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In 2021, 94 farmers in cities within Sioux County received a total of $2.9 million in 225 farm subsidies, a 31.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $4.2 million in 286 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott K. Schaefer | $159,828 | $230,886 | 44.5% |
| Broken Arrow Livestock, Inc. | $399,511 | $202,812 | -49.2% |
| Michael N. Wickersham | $0 | $162,548 | -- |
| Joshua T Skavdahl | $234,014 | $152,831 | -34.7% |
| Grays Angus, LLC | $191,610 | $135,719 | -29.2% |
| Charles Skavdahl | $211,148 | $125,976 | -40.3% |
| Margaret Smith | $0 | $125,420 | -- |
| Gale Henry | $116,405 | $91,545 | -21.4% |
| Michael L. Bannan | $85,264 | $83,621 | -1.9% |
| Jeffrey W. Pelster | $98,524 | $79,426 | -19.4% |
| Naomi L. Pelster | $98,579 | $79,426 | -19.4% |
| Ellicott Hereford Ranch, Inc. | $163,893 | $79,321 | -51.6% |
| William Skavdahl | $171,341 | $71,151 | -58.5% |
| The Jory, Corp. | $0 | $67,554 | -- |
| Dunn Ranch, Inc. | $71,475 | $54,347 | -24% |
| Caitlin E. Schaefer | $0 | $50,000 | -- |
| Lane Grote | $50,528 | $48,614 | -3.8% |
| Six Bar Ranch | $0 | $48,472 | -- |
| Andrew J. Federle | $81,441 | $46,306 | -43.1% |
| Kirk M Semroska | $79,841 | $45,329 | -43.2% |
| Monte Hamaker | $63,050 | $45,134 | -28.4% |
| Robbin Oldaker | $39,962 | $43,970 | 10% |
| James L. Bannan | $60,332 | $43,861 | -27.3% |
| Todd Semroska | $55,679 | $43,263 | -22.3% |
| Jess Holmgren | $55,231 | $37,915 | -31.4% |
| Schnurr Ranch, LLC | $43,983 | $37,830 | -14% |
| JWG, Inc. | $60,166 | $36,747 | -38.9% |
| Skavdahl Bros, Inc. | $105,820 | $34,474 | -67.4% |
| Squaw Creek Ranch | $37,163 | $33,411 | -10.1% |
| Gerald Griesse | $34,826 | $32,729 | -6% |
| William H. Wilson | $33,451 | $32,398 | -3.1% |
| W S & B Livestock, LLC | $115,423 | $30,560 | -73.5% |
| Jacqueline M. Buhr | $33,990 | $29,614 | -12.9% |
| Laurel Ginkens | $49,246 | $25,960 | -47.3% |
| Mark Zimmerman | $27,437 | $24,908 | -9.2% |
| Terence Gillett | $31,944 | $24,717 | -22.6% |
| Sean M. Grote | $26,824 | $23,673 | -11.7% |
| Daniel T. Jordan | $11,924 | $21,183 | 77.7% |
| Cody E. Oldaker | $50,319 | $20,651 | -59% |
| Faron R. Cross | $20,933 | $18,848 | -10% |
| Willie R. Grimm | $16,710 | $15,012 | -10.2% |
| Trenton M. Bannan | $14,849 | $14,720 | -0.9% |
| Douglas P. Buckley | $18,447 | $14,109 | -23.5% |
| William B Huntrods | $19,045 | $13,542 | -28.9% |
| Tom W. Lambert | $51,353 | $13,179 | -74.3% |
| Jonathan D. Woodrum | $8,470 | $12,644 | 49.3% |
| Phillip H Skavdahl | $16,021 | $11,852 | -26% |
| Coffee and Son, Inc. | $35,796 | $11,368 | -68.2% |
| Crystal J. Jordan | $0 | $11,046 | -- |
| Heath W. Gray | $27,139 | $10,849 | -60% |
| Duane Grimm | $42,769 | $10,353 | -75.8% |
| Kathy Nunn | $7,755 | $10,192 | 31.4% |
| Donna Sue Willey | $48,602 | $9,608 | -80.2% |
| Josh J. Dunn | $43,296 | $9,503 | -78.1% |
| Billy G. Mack | $12,506 | $9,105 | -27.2% |
| Slim Reece | $9,427 | $8,305 | -11.9% |
| Raymond Haworth | $16,069 | $6,832 | -57.5% |
| Adam Edmund | $13,269 | $6,722 | -49.3% |
| Holmgren Cattle Company, Inc. | $14,043 | $6,722 | -52.1% |
| Montana Button | $8,352 | $5,897 | -29.4% |
| Glen Petersen | $8,184 | $5,175 | -36.8% |
| Colleen Mitchell | $5,777 | $4,343 | -24.8% |
| Chad L. Bannan | $16,468 | $4,184 | -74.6% |
| Gary Thayer | $7,649 | $4,139 | -45.9% |
| Steve Rudloff | $2,695 | $4,078 | 51.3% |
| Laura K. Gray | $0 | $3,912 | -- |
| Garret F. Gray | $39,499 | $3,588 | -90.9% |
| Barbara Engebretsen | $1,995 | $3,477 | 74.3% |
| John L Deganhart | $0 | $3,462 | -- |
| Clint Nunn | $2,420 | $3,319 | 37.1% |
| Michael E. Corbin | $21,096 | $2,809 | -86.7% |
| Lee Wurdeman | $13,189 | $2,643 | -80% |
| Justin D. Harkless | $2,046 | $2,457 | 20.1% |
| Christopher W. Juhnke | $15,580 | $2,450 | -84.3% |
| Mary Lou Federle Estate | $0 | $2,351 | -- |
| Fox Ranch, LLC | $2,168 | $2,101 | -3.1% |
| Steven L. Westover | $9,163 | $1,974 | -78.5% |
| Garrette W. Naillon | $8,448 | $1,735 | -79.5% |
| Doris Wickersham | $4,719 | $1,648 | -65.1% |
| Kyle S. Westover | $7,117 | $1,458 | -79.5% |
| Donald Mack | $6,895 | $1,212 | -82.4% |
| Kari Monroe | $7,150 | $968 | -86.5% |
| Manuel Monserrate III | $4,995 | $946 | -81.1% |
| Kody Devries | $0 | $936 | -- |
| Colt M. Gray | $2,343 | $886 | -62.2% |
| Sheena Semroska | $4,528 | $754 | -83.3% |
| Sarah C. Bannan | $1,859 | $457 | -75.4% |
| Brad Thayer | $1,694 | $455 | -73.1% |
| Emily Jean Semroska | $1,749 | $350 | -80% |
| Nickolas Buckley | $1,452 | $301 | -79.3% |
| Edgar Hatch | $2,283 | $171 | -92.5% |
| Amber Skavdahl | $847 | $170 | -79.9% |
| Patricia E Skavdahl | $471 | $56 | -88.1% |
| Shane Gluth | $242 | $48 | -80.2% |
| Eli Knapp | $5,181 | $0 | -100% |
| Geiser Ranch, Inc. | $3,048 | $0 | -100% |
| Joey Stecher | $4,314 | $0 | -100% |
| John W. Geiser Jr. | $1,245 | $0 | -100% |
| Jory, Corp. | $111,216 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph T Skavdahl | $35,910 | $0 | -100% |
| Kody DE Vries | $4,631 | $0 | -100% |
| Mike Wickersham | $179,349 | $0 | -100% |
| Nathan Woodrum | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Security First Bank | $69,806 | $0 | -100% |
| Sheila Dawn DE Vries | $2,618 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $4,218,107 | $2,903,723 | -31.2% |
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