mancill | $8,701 | $2,093 | -75.9% |
| Welmer Byers | $7,051 | $1,960 | -72.2% |
| Linda Lee Alexander | $0 | $1,870 | -- |
| Gary Aiken | $11,376 | $1,789 | -84.3% |
| Robert E. Birdwell | $7,634 | $1,626 | -78.7% |
| Joe Bill Poss | $7,227 | $1,540 | -78.7% |
| Glen Benefield | $4,686 | $1,156 | -75.3% |
| B & B Land & Cattle | $4,103 | $1,141 | -72.2% |
| Mike Fussell | $5,657 | $1,134 | -80% |
| RL Cattle Company | $1,716 | $1,026 | -40.2% |
| William Keith Davis | $4,719 | $1,018 | -78.4% |
| Charles V. Watson | $4,246 | $1,010 | -76.2% |
| Charles D. Boyette | $5,879 | $982 | -83.3% |
| Tressie Carpenter Simon | $1,265 | $973 | -23.1% |
| Douglas Kelly Parker | $4,774 | $921 | -80.7% |
| Cody Leon Walton | $2,310 | $859 | -62.8% |
| Jordan Washington | $2,091 | $849 | -59.4% |
| Donald Mills | $3,509 | $841 | -76% |
| Virginia Sue Collins | $2,583 | $793 | -69.3% |
| Clifton R. Nichols | $3,014 | $689 | -77.1% |
| Jimmy Dail Williams | $3,923 | $686 | -82.5% |
| Ronald Hasken | $3,333 | $675 | -79.7% |
| Monte Carlos Taylor | $3,555 | $539 | -84.8% |
| Jared Nichols | $2,728 | $502 | -81.6% |
| Susan M. Lewis | $2,200 | $450 | -79.5% |
| Jed B. Smith | $924 | $448 | -51.5% |
| Stephnea Mills | $759 | $397 | -47.7% |
| Coy J. Boswell III | $2,447 | $380 | -84.5% |
| Colonie Tate JR | $792 | $363 | -54.2% |
| John F. Sharp | $924 | $360 | -61% |
| Issac Demings | $2,019 | $349 | -82.7% |
| Michael L. Marshburn | $858 | $326 | -62% |
| Robert A. Garsee | $495 | $259 | -47.7% |
| Edwin Henly | $968 | $225 | -76.8% |
| Ronnie L. Jones | $1,001 | $186 | -81.4% |
| Lonzo Giles | $1,178 | $152 | -87.1% |
| Ronald D. Bennefield | $11,642 | $0 | -100% |
| L. J. Smith | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Shanna G. Partin | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Tressie C. Simon | $5,204 | $0 | -100% |
| William E. Taylor Jr. | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $576,957 | $863,770 | 49.7% |
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