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In 2021, 148 farmers in cities within Big Stone County received a total of $4.1 million in 372 farm subsidies, a 56.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $9.3 million in 739 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Herberg | $281,565 | $292,936 | 4% |
| Dale Edward Zych | $386,075 | $283,428 | -26.6% |
| Dale J. Haukos | $262,442 | $145,660 | -44.5% |
| Bruce Herberg | $115,480 | $132,654 | 14.9% |
| Christine Zych | $169,000 | $118,787 | -29.7% |
| Loren & Renae Pederson JT Venture | $297,358 | $93,612 | -68.5% |
| G&M Krogsrud Brothers Farms, LLC | $103,856 | $86,239 | -17% |
| Gary A. Smith | $162,527 | $84,164 | -48.2% |
| Richard Guse | $107,605 | $80,116 | -25.5% |
| Gerald L. Murphy | $163,905 | $76,715 | -53.2% |
| Randall B. Larson | $196,551 | $68,900 | -64.9% |
| Douglas M. Larson | $196,518 | $68,867 | -65% |
| Timothy J. Meyer | $92,965 | $67,527 | -27.4% |
| Chet Larson | $96,016 | $67,256 | -30% |
| Jeff Herberg | $121,150 | $60,911 | -49.7% |
| Sarah Jean Goodhart | $59,614 | $57,974 | -2.8% |
| Wayne Roy Goodhart | $59,614 | $57,974 | -2.8% |
| Wayne Raymond Zych | $149,722 | $52,417 | -65% |
| Steven K. Schirm | $134,360 | $49,688 | -63% |
| Richard Ehrenberg | $37,224 | $48,826 | 31.2% |
| Matthew Meyer | $82,544 | $48,775 | -40.9% |
| Goodhart Farms, Inc. | $63,232 | $48,716 | -23% |
| Douglas J. Jahnke | $134,186 | $47,490 | -64.6% |
| Michael J. O'Neill | $100,582 | $47,441 | -52.8% |
| Darrell Holtz | $164,066 | $47,037 | -71.3% |
| Mark Findlay | $151,464 | $46,678 | -69.2% |
| Ronald Schmidt | $59,342 | $43,821 | -26.2% |
| Scott Andrews | $120,903 | $43,033 | -64.4% |
| Karen Andrews | $120,902 | $43,032 | -64.4% |
| Robert L. Schmitz | $104,797 | $42,560 | -59.4% |
| Randal Rolfsmeier | $137,148 | $40,527 | -70.5% |
| Shirley A. Johnson | $40,494 | $40,422 | -0.2% |
| James B. Stotesbery | $130,493 | $40,191 | -69.2% |
| William C. Fuhrman | $140,157 | $38,383 | -72.6% |
| Klemm Farms, Inc. | $135,084 | $38,345 | -71.6% |
| Sheldon Eric Zych | $80,501 | $38,020 | -52.8% |
| Caleb Haukos | $104,306 | $37,459 | -64.1% |
| Justin Bakeberg | $77,769 | $35,257 | -54.7% |
| William Pansch | $39,029 | $34,771 | -10.9% |
| Diekmann Farms, Inc. | $962,685 | $34,327 | -96.4% |
| Dean Ballhagen | $56,785 | $33,153 | -41.6% |
| Jacob V. Danielson Jr. | $33,921 | $33,073 | -2.5% |
| Tristen W. Zych | $117,137 | $32,632 | -72.1% |
| Nicholas Findlay | $104,071 | $32,107 | -69.1% |
| Hamner Grain Farm, Inc. | $113,081 | $31,619 | -72% |
| Greg Sykora | $75,083 | $30,963 | -58.8% |
| Jason Murphy | $89,379 | $30,004 | -66.4% |
| Pat Homan | $60,924 | $29,731 | -51.2% |
| Nancy Deutsch | $28,880 | $28,880 | 0% |
| Ryan Jay Murphy | $86,002 | $26,767 | -68.9% |
| Thomas E. Holker | $96,221 | $26,270 | -72.7% |
| Jerome Schwagerl | $44,923 | $25,724 | -42.7% |
| Daniel R. Wiese | $22,528 | $25,671 | 14% |
| Keith Homan | $88,422 | $24,542 | -72.2% |
| Patrick Maanum | $77,427 | $24,297 | -68.6% |
| Randy Erickson | $50,895 | $23,929 | -53% |
| Roger Rheingans | $49,405 | $23,845 | -51.7% |
| John Jensen | $12,346 | $23,524 | 90.5% |
| Timothy a Gronfeld | $60,064 | $23,179 | -61.4% |
| Francis Sykora | $46,607 | $21,946 | -52.9% |
| Craig R. Danielson | $88,378 | $21,885 | -75.2% |
| Robin Kellen | $94,380 | $21,828 | -76.9% |
| Chad Thomas Holtz | $67,937 | $21,432 | -68.5% |
| Ryan L. Pederson | $100,302 | $20,222 | -79.8% |
| Dennis Kvatum | $15,969 | $19,879 | 24.5% |
| Kyle D. McKinley | $33,301 | $18,412 | -44.7% |
| Kenneth Hendricks | $22,593 | $17,928 | -20.6% |
| David Danielson | $16,950 | $16,950 | 0% |
| Steven Emde | $42,092 | $16,583 | -60.6% |
| Jon Bork | $54,734 | $16,378 | -70.1% |
| Joshua John Stock | $26,969 | $16,353 | -39.4% |
| Ricky Roger Homan | $48,429 | $16,346 | -66.2% |
