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In 2021, 116 farmers in cities within Kauai County received a total of $784,800 in 178 farm subsidies, a 79.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3.9 million in 417 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.
Farmers and Their Subsidies in Cities Associated with Kauai County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duane T Shimogawa | $196,788 | $96,821 | -50.8% |
| William J. Sanchez | $172,760 | $73,393 | -57.5% |
| Medeiros Farm, Inc. | $121,292 | $60,543 | -50.1% |
| Kaupo Ranch, Ltd. | $115,753 | $56,731 | -51% |
| The Nature Conservancy | $48,297 | $50,000 | 3.5% |
| Nancy J. Young | $32,001 | $32,001 | 0% |
| Princeville Ranch Adventures, Inc. | $45,650 | $22,728 | -50.2% |
| Jason T. Grubbs | $0 | $22,425 | -- |
| PLB Farms, Inc. | $47,246 | $20,395 | -56.8% |
| Shifu Zhen | $18,402 | $17,805 | -3.2% |
| Trinity Enterprise, Inc. | $80,844 | $17,232 | -78.7% |
| Paradise Ranch, LLC | $18,150 | $15,082 | -16.9% |
| Federico S Fagarang | $29,118 | $13,313 | -54.3% |
| Jonathan Kimo Akita | $44,415 | $11,702 | -73.7% |
| Zwiebel Farm Partnership, LLP | $11,410 | $11,410 | 0% |
| Ge Farms, Inc. | $34,227 | $10,972 | -67.9% |
| Ohana Aina, LLC | $6,992 | $8,919 | 27.6% |
| William C. Pavao | $20,150 | $8,430 | -58.2% |
| Moana Lois Kinimaka Palama | $17,734 | $7,945 | -55.2% |
| Raphael K. Kaui Sr. | $37,882 | $7,718 | -79.6% |
| Kailani Farms, LLC | $251,689 | $7,715 | -96.9% |
| RKL Ranch, LLC | $54,976 | $7,446 | -86.5% |
| E Roger Rynda 2014 Trust | $6,608 | $6,608 | 0% |
| Derek Joaquin Rapozo | $14,448 | $6,572 | -54.5% |
| Leslie P. Milnes | $16,542 | $6,457 | -61% |
| W T Haraguchi Farm, Inc. | $171,291 | $6,400 | -96.3% |
| Hole in the Mountain, LLC | $61,938 | $6,400 | -89.7% |
| Kolo Kai Organic Farm, LLC | $90,541 | $6,400 | -92.9% |
| M & H Kaneshiro Farms, Inc. | $5,354 | $6,400 | 19.5% |
| KNL Nursery, LLC | $3,905 | $6,400 | 63.9% |
| Lincoln Y. T. Ching | $13,202 | $6,369 | -51.8% |
| Arnold S. Bunao | $13,388 | $5,983 | -55.3% |
| Tony Troy Brun | $7,903 | $5,108 | -35.4% |
| Tian Sheng Lin | $19,848 | $4,614 | -76.8% |
| Robert H. Watari | $224,778 | $4,290 | -98.1% |
| Bill de Costa | $10,388 | $3,935 | -62.1% |
| Wellington Enterprises, LLC | $3,886 | $3,886 | 0% |
| Tobias A. Dellamano | $0 | $3,576 | -- |
| Andrades Slaughterhouse and Cattle Company | $11,541 | $3,527 | -69.4% |
| Evan D Vasconcelles | $11,836 | $3,387 | -71.4% |
| David Carter Montgomery | $602 | $3,355 | 457.3% |
| Theresa M Gordines | $13,160 | $3,275 | -75.1% |
| Sunrise Organic Farm, LLC | $13,120 | $3,042 | -76.8% |
| David K Shimogawa | $6,372 | $2,973 | -53.3% |
| William C. Fleming | $9,795 | $2,892 | -70.5% |
| Suthat Promnonsri | $64,262 | $2,825 | -95.6% |
| Dustin Gregory Leach | $10,603 | $2,743 | -74.1% |
| Aaron Bandmann | $2,411 | $2,741 | 13.7% |
