EWG found that 208 people who have received taxpayer-funded farm subsidies or disaster payments for 33 straight years currently reside in the nation's 50 largest cities, according to an analysis of Department of Agriculture data.
These individuals received a total of $47.8 million between 1985 and 2017, including six recipients who each collected more than $1 million.
Nationwide, almost 25,500 people received taxpayer-funded federal farm subsidies or disaster relief payments every year between 1985 and 2017, according to the USDA data.
While many urban subsidy recipients reside in Midwestern cities – like Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Oklahoma City – repeat subsidy recipients also live in cities ranging from Washington, D.C., to Las Vegas, Nev., to the Bay Area in California.
Photo: Annette O Martin Living Trust's home in Las Vegas, Nev., via Zillow.com
Photo: Delia Hedlund's home in Washington D.C., via Google Maps
Some repeat subsidy recipients also live in waterfront mansions worth millions or have homes just blocks from the Santa Monica Pier.
Raymond Armbruster, who resides in a beachside mansion in Osprey, Fla. – worth more than $7.8 million, according to Zillow – received a payment every year between 1985 and 2016, and received $839,000 in taxpayer-funded farm subsidies between 1995 and 2017.
Photos: Raymond Armbruster's home in Osprey, Fla., via Zillow.com
Here is a partial description of Armbruster’s mansion, courtesy of the real estate website.
Surrounded by serene tropical landscaping, an entry gate ensures coveted privacy while the property itself spans 1.18 acres from Little Sarasota Bay to the Gulf of Mexico with 100' of frontage on both sides.
The outdoor living spaces are simply breathtaking, and include a summer kitchen, outdoor shower, and Bayfront patio with heated infinity-edge pool with waterfall. A four-plus car garage completes the picture. A covered dock with 10,000 lb boat lift makes boating a simple pleasure. Casey Key is recognized as one of Florida's most prestigious addresses, exuding a unique blend of affluence, elegance and Old Florida charm.
Cynthia Cotton lives in a seven-bedroom, five-bath home in Santa Monica, Calif., just blocks from the beach, which Zillow estimates is worth $4.2 million. Cotton has received a farm subsidy payment every year for the last 32 years, and received more than $157,000 in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2017.
Photo: Cynthia Cotton's home in Santa Monica, Calif., via Zillow.com
EWG previously reported that 17,836 of all farm subsidy recipients in 2015 and 2016 lived in these and many other cities across the U.S. In theory, farm subsidy recipients must be “actively engaged” in farming, but many subsidy recipients do not live or work on farms.This year, the Government Accountability Office reported that in 2015, almost one-fourth of farm subsidy recipients did not personally provide labor on the farm.
Photos: Barbara Moore's home in Amelia Island, Fla., via Zillow.com
EWG’s updated analysis comes as farm bill negotiators are deciding whether to tighten or expand farm subsidy loopholes.
The Senate version of the farm bill would modestly tighten an existing means test and ensure that only farmers who contribute personal labor are eligible for subsidies. By contrast, the House version of the farm bill would waive the farm subsidy means test first established in 2002 for certain corporate farms, once again making billionaires like Charles Schwab eligible for farm subsidies. In addition, the House bill would make a farmer’s cousins, nieces and nephews eligible for farm subsidies.
Between 1985 and 2017, farm subsidy programs paid farmers when crop prices fell below price guarantees set in the federal farm bill or, more recently, when crop revenue fell below historic averages. In addition, “direct” subsidy payments linked to historic crop production were made between 1996 and 2014. Disaster payments have been paid through both annual spending bills and permanent disaster programs.
Farmers are also eligible for crop insurance premium subsidies, but the USDA is barred by federal law from releasing data about individual crop insurance subsidy recipients. EWG did not obtain data on farm subsidies prior to 1985.
Federal law does not limit farmers from receiving farm subsidies or disaster payments, even if they have received a payment every year for 33 straight years. Farmers remain eligible for subsidies so long as their average annual adjusted gross income is less than $900,000, or less than $1.8 million for farm couples, and they have more than $1,000 in farm sales. The Senate version of the farm bill would lower the means test to $700,000, or $1.4 million for farm couples.
