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In 2021, 54 farmers in cities within West Feliciana Parish received a total of $153,261 in 63 farm subsidies, a 61.9% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $401,750 in 108 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John M. Patrick III | $91,669 | $30,836 | -66.4% |
| Susan A. Sharp | $39,491 | $30,642 | -22.4% |
| John M. Thompson | $35,558 | $8,914 | -74.9% |
| Lawrason D. Fisher | $7,964 | $7,964 | 0% |
| Long Lane, LLC | $6,288 | $6,288 | 0% |
| Frances Harvey Family, LLC | $4,924 | $4,924 | 0% |
| Ambrosia Plantation Partnership | $7,976 | $4,619 | -42.1% |
| Edward Daniel IV | $14,520 | $3,388 | -76.7% |
| JDC Farming, LLC | $3,241 | $3,336 | 2.9% |
| C. S. Hamilton | $16,049 | $3,251 | -79.7% |
| David Delee | $12,017 | $3,201 | -73.4% |
| Leslie S. Bickham | $10,175 | $3,032 | -70.2% |
| JFH Lands II, LLC | $5,617 | $2,508 | -55.3% |
| Edward I Daniel, III Irrevocable Intervivos Trust | $2,285 | $2,285 | 0% |
| Kim C. Morgan | $0 | $2,232 | -- |
| Eric D. Banford | $7,502 | $1,869 | -75.1% |
| Joseph A. Daniel | $8,844 | $1,866 | -78.9% |
| Brian L. Spillman | $7,150 | $1,837 | -74.3% |
| Southgate Farms, LLC | $9,042 | $1,723 | -80.9% |
| Carolyn Degolyer Mathis | $2,808 | $1,662 | -40.8% |
| Russell Biggs | $1,605 | $1,605 | 0% |
| Beryl Gene Daniel Irrevocable Intervivos Trust | $1,568 | $1,568 | 0% |
| Mary Strickland | $1,561 | $1,561 | 0% |
| W. D. Hedgepeth Land Company, LLC | $3,257 | $1,540 | -52.7% |
| Andrew Grezaffi III | $6,336 | $1,465 | -76.9% |
| Ellen Y. Brock | $3,333 | $1,363 | -59.1% |
| Cypress Island Farm, Inc. | $5,621 | $1,331 | -76.3% |
| Donald R. Beauchamp | $5,280 | $1,204 | -77.2% |
| Peter Hampton | $5,781 | $1,129 | -80.5% |
| Dan Delee Jr. | $4,686 | $1,046 | -77.7% |
| William Harris | $2,277 | $1,016 | -55.4% |
| Frances Ann R. Harvey | $1,354 | $984 | -27.3% |
| Johnny Metz | $3,949 | $982 | -75.1% |
| Richard W. Reid | $3,949 | $982 | -75.1% |
| Frances Rosenthal Harvey | $1,314 | $955 | -27.3% |
| Clyde Joseph Harvey | $1,314 | $955 | -27.3% |
| Miss Anita Marie Hidalgo | $1,405 | $831 | -40.9% |
| Joseph K. de Lee | $3,844 | $830 | -78.4% |
| Kevin E. Beauchamp | $3,091 | $661 | -78.6% |
| Ledarrious Wells | $0 | $660 | -- |
| Keith McCallum | $2,970 | $616 | -79.3% |
| Michael Taylor | $1,405 | $505 | -64.1% |
| Jason Allen | $2,684 | $481 | -82.1% |
| Peggy Tabberer | $479 | $479 | 0% |
| Benjamin Thomas | $1,936 | $398 | -79.4% |
| Jonathan Ross Pilcher | $990 | $384 | -61.2% |
| Phillip W. Gordy | $381 | $381 | 0% |
| Lucas Michael Hurst | $792 | $332 | -58.1% |
| Timothy L. Breeden | $902 | $274 | -69.6% |
| Robert D. Field Jr. | $0 | $131 | -- |
| Thomas Lastrapes | $581 | $123 | -78.8% |
| Brian E. Dixon | $272 | $80 | -70.6% |
| Martha R. Singer | $92 | $25 | -72.8% |
| Stephen D. Lacour | $0 | $7 | -- |
| Claire M. Wright | $19 | $0 | -100% |
| Margaret E. Long | $19,846 | $0 | -100% |
| Scott Percy Farms, LLC | $13,756 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $401,750 | $153,261 | -61.9% |
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