| William P. Bukoski Jr. | $6,202 | $2,702 | -56.4% |
| Colby Beef, LLC | $6,210 | $2,627 | -57.7% |
| Ned Whitlock | $15,909 | $2,546 | -84% |
| Daryl W. Kaneshiro | $28,392 | $2,453 | -91.4% |
| W Brun Enterprise, LLC | $1,254 | $2,394 | 90.9% |
| Kauai Taro Company, LLC | $24,553 | $2,364 | -90.4% |
| Wayne K. Matsushima | $3,876 | $2,364 | -39% |
| Jerry J. Louis Sr. | $3,351 | $2,358 | -29.6% |
| Kauai Kunana, Inc. | $8,266 | $2,312 | -72% |
| Kauai Island Honey, Inc. | $13,940 | $2,207 | -84.2% |
| Koga Farms, Inc. | $84,886 | $2,169 | -97.4% |
| Kevin K. Akita | $5,678 | $2,160 | -62% |
| Sierra-Lynn Noelani Sachiko Stone | $22,807 | $1,948 | -91.5% |
| Richard Steven Garcia | $6,778 | $1,948 | -71.3% |
| Rong Sheng Chen | $62,234 | $1,948 | -96.9% |
| Suzanne Lyons M. K. Lee | $0 | $1,920 | -- |
| CJM Country Stables, Inc. | $10,735 | $1,866 | -82.6% |
| Zongping Huang | $32,291 | $1,836 | -94.3% |
| Kapaa Banana Company, Inc. | $45,128 | $1,831 | -95.9% |
| Bradley F. Smith | $22,897 | $1,792 | -92.2% |
| Wirat Yothachai | $76,154 | $1,689 | -97.8% |
| Blue Feather Homestead, LLC | $1,178 | $1,682 | 42.8% |
| Richard H and Eva Marie Rainforth Family Revocable Living Trustee | $0 | $1,555 | -- |
| Diane E. Okuno | $1,646 | $1,541 | -6.4% |
| Valli Sendan | $4,415 | $1,422 | -67.8% |
| Supphasit Yasaka | $16,930 | $1,415 | -91.6% |
| James Henry Denny | $1,411 | $1,411 | 0% |
| Alex Diego | $66,830 | $1,403 | -97.9% |
| Nophadon Seechachet | $129,424 | $1,369 | -98.9% |
| Taworn Panyamee | $35,445 | $1,278 | -96.4% |
| Sakda Meephol | $37,236 | $1,254 | -96.6% |
| Bunlai Saengma | $20,887 | $1,202 | -94.2% |
| Irene Lyons | $4,827 | $1,172 | -75.7% |
| Weeraphon Phokhee | $22,190 | $1,122 | -94.9% |
| Abby Hunter | $1,118 | $1,118 | 0% |
| Omao Lands, LLC | $0 | $1,073 | -- |
| Machiko Yamaguchi | $1,027 | $1,065 | 3.7% |
| Betty J. Louis | $3,993 | $1,062 | -73.4% |
| Faigle Farms, Inc. | $2,518 | $1,042 | -58.6% |
| Emily Marie Mielke | $2,343 | $1,020 | -56.5% |
| Nancy Marie Mauger | $7,944 | $1,010 | -87.3% |
| Saiva Siddhanta Church | $9,072 | $1,000 | -89% |
| Fred M. Rhoades | $2,364 | $945 | -60% |
| Robin T. Troche | $1,174 | $878 | -25.2% |
| Richard Abigania | $1,246 | $867 | -30.4% |
| John William Wooten | $4,318 | $799 | -81.5% |
| Flora M. Quick | $38,548 | $785 | -98% |
| Theodore T. Javellana Jr. | $5,479 | $729 | -86.7% |
| Dustin Lokahi Rita | $2,835 | $729 | -74.3% |
| Buenaventura E Ednilao JR | $19,794 | $706 | -96.4% |
| Agland Management, LLC | $1,726 | $646 | -62.6% |
| Baltazar L Aggasid | $5,301 | $614 | -88.4% |
| Sangkhom Senawong | $12,876 | $579 | -95.5% |
| Dick I. Yoshii | $23,032 | $534 | -97.7% |
| Joseph Schwartz | $7,970 | $521 | -93.5% |
| Hale Lolo, LLC | $0 | $500 | -- |
| Pablo V. Valdez | $6,424 | $354 | -94.5% |
| Alicia K. Rubadue | $924 | $328 | -64.5% |
| Dwight G. Morishige | $18,039 | $272 | -98.5% |
| Iaomai 8, LLC | $508 | $234 | -53.9% |