Subsidy Recipient | City, State | Subsidies 1985-2016 |
---|---|---|
Jolene Gustafson Inc | Austin, TX | $1,999,318 |
Henry Brueggen | Oklahoma City, OK | $1,604,475 |
Michael J Andra | Wichita, KS | $1,542,931 |
Robert F Robben | Wichita, KS | $1,454,839 |
Nancy M O'Neil | Dallas, TX | $1,371,789 |
Donald V Jones | Fresno, CA | $1,311,928 |
Curtis Straka | Moore, OK | $943,280 |
C And H Farms Co | Omaha, NE | $920,858 |
Mcgowan Revocable Living Trust | Phoenix, AZ | $915,274 |
Leon Grigg | Oklahoma City, OK | $878,175 |
Jack A Peters Living Trust | Albuquerque, NM | $824,161 |
Agri Center Int | Memphis, TN | $788,177 |
Kissler & Sons Inc | Oklahoma City, OK | $709,207 |
Melvin Bollenbach | Oklahoma City, OK | $695,987 |
Evangeline Andrews Trust | Oklahoma City, OK | $677,903 |
Lacey S Butler Jr | Oklahoma City, OK | $632,410 |
Hagan Farms | Plymouth, MN | $616,794 |
Cindy Bryant Lawrence | Fort Worth, TX | $612,695 |
Wilson Ferguson Farms Inc | Albuquerque, NM | $611,556 |
Dudley Hodgkins Co Inc | Fort Worth, TX | $597,735 |
J Fred Bucy Est Tr | Dallas, TX | $570,181 |
Kunc Family Farms Inc | Oklahoma City, OK | $554,672 |
Vivian G Schoenstein | Dallas, TX | $536,772 |
John Wolsmann Jr | Omaha, NE | $504,668 |
Stephen Haterius | Dallas, TX | $504,234 |
Delores C Paney Living Trust | Wichita, KS | $499,784 |
Geraldine F Kepler | Dallas, TX | $495,978 |
Strasser Farms | Nashville, TN | $494,806 |
Leon D Hoffman | Lakewood, CO | $490,935 |
Carl T Jaax Rev Trust | Wichita, KS | $488,049 |
Catherine Marie Sims | Austin, TX | $474,308 |
Tom L Cadan | Austin, TX | $466,861 |
Robert L Kraus | Oklahoma City, OK | $420,605 |
Bob Powell Farms Inc | Dallas, TX | $412,959 |
Myrna G Verner | Dallas, TX | $403,498 |
John R Owen | Oklahoma City, OK | $402,324 |
Hagan Enterprises Inc | Plymouth, MN | $401,947 |
Nichols Farms Inc | Oklahoma City, OK | $384,803 |
John W Haralson | Denver, CO | $358,865 |
Lenora N Atkins | Albuquerque, NM | $347,099 |
Mary Lou Stehr | Omaha, NE | $325,661 |
John B Tuggle | Dallas, TX | $321,592 |
Marcus E Cunningham | Kansas City, MO | $317,527 |
Richard Baxter | Dallas, TX | $314,625 |
Brent Burford | Wichita, KS | $313,429 |
Mark L Laughlin First Revocable T | Omaha, NE | $309,352 |
Comanche West Inc % Fred Soper | Wichita, KS | $303,213 |
Tom Mccarvel | Bloomington, MN | $300,089 |
Johnston Sis Fms Ptnrs | San Antonio, TX | $293,983 |
Norma Lee Manning | Colorado Springs, CO | $293,059 |
Mary Ann Phillips | Colorado Springs, CO | $291,614 |
Lowell M Thrasher | Omaha, NE | $290,762 |
D S Marley Family Partnership | Omaha, NE | $287,454 |
Jim W Mcdaniel | San Antonio, TX | $286,318 |
Kwk Investments | Austin, TX | $261,200 |
Oscar D Brown | Arlington, TX | $258,251 |
Delia M Hedlund | Washington, DC | $250,488 |
Joe Darst Robinson | Austin, TX | $248,674 |
