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In 2021, 72 farmers in cities within Comal County received a total of $198,420 in 116 farm subsidies, a 56.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $453,442 in 214 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank a Olson Estate | $23,155 | $22,259 | -3.9% |
| Dean Sons | $0 | $18,223 | -- |
| Lanny R. Terry | $8,847 | $8,846 | -0% |
| Peter-the Heinz Family Living Trust | $8,053 | $8,053 | 0% |
| L & D Development, LLC | $0 | $8,042 | -- |
| W & R Farm and Ranches, LLC | $47,019 | $6,298 | -86.6% |
| Probst Family, LLLP | $0 | $6,062 | -- |
| Melvin Lin Wilson | $37,976 | $6,018 | -84.2% |
| Patricia A. Haney | $6,870 | $5,658 | -17.6% |
| James R. Klar | $12,029 | $5,466 | -54.6% |
| Letbetter Farm, LLC | $13,104 | $5,087 | -61.2% |
| Edward L. la Grone Jr. | $8,845 | $4,734 | -46.5% |
| Lydia Schmalstieg | $8,544 | $4,507 | -47.2% |
| Jimmie C. Cone III | $8,216 | $4,484 | -45.4% |
| Roger W. Parker | $7,605 | $4,352 | -42.8% |
| Ruth A. Barton | $6,392 | $3,851 | -39.8% |
| Jane Tinney | $6,402 | $3,836 | -40.1% |
| MRK Development, LLC | $36,159 | $3,624 | -90% |
| Mary Nell Collins | $3,454 | $3,606 | 4.4% |
| Lavonne Coke | $0 | $3,476 | -- |
| Stockton Trust for Leveridge Lyle Pryor | $0 | $3,345 | -- |
| Elgin G. Schwarz | $3,413 | $3,135 | -8.1% |
| Lee Moczygemba | $9,848 | $3,085 | -68.7% |
| Charles H. Georg | $1,276 | $2,995 | 134.7% |
| Madeleine E. White | $3,504 | $2,978 | -15% |
| William W. Tokheim | $3,073 | $2,876 | -6.4% |
| R&K Probst Family Farms, LLLP | $2,644 | $2,844 | 7.6% |
| Rosemary Laubach | $2,632 | $2,682 | 1.9% |
| L S Stockton Estate Trust FBO Leveridge L Pryor | $0 | $2,518 | -- |
| William Malstaff Estate | $2,638 | $2,386 | -9.6% |
| Judy Lee Malina Grantor Trust | $3,718 | $2,359 | -36.6% |
| Mike Wilkerson | $1,923 | $2,307 | 20% |
| Duggan Investments, LLC | $2,202 | $2,202 | 0% |
| Josiah P. Taylor IV | $9,944 | $2,145 | -78.4% |
| Marcel H Fischbacher Estate | $8,978 | $2,136 | -76.2% |
| Larry Munkres | $2,120 | $2,120 | 0% |
| Georgia Davis | $4,190 | $1,934 | -53.8% |
| Paul F. Hoffmann | $0 | $1,809 | -- |
| Kevy Allred | $7,723 | $1,577 | -79.6% |
| Walter B. Burns III | $1,426 | $1,426 | 0% |
| Jarrod Burns | $3,979 | $1,367 | -65.6% |
| Mark G. Matlock | $2,995 | $1,278 | -57.3% |
| Larry Klekar | $2,246 | $1,109 | -50.6% |
| Brown-Ullrich Valley Farm Partnership, LP | $0 | $1,044 | -- |
| Ramon Hinojosa | $2,055 | $1,006 | -51% |
| Winnie L. Burgess | $0 | $715 | -- |
| Amanda Diane Mills | $0 | $669 | -- |
| Helen Jordan Fam F. Tr | $2,570 | $663 | -74.2% |
| Marilyn Handy | $2,303 | $618 | -73.2% |
| Theresa Bishop | $1,425 | $527 | -63% |
| Darrell N. Berry | $1,820 | $471 | -74.1% |
| Andrew L. Boss Jr. | $495 | $470 | -5.1% |
| Kathryn Boone | $754 | $348 | -53.8% |
| Steven A. McCleskey | $517 | $332 | -35.8% |
| Lawrence H. Forster | $968 | $306 | -68.4% |
| Betty Dephillips | $0 | $295 | -- |
| David Keller | $218 | $284 | 30.3% |
| Susan Macy-the S M Management Trust | $220 | $220 | 0% |
| Michael Reininger | $638 | $190 | -70.2% |
| Bettie M. Boyd | $279 | $167 | -40.1% |
| Ann M. Knox | $658 | $164 | -75.1% |
| Karen Kautz-King | $871 | $162 | -81.4% |
| Jeffrey W. Herrold | $234 | $129 | -44.9% |
| David Jean Anderson | $839 | $114 | -86.4% |
| Jerry W. Moore | $384 | $89 | -76.8% |
| Tammy Rusher | $271 | $73 | -73.1% |
| Cheryl J. Cunningham | $173 | $64 | -63% |
| Randal Keith Leblanc | $204 | $47 | -77% |
| Flemington E Pryor JR | $2,805 | $47 | -98.3% |
| Terry Halty Kennemer | $49 | $43 | -12.2% |
| James F. Joslyn | $6,673 | $38 | -99.4% |
| Clinton M. Harper | $76 | $30 | -60.5% |
| Brown-Ullrich Valley Farm Partner | $2,727 | $0 | -100% |
| Dwayne E. Jones | $784 | $0 | -100% |
| Irvin Hart Trust | $30,150 | $0 | -100% |
| Rodney Magee | $527 | $0 | -100% |
| William Malstaff | $4,231 | $0 | -100% |
| Burl Hash | $262 | $0 | -100% |
| Caleb Powell | $452 | $0 | -100% |
| Dillon Dee Krause | $2,145 | $0 | -100% |
| Don Longhofer | $5,682 | $0 | -100% |
| James W. Allen | $182 | $0 | -100% |
| Janet M. Killen | $549 | $0 | -100% |
| Jo Anne Moore | $4,172 | $0 | -100% |
| Karen Baker | $3,852 | $0 | -100% |
| L S Stockton Estate Trust FBO Lev | $3,697 | $0 | -100% |
| Marilyn Watson Johnson | $2,016 | $0 | -100% |
| MRS Alayna Smith Yager | $1,966 | $0 | -100% |
| MRS L S Stockton Estate Trust FBO | $32,093 | $0 | -100% |
| Stockton Trust for Leveridge Lyle | $4,758 | $0 | -100% |
| Florene P. Robinson Estate | $183 | $0 | -100% |
| Clay Cunningham | $492 | $0 | -100% |
| Cynthia Botard | $688 | $0 | -100% |
| Susan Alicia Mast Bell Protection | $1,193 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $453,442 | $198,420 | -56.2% |
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