| Lois Hashimoto | $2,074 | $212 | -89.8% |
| Christine Y. Kobayashi | $184 | $210 | 14.1% |
| Wines of Kauai, LLC | $416 | $210 | -49.5% |
| Clayton T. Ueno | $1,049 | $206 | -80.4% |
| Demetri Rivera | $203 | $190 | -6.4% |
| National Tropical Botanical Garden | $96 | $96 | 0% |
| National Tropical Botanical Garden | $96 | $96 | 0% |
| Kekaha Farms-Under Da Mango Tree, LLC | $244 | $26 | -89.3% |
| Flower of Life Kauai, LLC | $7,379 | $0 | -100% |
| Hawaiian Butterfly Gardens | $2,088 | $0 | -100% |
| Theodore Williams Jr. | $161 | $0 | -100% |
| Conrad K Inanod | $19,907 | $0 | -100% |
| Kauai Eco Tours, LLC | $44,800 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Mc Joe Benton | $12,557 | $0 | -100% |
| Reid Yoshida | $8,861 | $0 | -100% |
| Dean H. Nonaka | $50,453 | $0 | -100% |
| No Ka Oi West, LLC | $1,584 | $0 | -100% |
| Judith L. Emmett | $581 | $0 | -100% |
| Rodney Barnes | $799 | $0 | -100% |
| Thanawat Chak Ano | $6,360 | $0 | -100% |
| Theodore Faigle | $1,119 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward Wayne McDonnell | $27,324 | $0 | -100% |
| Fely D Sams | $43,010 | $0 | -100% |
| Joshua Lee Brandenburg | $19,990 | $0 | -100% |
| Phaisan Ngamdee | $24,137 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Francis Demarco | $580 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard H & Eva Marie Rainforth R | $837 | $0 | -100% |
| Roland A. Barker | $643 | $0 | -100% |
| Sakda Thaksin | $13,920 | $0 | -100% |
| Sandra Lee McCluskey | $989 | $0 | -100% |
| Sawaeng See Akkhahad | $14,955 | $0 | -100% |
| Somphong Janphet | $1,406 | $0 | -100% |
| Steelgrass Farm, LLC | $26,518 | $0 | -100% |
| Thipphawan Meephol | $17,118 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy Matteson | $419 | $0 | -100% |
| Watchara Meephol | $22,509 | $0 | -100% |
| Gordon L. Furze | $1,782 | $0 | -100% |
| Hawiian Paradise Flowers, LLC | $10,786 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard E. King | $28,852 | $0 | -100% |
| Thatsapron Promnonsri | $6,290 | $0 | -100% |
| Wilbert Tai Hook | $36,882 | $0 | -100% |
| Julius Jacinto | $3,945 | $0 | -100% |
| Katherine M Vasconcelles | $2,063 | $0 | -100% |
| Lilibeth Fostanes | $580 | $0 | -100% |
| Waylon Henry Brun | $2,489 | $0 | -100% |
| Anuwat Thaksin | $17,999 | $0 | -100% |
| Atthaphon Seechachet | $1,654 | $0 | -100% |
| Elmer Tubban Viernes | $96,368 | $0 | -100% |
| Lanipo Farm, LLC | $9,109 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark B. Marshall | $166 | $0 | -100% |
| Mateo Sebastian | $2,365 | $0 | -100% |
| Shreeyesh J Rawal | $12,758 | $0 | -100% |
| Teerarat Amoonlad | $5,965 | $0 | -100% |
| Teral Katahara | $465 | $0 | -100% |
| Watchara Meephol | $22,509 | $0 | -100% |
| Naikela, LLC | $8,987 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $3,865,411 | $784,800 | -79.7% |
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