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In 2021, 105 farmers in cities within Polk County received a total of $3.1 million in 165 farm subsidies, a 29.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $4.4 million in 223 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riddell Farms, Inc. | $88,168 | $400,155 | 353.9% |
| Willamette Valley Farms, LLC | $55,025 | $275,487 | 400.7% |
| Rainbow Hill Ranch, Inc. | $57,270 | $253,702 | 343% |
| Rickreall Dairy, LLC | $1,028,594 | $149,746 | -85.4% |
| Kirk C. Fast | $24,353 | $137,337 | 463.9% |
| Denny L. Wilfong | $0 | $135,114 | -- |
| Sterling Seed Company, LLC | $0 | $127,533 | -- |
| Platts Turner Farm, LLC | $0 | $121,008 | -- |
| Platts Oak Hill Dairy, LLC | $1,000,000 | $120,758 | -87.9% |
| Pacific Farms Company, LLC | $62,967 | $98,784 | 56.9% |
| Elmer Stoller Farms, Inc. | $33,749 | $96,508 | 186% |
| Howard E. Schwanke | $55,937 | $80,479 | 43.9% |
| Dustin Wilfong | $12,922 | $71,636 | 454.4% |
| Quiring Farms, LLC | $41,783 | $71,212 | 70.4% |
| Leo Mulkey, Inc. | $0 | $69,727 | -- |
| Randy Rohde | $0 | $69,449 | -- |
| Foulke Family Farm, Inc. | $0 | $58,757 | -- |
| Douglas L. Fast | $54,333 | $57,296 | 5.5% |
| Gahlsdorf Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Paul Mulkey Jr. | $0 | $51,374 | -- |
| Dean L. Freeborn | $26,032 | $49,265 | 89.2% |
| Majestic Oak Farm, Inc. | $0 | $47,502 | -- |
| JD Kirk & Sons, Inc. | $6,724 | $45,889 | 582.5% |
| Donal G. MacCarthy | $3,025 | $42,192 | 1,294.8% |
| Hal Stapleton Jr. | $3,389 | $42,003 | 1,139.4% |
| Marx Family Farms, Inc. | $2,404 | $40,268 | 1,575% |
| William S. Stapleton | $5,144 | $38,355 | 645.6% |
| Claude Freeborn | $22,101 | $31,278 | 41.5% |
| Kelly G. Gordon | $10,705 | $26,766 | 150% |
| Kathleen M. Hadley | $10,065 | $24,588 | 144.3% |
| Coffman Farms, LLC | $73,007 | $22,669 | -68.9% |
| Curtiss R Richmond Revoc Trustee | $14,152 | $18,260 | 29% |
| Tony Heide | $470 | $16,667 | 3,446.2% |
| Willamette Legacy Cellars, Inc. | $0 | $13,699 | -- |
| Lamb Family Revocable Living Trust | $0 | $13,033 | -- |
| Daniel W. Smith | $10,968 | $12,240 | 11.6% |
| John William Lekkerkerker | $0 | $11,004 | -- |
| Cooper Hollow Vineyards, LLC | $0 | $10,019 | -- |
| Kendall P. Cates | $9,509 | $9,509 | 0% |
| Left Coast Cellars, LLC | $90,785 | $9,087 | -90% |
| Thomas Robert Burger | $585 | $9,038 | 1,445% |
| Terry Gene Stutzman | $1,048 | $8,150 | 677.7% |
| Helen J Gordon Revocable Family Trust | $0 | $7,786 | -- |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $7,500 | -- |
| Vernon Esplin | $5,901 | $5,901 | 0% |
| Dino Marinelli | $5,537 | $5,537 | 0% |
| Michelle a Burger | $0 | $4,876 | -- |
| June Stapleton | $9,535 | $4,664 | -51.1% |
| Wayne Casey Nutsch Rev Trustee | $3,373 | $4,063 | 20.5% |
| E E Krug, LLC | $7,875 | $3,968 | -49.6% |
| Diana C. Blair | $3,710 | $3,710 | 0% |
| Carolyn M Stump Residuary Trust | $7,216 | $3,608 | -50% |
| David G. Stump | $8,099 | $3,608 | -55.5% |
| G. C. Gorham Jr. | $0 | $3,536 | -- |
| Marjorie Horst | $0 | $3,302 | -- |
| Olin S. Allen III | $350 | $2,954 | 744% |
| Michael A. Atherton | $21,660 | $2,941 | -86.4% |
| Majestic Nut and Vine, LLC | $0 | $2,859 | -- |
| Leonard L. Gilson | $1,331 | $2,851 | 114.2% |
| Hylah Ruth Furnish | $0 | $2,835 | -- |
| Chad W. Woods | $3,993 | $2,134 | -46.6% |
| Kenneth A. Fletcher | $1,982 | $1,982 | 0% |
| Clarence Villwock | $6,364 | $1,960 | -69.2% |
| Turnbull Living Trust-Thomas G Turnbull | $4,439 | $1,826 | -58.9% |
| Sometimes a Grape Notion, LLC | $0 | $1,652 | -- |
| Gerald Freeman II | $17,628 | $1,630 | -90.8% |
| Robert W. Gray | $0 | $1,574 | -- |
| David Hiebenthal JR | $1,056 | $1,467 | 38.9% |
| B. M. Hanson | $6,218 | $1,314 | -78.9% |
| Claude White | $6,296 | $1,306 | -79.3% |
| Shady Place, LLC | $1,297 | $1,297 | 0% |
| Janice M. Marx | $3,747 | $1,014 | -72.9% |
