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In 2021, 54 farmers in cities within St. Helena Parish received a total of $274,058 in 56 farm subsidies, an 18.9% increase from 2020, when the total was $230,589 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracy Sharkey | $81,261 | $100,366 | 23.5% |
| Curtis Jenkins III | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Marvin Tanner JR Trucking, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Marvin A. Tanner SR., LLC | $0 | $23,778 | -- |
| Chase Douglas Sharkey | $0 | $4,730 | -- |
| Gloria M. Dykes | $7,828 | $4,557 | -41.8% |
| Darrel E. Hoover | $7,392 | $2,142 | -71% |
| Mr. Fred H. Moran | $8,957 | $1,953 | -78.2% |
| Michael E. Smith | $7,777 | $1,931 | -75.2% |
| Garnet C. Walker | $3,894 | $1,808 | -53.6% |
| Paul Stewart | $7,556 | $1,721 | -77.2% |
| Oscar Cernich | $3,465 | $1,572 | -54.6% |
| Donald C Peroyea SR | $6,303 | $1,392 | -77.9% |
| Michael J. Clements | $3,236 | $1,194 | -63.1% |
| Leopold Joseph Pecot III | $4,994 | $1,073 | -78.5% |
| Louis C. Hall | $6,243 | $1,057 | -83.1% |
| Harold Hughes | $0 | $1,045 | -- |
| Mallory A. Sharkey | $5,060 | $1,013 | -80% |
| Riley S. Chandler | $4,092 | $969 | -76.3% |
| Charles H. Doughty | $4,245 | $932 | -78% |
| Larry J. Stewart | $5,219 | $914 | -82.5% |
| Leroy Kent | $1,980 | $912 | -53.9% |
| Glenda M. McKean | $5,033 | $896 | -82.2% |
| David L. Ellis | $3,487 | $815 | -76.6% |
| Jeffrey L. Clark | $3,377 | $813 | -75.9% |
| Judy Easley Dickinson | $739 | $739 | 0% |
| Malcolm E. Cornette | $7,200 | $666 | -90.8% |
| Charles E. Berry | $3,887 | $661 | -83% |
| Christopher Abner Bennett | $0 | $660 | -- |
| Patricia Dillon | $2,420 | $652 | -73.1% |
| Robert J. Carter | $6,504 | $605 | -90.7% |
| Lewis M. Self | $1,639 | $590 | -64% |
| Anthony D Shaidaee | $2,585 | $582 | -77.5% |
| Darren M. Sharkey | $3,289 | $582 | -82.3% |
| Emmitt Perry | $2,166 | $444 | -79.5% |
| Charles W. Harrell | $1,414 | $403 | -71.5% |
| Gloristine T Tanner | $902 | $332 | -63.2% |
| Brian Patrick | $698 | $332 | -52.4% |
| Zachary I. Rutledge | $1,653 | $329 | -80.1% |
| Michael D. Lynch | $460 | $323 | -29.8% |
| Betty S. Stubbs | $1,089 | $319 | -70.7% |
| Darryl G. Stubbs | $858 | $315 | -63.3% |
| Shane M. Chouest | $1,144 | $300 | -73.8% |
| Gerald Sibley | $1,353 | $270 | -80% |
| Merileen Richardson Dupepe | $990 | $255 | -74.2% |
| Jimmie W. Varnado | $462 | $229 | -50.4% |
| Jennifer M. Miller | $222 | $222 | 0% |
| George E. Lee | $764 | $191 | -75% |
| Charles D. Henry | $704 | $163 | -76.8% |
| Noah Blaine Dupepe | $962 | $124 | -87.1% |
| Samuel Haywood | $682 | $124 | -81.8% |
| Joseph B. McLean | $115 | $115 | 0% |
| Lee A. McLean | $115 | $115 | 0% |
| Jamie Lynn Shaidaee | $363 | $83 | -77.1% |
| Albert Franklin | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry W. Turner Jr. | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Leroy Chaney | $331 | $0 | -100% |
| Mr. Harold R. Smith | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald R. Harrell | $244 | $0 | -100% |
| Suzanne Harrell | $244 | $0 | -100% |
| Warner Hall | $847 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $230,589 | $274,058 | 18.9% |
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