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In 2021, 34 farmers in cities within St. Mary Parish received a total of $768,100 in 52 farm subsidies, a 29.3% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.1 million in 133 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaime Segura Farms, LLC | $35,895 | $151,774 | 322.8% |
| Idlewild Farms, Inc. | $18,820 | $118,521 | 529.8% |
| Cremaldi Farms, LLC | $20,283 | $89,978 | 343.6% |
| Northside Planting, LLC | $60,586 | $80,781 | 33.3% |
| Antoine Luke Farm, Inc. | $19,014 | $73,762 | 287.9% |
| Frank Martin Farms, Inc. | $71,385 | $70,371 | -1.4% |
| Champagne Farms, Inc. | $40,838 | $41,391 | 1.4% |
| Rodriguez Brothers Farms, LLC | $21,847 | $29,130 | 33.3% |
| Bayou Sale Cane Company, Inc. | $20,982 | $27,139 | 29.3% |
| Irish Bend Planting, Inc. | $19,792 | $22,938 | 15.9% |
| Clements & Broussard Sugar Farms, LLC | $12,347 | $16,462 | 33.3% |
| Rodriguez Brothers Farms | $0 | $11,757 | -- |
| Garland J. Romero | $26,203 | $6,675 | -74.5% |
| Don Ryan | $4,443 | $4,514 | 1.6% |
| Wayne John Cantrell Jr. | $19,591 | $4,390 | -77.6% |
| Nicholas Anthony Hensgens Jr. | $17,139 | $4,359 | -74.6% |
| Edwin Burke | $0 | $2,999 | -- |
| Joseph Trahan | $6,454 | $1,748 | -72.9% |
| Shane M. Boudreaux | $31,937 | $1,702 | -94.7% |
| Tonya Stiel | $0 | $1,338 | -- |
| Reed Rhodes Sr. | $0 | $1,281 | -- |
| Reed Rhodes Jr. | $0 | $932 | -- |
| Herrin J. Ducote | $862 | $862 | 0% |
| Howard J. Sinitiere Jr. | $2,838 | $767 | -73% |
| Junius P. Hebert Jr. | $1,871 | $720 | -61.5% |
| Terry King | $2,574 | $621 | -75.9% |
| John A. Cart Jr. | $484 | $373 | -22.9% |
| Rickey P. Bourque II | $1,133 | $311 | -72.6% |
| Ronald P. Deshotel | $256 | $177 | -30.9% |
| Carole T Caprito | $1,635 | $91 | -94.4% |
| Nellie Deborah R. Cart | $14 | $91 | 550% |
| Mary Labauve Reggie | $63 | $79 | 25.4% |
| Steven J. Clements | $0 | $40 | -- |
| Timothy P. Clements | $8,111 | $26 | -99.7% |
| Anthony Scully | $4,958 | $0 | -100% |
| Huey J. Comeaux Sr. | $779 | $0 | -100% |
| SSS Farms, LLC | $10,577 | $0 | -100% |
| Casey Crappell | $1,113 | $0 | -100% |
| David Daigle | $15,653 | $0 | -100% |
| Donald Arcemont | $3,594 | $0 | -100% |
| Garrett Pearce | $18,209 | $0 | -100% |
| Joshua Dimaggio | $9,665 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth Willmore | $4,213 | $0 | -100% |
| Nelson Metrejean Jr. | $4,094 | $0 | -100% |
| Phillip Dimaggio | $27,072 | $0 | -100% |
| Reed Crappell | $1,212 | $0 | -100% |
| Satellite Farms, L L C | $10,405 | $0 | -100% |
| Wesley Giroir | $6,085 | $0 | -100% |
| Caleb Crawford | $1,810 | $0 | -100% |
| Christopher Boudreaux | $2,155 | $0 | -100% |
| Coby Boyd | $14,488 | $0 | -100% |
| Craig Landry | $11,084 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel Edgar | $10,698 | $0 | -100% |
| E. J. Daigle | $15,038 | $0 | -100% |
| Ellery Mayon Jr. | $17,794 | $0 | -100% |
| Ethan Aucoin | $2,491 | $0 | -100% |
| Gage Guillory | $3,338 | $0 | -100% |
| Gerald Domingue | $4,281 | $0 | -100% |
| James Aucoin | $21,224 | $0 | -100% |
| Joey Edgar | $13,914 | $0 | -100% |
| Jordan Minor | $8,841 | $0 | -100% |
| Kevin Morgan | $2,048 | $0 | -100% |
| Louis Daigle | $13,915 | $0 | -100% |
| Rhett Granier | $3,271 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert J. Judice Jr. | $243 | $0 | -100% |
| St. Mary Seafood, Inc. | $187,288 | $0 | -100% |
| Alfred Daigle | $10,052 | $0 | -100% |
| Andrew Simmons | $9,059 | $0 | -100% |
| Corey Gahn | $16,472 | $0 | -100% |
| David Vicknair | $29,721 | $0 | -100% |
| Eugene Pierce | $17,837 | $0 | -100% |
| Jarrod Aucoin | $8,195 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Morgan | $21,977 | $0 | -100% |
| Melanie Scully | $1,716 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Topham | $24,107 | $0 | -100% |
| Preston Verret | $17,335 | $0 | -100% |
| Rhett Granier II | $2,545 | $0 | -100% |
| Winston Morgan | $7,890 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,085,853 | $768,100 | -29.3% |
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