| Travis Rolfsmeier | $44,676 | $16,282 | -63.6% |
| Darin Ehrenberg | $28,956 | $15,954 | -44.9% |
| Randy Anton Homan | $65,721 | $15,795 | -76% |
| Kevin Dwayne Grams | $49,992 | $15,656 | -68.7% |
| Edward Homan | $71,938 | $15,291 | -78.7% |
| Arnold a Gronfeld | $37,410 | $15,149 | -59.5% |
| Sandra K. Homan | $17,946 | $14,957 | -16.7% |
| Forrest I. Johnson Jr. | $25,365 | $14,817 | -41.6% |
| Kaden Taylor Zych | $176,576 | $13,946 | -92.1% |
| Eugene W. Gibson | $25,840 | $13,852 | -46.4% |
| Richard Huebner | $23,362 | $13,134 | -43.8% |
| Danny Herberg | $11,335 | $12,706 | 12.1% |
| Don Kraft | $24,187 | $12,317 | -49.1% |
| Anthony Patrick Homan | $22,749 | $12,149 | -46.6% |
| Justin M. Ballhagen | $27,481 | $10,892 | -60.4% |
| Merlyn M. Larson | $20,682 | $10,030 | -51.5% |
| Kristopher Anderson | $20,163 | $9,893 | -50.9% |
| Timothy Kellen | $33,160 | $9,698 | -70.8% |
| Ryan M. O'Neill | $15,211 | $9,578 | -37% |
| Michael J. Danielson | $31,738 | $9,026 | -71.6% |
| Dennis M. Foley | $8,469 | $9,019 | 6.5% |
| Lynn Swenson | $24,750 | $8,337 | -66.3% |
| Laine Schmitz | $8,646 | $8,295 | -4.1% |
| Eric Samuel Huebner | $15,795 | $8,239 | -47.8% |
| Darin Gibson | $28,028 | $7,960 | -71.6% |
| Harold W. Gibson Jr. | $28,028 | $7,960 | -71.6% |
| Loretta M. Peterson | $7,779 | $7,779 | 0% |
| James Jensen | $4,815 | $7,590 | 57.6% |
| Dustin Michael Andrews | $10,751 | $7,461 | -30.6% |
| David Schuttoff | $37,687 | $7,410 | -80.3% |
| Diane Holtz | $9,224 | $7,332 | -20.5% |
| Christopher J. Davidson | $19,586 | $6,932 | -64.6% |
| Gary Michael Deutsch | $13,249 | $6,354 | -52% |
| Jed Wiese | $8,923 | $6,297 | -29.4% |
| Jaspers Family, LLC | $17,373 | $6,190 | -64.4% |
| David A. McMahon | $6,073 | $6,073 | 0% |
| Kelly & Kyle Homan Farm | $17,117 | $5,986 | -65% |
| Willow Springs Farm PRTN | $5,603 | $5,603 | 0% |
| Gerald Heck | $13,052 | $4,513 | -65.4% |
| Greg Schmidt | $14,546 | $3,818 | -73.8% |
| Donald Kellen -Donald W. Kellen Trust | $3,483 | $3,483 | 0% |
| Janet Kellen -Janet M. Kellen Trust | $3,483 | $3,483 | 0% |
| Brandon J. Smith | $8,762 | $3,333 | -62% |
| Mary Sykora | $3,281 | $3,281 | 0% |
| Mary Ann Kellen | $2,885 | $2,885 | 0% |
| Loren D. Pederson | $3,465 | $2,790 | -19.5% |
| Sherwood Dove | $2,553 | $2,553 | 0% |
| Zimbrick Farms, LLC | $3,278 | $2,418 | -26.2% |
| Donald Henkelman | $16,637 | $2,363 | -85.8% |
| Daniel Sykora | $4,268 | $2,216 | -48.1% |
| Duane Duin | $2,136 | $2,136 | 0% |
| Kenneth Debuhr | $2,032 | $2,032 | 0% |
| Donald Diekmann | $1,838 | $1,838 | 0% |
| John Serocki | $10,391 | $1,560 | -85% |
| Sheila O. Brien | $1,496 | $1,496 | 0% |
| Randall Hanson | $1,366 | $1,366 | 0% |
| Gregory R. Krogsrud | $1,351 | $1,351 | 0% |
| Edward Hiedeman | $4,007 | $1,260 | -68.6% |
| Charles E. Hanson | $2,795 | $1,147 | -59% |
| Dale Rook | $5,044 | $1,103 | -78.1% |
| Mark Perry | $865 | $865 | 0% |
| Scott Doschadis | $2,427 | $787 | -67.6% |
| Stephen Syverson | $471 | $747 | 58.6% |
| Gary Arndt | $27,539 | $736 | -97.3% |
| Joseph A. Reinart | $2,389 | $722 | -69.8% |
| Arlene Lund | $716 | $716 | 0% |
| Richard Martens | $3,693 | $549 | -85.1% |
| Robert Pedersen | $1,386 | $492 | -64.5% |
| Mark Block II | $7,941 | $434 | -94.5% |
| Nancy Larson | $403 | $403 | 0% |
| Thomas Maher | $0 | $370 | -- |
| Kathy Byson | $319 | $319 | 0% |
| Marcus Wayne Krogsrud | $295 | $295 | 0% |
| Michael Craig Ritter | $240 | $240 | 0% |
| Roger Schwagel | $2,987 | $119 | -96% |
| Renae Y. Pederson | $751 | $76 | -89.9% |
| Bradley A. Meyer | $2,036 | $0 | -100% |
| Conrad Diekmann SR Residuary Trust | $1,935 | $0 | -100% |
| Dale R. Sykora | $1,814 | $0 | -100% |
| Sherry Lee Nigg Gisi Rev Trust | $1,524 | $0 | -100% |
| Brian Wulff | $14,240 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $9,301,870 | $4,059,222 | -56.4% |
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