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In 2021, 52 farmers in cities within Dallam County received a total of $1.8 million in 102 farm subsidies, a 64.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $4.9 million in 176 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| RNB Farms JV | $162,883 | $346,851 | 112.9% |
| Bezner Cattle, LLC | $1,045,612 | $211,719 | -79.8% |
| Bezner Partnership | $379,034 | $126,554 | -66.6% |
| H & H Farms | $109,364 | $124,183 | 13.6% |
| Barry L Poling Corporation | $242,923 | $116,890 | -51.9% |
| Arrow Cattle | $523,465 | $110,702 | -78.9% |
| Todd W. Tamplin | $131,454 | $93,551 | -28.8% |
| Baxa Agent Services, LLC | $204,248 | $64,949 | -68.2% |
| BP Agent, LLC | $266,158 | $58,556 | -78% |
| Gareth Eicher | $85,706 | $30,107 | -64.9% |
| Ronald Coulter | $18,756 | $26,374 | 40.6% |
| Ajat Farming, LLC | $0 | $25,589 | -- |
| Barbara Campsey | $50,913 | $25,255 | -50.4% |
| Sherwin Koehn | $86,965 | $25,222 | -71% |
| Kelly Koehn | $0 | $23,695 | -- |
| Stateline Cattle Company, LLC | $54,875 | $23,250 | -57.6% |
| Bezner/Farris Joint Venture | $55,517 | $22,450 | -59.6% |
| M V S D Corporation | $59,422 | $22,109 | -62.8% |
| Delbert Becker | $64,037 | $21,029 | -67.2% |
| Bezner Cattle/Grain, Inc. | $94,755 | $20,367 | -78.5% |
| State Line Farms, LLC | $84,672 | $19,539 | -76.9% |
| Valley View Partnership | $46,271 | $19,048 | -58.8% |
| Ryan Koehn | $49,917 | $18,560 | -62.8% |
| Ridgel D. Koehn | $43,161 | $15,292 | -64.6% |
| Jeffrey D. Becker | $68,041 | $14,919 | -78.1% |
| Mitchel Bezner | $27,680 | $14,301 | -48.3% |
| Stephen Bezner | $27,625 | $14,301 | -48.2% |
| Sam Koehn | $45,907 | $13,389 | -70.8% |
| Bradley Ray Gard | $105,962 | $12,572 | -88.1% |
| Bezner Sage, LLC | $67,149 | $12,214 | -81.8% |
| Ryan Blaine Diller | $0 | $10,609 | -- |
| Clark A. Becker | $20,655 | $9,766 | -52.7% |
| AC/DC Farms, Ltd. | $31,277 | $9,757 | -68.8% |
| Kody Allan Frerich | $39,311 | $9,597 | -75.6% |
| Thomas H. Davis Jr. | $38,956 | $8,785 | -77.4% |
| Lloyd Coulter | $7,375 | $7,375 | 0% |
| Nicholas Scott Ensz | $43,816 | $7,164 | -83.6% |
| Lewis E. Crum | $22,700 | $5,859 | -74.2% |
| David S. Higgins | $19,215 | $3,763 | -80.4% |
| Howard Lynn Ballew | $2,963 | $2,963 | 0% |
| Renzeb, LLC | $23,122 | $2,787 | -87.9% |
| Lance Schmidt | $4,594 | $2,400 | -47.8% |
| Woodrow R. Day | $7,092 | $1,830 | -74.2% |
| Charles D. Koehn | $9,699 | $1,533 | -84.2% |
| Ethel M. Benningfield | $1,927 | $866 | -55.1% |
| Harold G. Koehn | $6,734 | $846 | -87.4% |
| Elwood D. Smith | $4,059 | $835 | -79.4% |
| Clara Cowan | $11,511 | $619 | -94.6% |
| Austin J. Sage | $4,213 | $606 | -85.6% |
| Shane David Hartman | $2,244 | $590 | -73.7% |
| Tyson Jon Eicher | $638 | $138 | -78.4% |
| Gary Callis | $6,954 | $119 | -98.3% |
| Benjamin Bezner | $5,885 | $0 | -100% |
| Brett L. Poling | $7,693 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary Eicher | $3,080 | $0 | -100% |
| J. W. McClellan Jr. | $2,714 | $0 | -100% |
| Jayme Poole Rittenberry | $389,920 | $0 | -100% |
| Jody Nikkel | $9,900 | $0 | -100% |
| John R. Holland | $5,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth Diller | $1,400 | $0 | -100% |
| Kevin Lee Kenney | $256 | $0 | -100% |
| Quigley Sheep Company | $8,728 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $4,946,203 | $1,762,344 | -64.4% |
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