Dorothy Wickwire Trust No 30072 | Austin, TX | $248,067 |
Templeton Farms Inc | Omaha, NE | $247,434 |
Sally P Ficken Rev Living Trust | Austin, TX | $246,253 |
Joel B Mitchell | Austin, TX | $244,595 |
Henry S Foster Jr | Washington, DC | $237,368 |
Cheryl Foster | Virginia Beach, VA | $236,669 |
David C Boyenga | Bloomington, MN | $233,760 |
Buddy Orville Jones | Oklahoma City, OK | $231,529 |
Jed Robinson Jr | Colorado Springs, CO | $230,978 |
Joe S Langford | Austin, TX | $226,646 |
Margie P Sanders | San Diego, CA | $225,904 |
Linda Louise Keller | Fort Worth, TX | $225,880 |
Paul E Gilmore | Omaha, NE | $224,070 |
Reeder Farms | Atlanta, GA | $220,713 |
G Hal Ross | Wichita, KS | $218,920 |
Laura Ann Elwood | Houston, TX | $217,004 |
Adamson Living Trust | San Antonio, TX | $216,055 |
Jane F Armayor | Albuquerque, NM | $215,532 |
Milton Bludworth | Dallas, TX | $215,250 |
Estate Of Arden Ray Douglas | Dallas, TX | $215,216 |
Joyce Mauldin | Oklahoma City, OK | $213,318 |
Flache Farms Inc | Austin, TX | $210,648 |
Sarah B Hilgart | Dallas, TX | $209,663 |
Caroline B Drumm | New Orleans, LA | $202,910 |
Donna M Clark | Arlington, TX | $202,902 |
Neva June Taylor | Dallas, TX | $199,363 |
Cecil Tim Speck | Dallas, TX | $195,754 |
Peggy Rice Duffey | Dallas, TX | $191,709 |
Jerry Elizabeth Gardner | Memphis, TN | $191,392 |
Berton Fleenor | Oklahoma City, OK | $190,709 |
Laverne D Knezek | Arlington, TX | $189,826 |
Henry Liland & Twyla D Horten Tru | Chicago, IL | $188,085 |
Fischers By R Fischer | Minneapolis, MN | $185,956 |
Rebecca A Umphress | Benbrook, TX | $184,942 |
Lesley L Wilkes | Austin, TX | $183,984 |
Patty Jo Wilkes | Austin, TX | $179,910 |
Ann Iler | Houston, TX | $176,935 |
Annette O Martin Living Trust | Las Vegas, NV | $175,602 |
Evalyn S Quarles | Kansas City, MO | $173,424 |
Daniel W Reimers | Oklahoma City, OK | $172,831 |
Colleen R Ward Trust | Oklahoma City, OK | $172,473 |
Lisa A Hefflefinger | Albuquerque, NM | $169,308 |
Betty F Mckinnon | Albuquerque, NM | $165,635 |
Margie S Johnston | Tulsa, OK | $163,722 |
Ronnie Baker | Oklahoma City, OK | $162,696 |
Theilen Family Living Trust | Houston, TX | $153,670 |
Jeanne Fausch Oxenford Family Far | Plymouth, MN | $152,869 |
Patricia Gronau Revocable Trust | Wichita, KS | $152,743 |
Laurence S Ohara Trust | Wichita, KS | $148,495 |
Hope H Tinsley | Fort Worth, TX | $148,262 |
Margaret Buie | Fort Worth, TX | $147,518 |
Margaret B Ginatta Hogan | Dallas, TX | $147,452 |
Gorman Robinson | Austin, TX | $144,864 |
Clifford Hicks Tr | Omaha, NE | $139,542 |
Garland Walker | Oklahoma City, OK | $138,668 |
Mary L Bunch | Houston, TX | $138,196 |
A C Edinburgh | Austin, TX | $135,848 |
Leon E Breedlove | Wichita, KS | $131,795 |
Michael John Dolan Revocable Trus | Edina, MN | $130,813 |
Rubye Mae Hubbard | Arlington, TX | $125,994 |
