Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 44 farmers in cities within Southeast Fairbanks Census Area received a total of $704,631 in 97 farm subsidies, a 27.3% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $968,896 in 123 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schultz Farms, Inc. | $66,167 | $129,442 | 95.6% |
| Dennis Green & Sons Partnership | $91,143 | $77,149 | -15.4% |
| Arctic Rose Farm | $18,862 | $71,386 | 278.5% |
| John M. Robinson | $25,753 | $58,751 | 128.1% |
| Insanity Acres | $24,417 | $45,601 | 86.8% |
| Eagles' Ridge Community Church, Inc. | $0 | $43,648 | -- |
| Scott Alan Mugrage | $70,816 | $41,544 | -41.3% |
| Scott W. Schultz | $30,863 | $27,318 | -11.5% |
| Pamela M. Rule | $24,769 | $21,406 | -13.6% |
| Ronald J. Robinson | $10,258 | $20,963 | 104.4% |
| Marlene J. Robinson | $6,118 | $18,663 | 205.1% |
| Wrigley Farms, LLC | $14,516 | $15,782 | 8.7% |
| Paul E. Knopp | $19,278 | $13,129 | -31.9% |
| Circle S Ranch, LLC | $13,023 | $12,688 | -2.6% |
| Blue Creek Livestock, LLC | $27,803 | $11,080 | -60.1% |
| Mary K Baker-Kaspari | $6,588 | $8,948 | 35.8% |
| John R Theuringer | $10,922 | $8,117 | -25.7% |
| S Valley Farm, LLC | $5,936 | $7,955 | 34% |
| Michael A. Schultz | $6,759 | $7,549 | 11.7% |
| Black Dog Farms, LLC | $14,193 | $7,300 | -48.6% |
| Steven R. Helkenn | $5,354 | $6,456 | 20.6% |
| Church of the Living Word | $5,354 | $6,400 | 19.5% |
| Scott Plagerman Farms, LLC | $16,652 | $6,400 | -61.6% |
| Steve Eric Bealer | $4,975 | $6,400 | 28.6% |
| Kent E. Steele | $5,774 | $4,411 | -23.6% |
| Alaska Interior Game Ranch, Inc. | $2,551 | $4,180 | 63.9% |
| Kelly D. Patton | $3,577 | $3,577 | 0% |
| Spike Jorgensen Living Trust | $8,504 | $3,518 | -58.6% |
| Lee R. Spears | $1,659 | $1,715 | 3.4% |
| Shannon Michelle Gustafson | $554 | $1,483 | 167.7% |
| Dani Marie O'Reilly | $69 | $1,459 | 2,014.5% |
| Wanda P Sorensen | $1,616 | $1,451 | -10.2% |
| Roger C Hendry Decendents Trust | $1,450 | $1,450 | 0% |
| Okyo Stumpe | $0 | $1,436 | -- |
| Northern Lights Dairy, Inc. | $10,400 | $1,261 | -87.9% |
| Adam Griswold | $1,191 | $999 | -16.1% |
| Lyall R. Brasier Jr. | $0 | $990 | -- |
| Larry & BJ Bond Family Rev Trust | $826 | $826 | 0% |
| James A. Eastwood | $4,400 | $559 | -87.3% |
| Circle Reflection 'j' Ranch, LLC | $1,623 | $522 | -67.8% |
| Brenda Peterson | $324 | $252 | -22.2% |
| Nelson Grier | $394 | $170 | -56.9% |
| Joseph Stanley Clark | $343 | $163 | -52.5% |
| Patricia L Griswold | $165 | $134 | -18.8% |
| Sergi Kuzmin | $13,979 | $0 | -100% |
| Siliverst Kuzmin | $32,867 | $0 | -100% |
| Aftonom Kuzmin | $8,713 | $0 | -100% |
| Alexei Kuzmin | $21,218 | $0 | -100% |
| Antonin F Kuzmin | $972 | $0 | -100% |
| Deomid Kuzmin | $17,852 | $0 | -100% |
| Dia Kuzmin | $13,245 | $0 | -100% |
| Domian Kuzmin | $37,315 | $0 | -100% |
| Feodor Frolov | $14,416 | $0 | -100% |
| Fred J. Black | $946 | $0 | -100% |
| Heather Johnson | $50 | $0 | -100% |
| Ioan Kuzmin | $22,484 | $0 | -100% |
| Jay Tope | $7,920 | $0 | -100% |
| Joel Reierson | $787 | $0 | -100% |
| John Schandelmeier | $22,250 | $0 | -100% |
| Kallistrat Kuzmin | $30,839 | $0 | -100% |
| Leontey N Kuzmin | $26,211 | $0 | -100% |
| Lonnie L. Swanson | $2,106 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark K. Matthews | $1,997 | $0 | -100% |
| Nikita Kuzmin | $31,912 | $0 | -100% |
| Rendezvous Farm, Inc. | $210 | $0 | -100% |
| Samson Kuzmin | $15,840 | $0 | -100% |
| The Richard D Karr 2014 Trust | $12,976 | $0 | -100% |
| Vasily Z Kuzmin | $3,782 | $0 | -100% |
| Vladimir Kuzmin | $28,765 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph Dell Janssen | $33,305 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $968,896 | $704,631 | -27.3% |
Alerts Sign-up