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In 2021, 61 farmers in cities within Calaveras County received a total of $824,229 in 106 farm subsidies, a 6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $877,182 in 102 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Ospital | $89,353 | $160,714 | 79.9% |
| Walter Valente Jr. | $78,066 | $106,152 | 36% |
| Matt Fischer | $59,103 | $43,192 | -26.9% |
| Barton Atkins Trucking | $0 | $36,660 | -- |
| Stan Dell Orto | $27,695 | $31,209 | 12.7% |
| Yvonne Tiscornia | $26,002 | $30,755 | 18.3% |
| Dell J. W. Orto | $23,623 | $30,294 | 28.2% |
| Sandra Rader | $14,556 | $27,926 | 91.9% |
| Steven Wooster | $20,658 | $26,994 | 30.7% |
| Michael D. Fischer Jr. | $26,718 | $25,010 | -6.4% |
| Russell Stephens | $26,435 | $20,729 | -21.6% |
| Robert Garamendi | $13,106 | $20,243 | 54.5% |
| Virginia Franklin | $52,462 | $20,148 | -61.6% |
| Robert Von Der Lieth JR | $69,883 | $20,084 | -71.3% |
| Libby Rader-Kassik | $6,806 | $19,874 | 192% |
| Douglas H Joses | $44,687 | $17,942 | -59.8% |
| Richard Fischer | $13,624 | $17,331 | 27.2% |
| Wilbur Hightower | $0 | $17,249 | -- |
| John Davies | $13,654 | $13,284 | -2.7% |
| Mattley Dell Orto | $8,844 | $11,979 | 35.4% |
| Michael W. Robie | $19,049 | $11,092 | -41.8% |
| Merle Fischer | $18,851 | $9,564 | -49.3% |
| Elliott Joses | $30,205 | $9,471 | -68.6% |
| Karl Wiebe | $0 | $8,136 | -- |
| Kelly Wooster | $5,707 | $5,875 | 2.9% |
| Eloise Fischer | $18,634 | $5,553 | -70.2% |
| Russ Davis | $3,894 | $5,473 | 40.5% |
| Kevin Griffith | $0 | $5,127 | -- |
| Stuart Mast | $0 | $4,485 | -- |
| Elisa Garin | $0 | $4,453 | -- |
| Gerald Dunn | $3,069 | $3,969 | 29.3% |
| Franziska Schabram | $2,211 | $3,890 | 75.9% |
| Glenn Nakagawa | $3,036 | $3,638 | 19.8% |
| Lance Oneto | $3,105 | $3,044 | -2% |
| Roberta Fischer | $14,236 | $2,787 | -80.4% |
| Barbara Knowles | $10,725 | $2,671 | -75.1% |
| Jon Whittle | $7,260 | $2,626 | -63.8% |
| Gary F Joses | $2,583 | $2,622 | 1.5% |
| Paul M. Elliott | $962 | $2,582 | 168.4% |
| Slagle Cattle Company | $1,980 | $2,378 | 20.1% |
| Melvin Castello Jr. | $2,013 | $2,350 | 16.7% |
| Laurie Giannini | $0 | $2,081 | -- |
| Wayne J Breider | $2,339 | $2,069 | -11.5% |
| Michael O. Riley | $1,749 | $2,011 | 15% |
| Steve Kautz | $4,910 | $1,958 | -60.1% |
| Sharon Dodson | $949 | $1,867 | 96.7% |
| John R. Lopes | $5,172 | $1,825 | -64.7% |
| Angelina Marie Nixon | $681 | $1,793 | 163.3% |
| Blakely Family Living Trust | $4,059 | $1,640 | -59.6% |
| Robert L. Moody | $1,540 | $1,540 | 0% |
| Frank Gilbeau | $3,399 | $1,326 | -61% |
| James H. Saunders | $2,145 | $1,121 | -47.7% |
| Robert L. Shinkle | $1,242 | $1,044 | -15.9% |
| Ajamu AL-Rafiq | $0 | $933 | -- |
| Keith Hafley | $1,617 | $887 | -45.1% |
| Laurence M. Mendoza | $1,683 | $681 | -59.5% |
| Laurence M. Mendoza | $1,683 | $681 | -59.5% |
| Ashworth 2002 Revocable Trustee | $786 | $500 | -36.4% |
| Cole Tiscornia | $0 | $495 | -- |
| Laurie Sue Plautz - J Northwood & L Plautz Rev TST | $1,070 | $140 | -86.9% |
| John H Schugart | $439 | $82 | -81.3% |
| Carole Goode | $2,288 | $0 | -100% |
| Nadine A. Franssen | $3,205 | $0 | -100% |
| Garamendi Exemption Trust | $36,818 | $0 | -100% |
| Lawrence Musachia | $14,905 | $0 | -100% |
| Jessie Jensen | $17,694 | $0 | -100% |
| Lynnette Ospital | $844 | $0 | -100% |
| Mary A. Tucker | $245 | $0 | -100% |
| James E. McDavid Jr. | $2,925 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $877,182 | $824,229 | -6% |
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