Thomas A Hoffman | Austin, TX | $125,353 |
B F Murchison Jr | Albuquerque, NM | $124,359 |
Gary L Johansen | Colorado Springs, CO | $121,277 |
John C Barnes | Lakeway, TX | $120,337 |
Franklin D Nixon | Tucson, AZ | $117,637 |
Megan Spencer | Austin, TX | $116,725 |
Linda Fowler Stevens | Saginaw, TX | $116,589 |
Leonard Leo Whitley | Houston, TX | $116,399 |
Ron L Schmidt | Albuquerque, NM | $115,676 |
Louis K Bodecker Rev Living Trust | Wichita, KS | $114,058 |
Howard A & Jean F Katz Trust | Houston, TX | $113,880 |
Edward R Richmond Jr | Memphis, TN | $111,516 |
Robert A Knezek | Arlington, TX | $109,819 |
Cherry Burger | Colorado Springs, CO | $109,350 |
Beverly A Drawe | Austin, TX | $109,076 |
Coy Wayne Mcclendon | Nashville, TN | $107,617 |
James Daniel Grappe | Austin, TX | $107,607 |
Wanda L Plentl | Austin, TX | $106,972 |
Deanna R Vanpelt | San Antonio, TX | $102,622 |
Henry W Wells | Dallas, TX | $101,262 |
Bondell Johnson | Tucson, AZ | $100,809 |
Don Miller | Dallas, TX | $98,704 |
Susan V Williford | Houston, TX | $98,076 |
Rex Appleton | Houston, TX | $97,216 |
Joe W Turner | Fort Worth, TX | $94,068 |
Richard J Habbinga | West Lake Hills, TX | $93,150 |
Gary N Johnson | Austin, TX | $89,879 |
Mary I Whitney | Tucson, AZ | $84,721 |
Joyce T Harrison | Tulsa, OK | $83,850 |
Kermit G Crenwelge | San Antonio, TX | $83,688 |
W H Smith | Arlington, TX | $82,996 |
Barbara P Kazda | Fort Worth, TX | $82,170 |
Earle D Wagner | Oklahoma City, OK | $79,898 |
Jack P Vogt | Portland, OR | $77,815 |
Virginia P Lobitz | San Antonio, TX | $77,544 |
Charles M Jones | Fort Worth, TX | $77,233 |
Mittie Nickles | Oklahoma City, OK | $76,227 |
Gary W Schur | Lakeway, TX | $76,224 |
Rosemary Karr | Fort Worth, TX | $75,695 |
Kere Noel | Wichita, KS | $74,743 |
Mildred J Mauldin | Dallas, TX | $72,297 |
Gackle And Ottmar Land Partnershi | Edina, MN | $70,599 |
Ryan B Seals | Dallas, TX | $66,312 |
Charles L Wolf | Houston, TX | $66,232 |
Lee E Mcduff | Houston, TX | $66,101 |
Wm E Shellhart | Colorado Springs, CO | $63,087 |
Bonnie C Dickinson | Dallas, TX | $62,370 |
Fred H Jones | Oklahoma City, OK | $61,656 |
H Edwin Rejcek Et Al | Austin, TX | $61,531 |
Deanna C Murphy | Houston, TX | $60,846 |
Carroll W Chambliss | Nashville, TN | $60,620 |
Grover Gillett Jr | Dallas, TX | $60,552 |
Yvonne Weatherred | Memphis, TN | $60,482 |
E L Perry Jr | San Antonio, TX | $60,000 |
Doyle Balentine | Colorado Springs, CO | $56,477 |
Viola Watkins | Memphis, TN | $55,585 |
Clyde Emmons Enterprises Inc | Arlington, TX | $54,789 |
Doris A Harding | Moore, OK | $53,693 |
D A Hamilton Jr | Colorado Springs, CO | $53,203 |
C F Cox | Westworth Village, TX | $51,179 |
Jana R Craddock | Westworth Village, TX | $51,179 |
James D Galloway | Austin, TX | $50,976 |
Alan Durham | Oklahoma City, OK | $50,498 |