| Dean Dodson | $3,474 | $918 | -73.6% |
| Ronald L. Nestlerode | $907 | $907 | 0% |
| Lynn M Jillions | $905 | $905 | 0% |
| Kathleen Foisie | $795 | $795 | 0% |
| Mark D. Lafayette | $1,597 | $782 | -51% |
| Weisensee Graham, Inc. | $728 | $728 | 0% |
| Mary Anna Enderle | $702 | $702 | 0% |
| Samuel E. Wall | $1,920 | $646 | -66.4% |
| James Smith | $668 | $552 | -17.4% |
| DE Armond Road Farm, Inc. | $0 | $500 | -- |
| K & J Farms, LLC | $947 | $462 | -51.2% |
| Jeffry L. Havlin | $24,403 | $436 | -98.2% |
| Carlyle Kanode | $407 | $407 | 0% |
| Alan J Jaskoski | $815 | $402 | -50.7% |
| Paul Kovash | $1,252 | $368 | -70.6% |
| Victoria Avery | $1,298 | $364 | -72% |
| Janis a Gumpinger - Janis a Gumpinger Revocable Living Trust | $356 | $356 | 0% |
| John E. And Gloria S. Macnab Revocable Living Trus | $0 | $340 | -- |
| River Wood Acres, LLC | $576 | $282 | -51% |
| James D. Wilson | $539 | $264 | -51% |
| Jean E. Runkle | $257 | $257 | 0% |
| Franklin F. Wall | $0 | $235 | -- |
| Wayne L. Osborn | $437 | $194 | -55.6% |
| L John Engelien | $0 | $184 | -- |
| Kristin L. Heath | $303 | $148 | -51.2% |
| James R Hubele-James & Katherine Hubele Family TRST | $342 | $96 | -71.9% |
| Nancy A. Roufs | $278 | $92 | -66.9% |
| Madeline Hall | $496 | $91 | -81.7% |
| Gerald Weisensee Living Trust | $69 | $69 | 0% |
| Stephanie Cameron-Barth | $169 | $54 | -68% |
| Terry Gene Noreen Sr. | $105 | $47 | -55.2% |
| Joyce A. Finegan | $3,968 | $43 | -98.9% |
| Paul Darrell Ohnmacht | $113 | $42 | -62.8% |
| Amalie Robert Estate, LLC | $19,616 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles Wyant | $17,050 | $0 | -100% |
| David Mingo | $2,640 | $0 | -100% |
| Diane L Beirwagen | $2,338 | $0 | -100% |
| Elliott Farms, Inc. | $122,859 | $0 | -100% |
| Fred R. Jaeger | $287 | $0 | -100% |
| Freedom Hill Vineyard, Inc. | $82,811 | $0 | -100% |
| John E and Gloria S Macnab RLT | $694 | $0 | -100% |
| Juan Carlos Sanchez Alvarez | $19,390 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Hugh Muller | $67 | $0 | -100% |
| Maria L. Alago | $498 | $0 | -100% |
| Peters Century Farm, LLC | $3,233 | $0 | -100% |
| Randall W. Brown | $1,193 | $0 | -100% |
| Reine Thomas Land, LLC | $684 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard A. Moore | $559 | $0 | -100% |
| Tommy Finegan | $718 | $0 | -100% |
| Wake Robin Vineyards of Oregon LL | $16,819 | $0 | -100% |
| Black Sea Fisheries, Inc. | $250,000 | $0 | -100% |
| Blue Heron Farm, LLC | $592,421 | $0 | -100% |
| Margarett E Knecht Family Trust | $29,052 | $0 | -100% |
| Sangarann Farms, Inc. | $12,359 | $0 | -100% |
| Audrey E. Cameron | $167 | $0 | -100% |
| Auer Farms, LLC | $3,180 | $0 | -100% |
| Double J Jerseys, Inc. | $55,421 | $0 | -100% |
| Gerald R. Tarter | $2,079 | $0 | -100% |
| Hamilton Orchards, LLC | $6,818 | $0 | -100% |
| Helmick Hill Farm, Inc. | $9,291 | $0 | -100% |
| Lamb Family Revocable Living Trus | $13,033 | $0 | -100% |
| Lucky Crow Farm, LLC | $6,025 | $0 | -100% |
| Lucky Nut Farms, LLC | $23,110 | $0 | -100% |
| Mathany Family Farms, LLC | $10,676 | $0 | -100% |
| Melody Barrett | $1,510 | $0 | -100% |
| Norbert Hartmann | $4,737 | $0 | -100% |
| Norman Lewis Baldwin | $23 | $0 | -100% |
| Randy Flaming | $1,771 | $0 | -100% |
| Windenhill, LLC | $1,567 | $0 | -100% |
| Continental Shelf, Inc. | $7,334 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward E. Johnson | $48 | $0 | -100% |
| Holmes Gap Vineyard, LLC | $9,711 | $0 | -100% |
| Johan Vineyards, LLC | $42,965 | $0 | -100% |
| Mountain Spring Farms, LLC | $9,491 | $0 | -100% |
| Pacific Coast Farms, LLC | $52,188 | $0 | -100% |
| Willamette Valley Seed Farms, Inc. | $19,969 | $0 | -100% |
| William W. Farmer | $179 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $4,438,228 | $3,148,741 | -29.1% |
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