Larry Mcneely | Oklahoma City, OK | $49,326 |
Fred Marosko | Austin, TX | $49,276 |
Lendell Ellis Revocable Trust | Oklahoma City, OK | $48,409 |
Druena Lock | Fort Worth, TX | $48,050 |
Harms Family Living Trust | Colorado Springs, CO | $47,642 |
Ruth B Manuel | Arlington, TX | $44,991 |
Billy G Weaver | Fort Worth, TX | $44,861 |
Anita Rawson Edwards | Austin, TX | $43,852 |
Kenneth Schwenke | El Paso, TX | $42,978 |
Kay Shaw | Fort Worth, TX | $42,543 |
Farrier M T A | Oklahoma City, OK | $41,252 |
Jim T Mcdonald | San Antonio, TX | $40,991 |
Diana Guszak | Austin, TX | $40,624 |
Andrew F Moore | Memphis, TN | $40,038 |
Dale-Dale Lynn Peter L Peters | Oklahoma City, OK | $39,968 |
Jeri Sue Strange | Tulsa, OK | $39,508 |
Jo Ellen Fuhrman | Denver, CO | $39,381 |
Quiet Acres Ltd | Omaha, NE | $39,326 |
Roy-Roy Jefferson Pe J Peters | Oklahoma City, OK | $39,224 |
Thomas H Garner Jr | Arlington, TX | $39,021 |
Charlene Morris | Austin, TX | $38,943 |
Betty A Schaar | Wichita, KS | $38,332 |
Maxine Arnoldsen | Las Vegas, NV | $38,148 |
Mark B Hoes | Austin, TX | $38,141 |
Doris King Baker | Oklahoma City, OK | $37,475 |
Charles Gaddy Jr | Austin, TX | $37,219 |
Tommye Marr | Dallas, TX | $36,879 |
Winston H Anderson | Austin, TX | $36,655 |
Elva Carlson | Austin, TX | $36,209 |
Don D Strother | Memphis, TN | $35,680 |
Gordon A Hejl | Arlington, TX | $33,431 |
Michelle Haney | Anthem, AZ | $33,331 |
Donna W Merklein | Houston, TX | $31,229 |
Rueben L Brownshadel | Austin, TX | $30,221 |
Al Buie | San Antonio, TX | $28,943 |
Rebecca A Shields | Houston, TX | $28,618 |
Wallace W Saage Jr | Houston, TX | $28,540 |
Elain Benton | Dallas, TX | $28,432 |
Kathleen I Schuster | Lakewood, CO | $27,423 |
Charles O Meyers Jr Trust | Tulsa, OK | $26,842 |
Betty Conkling | Fort Worth, TX | $25,937 |
Loretta Gaskamp | Houston, TX | $24,249 |
John R Price | Louisville, KY | $23,300 |
Carolyn Norbury | Oklahoma City, OK | $23,067 |
Helen Stallings | Albuquerque, NM | $23,063 |
Mary Ann Wannamaker | Raleigh, NC | $22,768 |
Paula D Cariker | San Antonio, TX | $22,191 |
A Scott Johnson | San Antonio, TX | $21,902 |
Dee Loran & Nancy Ni Nixon | Tucson, AZ | $21,431 |
Kristina C Madrid | San Antonio, TX | $20,433 |
Floyd H Marr | Louisville, KY | $20,011 |
Jean Hicks | Harahan, LA | $18,526 |
Deco Development Co Inc | Tulsa, OK | $17,964 |
Teddy H Carrington | Minneapolis, MN | $16,701 |
Nancy Smith | Dallas, TX | $15,766 |
Teresa S Wyatt | Houston, TX | $14,771 |
Carol D West Wilson | San Antonio, TX | $14,388 |
Veta B Collins | Houston, TX | $13,404 |
Janet L O Barnard | Houston, TX | $9,912 |
Elissa L Ernst | Sacramento, CA | $9,741 |
Adrianna Christian Ernst | San Antonio, TX | $9,447 |
Kimberly M Reida | Wichita, KS | $9,391 |
Kennard H Schanen | Charlotte, NC | $9,127 |
Richard F Cook | El Paso, TX | $7,928 |