Cameron County, Texas Summary Information
| Crop Insurance is becoming more important to farmers than Direct Payments | |
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- $291 million in subsidies 1995-2012.
- $188 million in commodity subsidies.
- $67.2 million in crop insurance subsidies.
- $5.20 million in conservation subsidies.
- $30.7 million in disaster subsidies.
- Texas ranking: 1 of 50 States
- 81 percent of farms in Texas did not collect subsidy payments - according to USDA.
- Ten percent collected 90 percent of all subsidies.
- Amounting to $201 million over 18 years.
- Top 10%: $25,775 average per year between 1995 and 2012.
- Bottom 80%: $164 average per year between 1995 and 2012.
Following our post on the subsidies provided to sugar-cane growers in Cameron County, we had one of our three readers alert us to the information that the federal government provides through the Dept. of Agriculture related to the dependence of local farmers on crop subsidies and insurance.
The graph above indicates that in the last 17 years, the U.S. taxpayer has been very, very good to local farmers who raked in $188 million in commodity subsidies, $67.2 million in crop insurance subsidies, and $30.7 million in disaster subsidies.
We wondered why gadflies like Dagoberto Barrera continue to bash food-stamp recipients while local farmers who grow unnecessary crops like sugar cane continue to exploit the generosity of the American taxpayer growing a crop that we don't really need.
It's interesting to note that local U.S. District 34 Rep. Filemon Vela has been appointed to a committee to iron out the crop subsidies in the new Farm Bill after the Republican-led House passed a separate bill dealing with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Now, will Vela – given the millions received by agribusiness in his district – move to protect the average taxpayer? Or will he simply make noises about his fiscal conservatism and continue the handouts to the top 10 percent who collected 90 percent of all subsidies, that is, his political contributors? That is, go along for the ride?
The bill, written under the direction of the House majority leader, Eric Cantor, Republican of Virginia, cut $40 billion from the food stamp program over the next 10 years. It would also require adults between 18 and 50 without minor children to find a job or to enroll in a work-training program in order to receive benefits.
It would also limit the time those recipients could get benefits to three months. Currently, states can extend food stamp benefits past three months for able-bodied people who are working or preparing for work as part of a job-training program.
It would also limit the time those recipients could get benefits to three months. Currently, states can extend food stamp benefits past three months for able-bodied people who are working or preparing for work as part of a job-training program.
Below is a list of the top 25 "farmers" and corporations in Cameron County (Brownsville, Zip Code 78520) who received government subsidies, including some paid to set aside acreage (not to plant) and the totals they received from 1995-2012. Notice this does not include the members of the Santa Rosa Sugar Cane Growers who not only receive crop commodity payments, but are also protected by tariffs which keep out sugar imports from other countries and inflate the price Americans pay for that commodity. Amendments to the food-stamp program also allow SNAP recipients to purchase foods containing sugar (candy, soda pop, etc.) to purchase sugar-based products with the federal stipends. What a sweet deal, hey Fil?
1. San Miguel Partnership: $1,854, 561.68
2. Leal Farms, Inc.: $1,408,455.17
3. Mathers Family Parternship, Ltd.: $939,407,39
4. Frank D. Yturria: $916,850.00
5. Flores Farms Jv.: $788,518.71
6. Edward Mathers Farms: $749,392.99
7. John L. George: $557,257.00
8. T. Norberto Flores: $379,029.02
9. M.f Yturria Grandson's Trust: $225,410.00
10. Mary and Frank Yturria Family Ranch: $182,924.00
11. Mathers Farms Jv: $160,000.00
12. Sampayo-Garcia Farming Lc.:$152,282.00
13. Pf Sweeney and Sat Jv.: $142,098.33
14. Teofilo H. Flores Jr.: $139,885.11
15. Frank Edward Mathers: $125,168.00
16. Empresa Inc.: $121,672.39
17. Diana Ines Santiso Del Rio: $110,720.86
18. Nelson Smith: $101,500.36
19.Leal Brothers: $86,423.00
20. Peyton F. Sweeney Sr.: $86,288.35
The San Miguel Partnership corporation has its address listed as 186 Creekbend in Brownsville and listed its subsidies as:
Cotton – $1,157,953
Sorghum – $224,254
Corn – $112,295
Livestock: $819
Frank D. Yturria, Mary, Granson's Trust ( millionaires in their own right), milked the taxpayer for:
Cotton – $656,158
Sorghum – $108,569
Corn – $39,662
Corn – $39,662
Livestock – $21,578
This is just a partial listing of the subsidies given to these agribusiness corporations. For a more complete listing to to: http://farm.ewg.org/addrsearch.php?z=1&zip=78520&page=0
9 comments:
This is just another "Lone Star Card"....one providing "welfare" to the rich.
I bet all those farmers are republicans who bitch about welfare . . . . what hypocrites.
You uncovered a vipers pit of political grift! Holy shit!
Los republiputos siempre han sidos en favor de ayudar a sus hermanos ricos con dinero de nuestros pinches impuestos. Sea con subsidios al campo o a los banqueros y Wall St., sale equal. Pero cuando hay gente que realmente necesita una mano, como en el caso de Katrina, esos jotos desaparecen.
"Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job"
WOW, How do I become a farmer? Is there a minumum of acres we need to farm to get such SWEET deals....FIle que honda, no q tu no eres RATA?
I recall reading several years back, that the reason America erected sugar import barriers and began heavily subsidizing American sugar growers was to starve out Fidel Castro and the Cubans during the embargo - sugarcane grows very well in the rainy, tropical climate of Cuba and exports were the primary cash crop of Cuba.
Are these ridiculous subsidies to sugar growers, high fructose corn syrup manufacturers-- who hide sugar and corn syrup in everything from ketchup to food stamp allowable 'energy drinks' to blame for the extreme obesity in America? Are food stamp recipients basically the official "dumping ground" of all this excess, unwanted sugar, and is that blatantly obvious when you look around at the people in South Texas with the highest rate of obesity and diabetes in this part of America, where 50% or more of the population is on the "food stamp diet"?
At any rate, Filemon is a very intelligent person. He has not even been in office a full term yet you accuse him of not going solo mano-a-mano gangbusters against Big Agra. Are you nuts?? A drastic cut in subsidies without any backup plan for farmers, in this predominantly farming community would be terrible! Destabilizing workers as well as at food prices. So no, I don't agree he needs to do anything drastic, no one wants Texas farm workers unemployed or homeless.
Yes, sugar is disgustingly oversubsidized and it needs to stop. This isn't 1950 anymore, whether the reason for the tariffs and the subsidies were to hurt Fidel Castro, now with modern nutrition science it is time to start looking at other foods to subsidize and encourage Americans to eat more of. For example, encouraging farmers to grow organic, pesticide and hormone free produce, by offsetting their initial losses. Does anyone think it is a sane policy to give people money to spray poison all over our food, and for americans to be eating this crap? Why do people have to pay extra for cancer free food, while cancer causing chemicals and sugar products are being subsidized with taxpayer dollars and dumped on the poorest and those on welfare, who can't afford organic? I think Texas farm workers would be the first to argue, how sick they get wading through fumes of airplane sprayed pesticides and sticky pesticide covered bushes day after day. It would help everyone to stop this. It is my hope our new progressive Congressman can help bring some progress in this area.
What were the subsidies of the Laguna Seca Ranch, Fil Vela's family farm/ranch?
The subsidy for sugar should be done away with, it has long worn out its usefulness, in fact most of the subsidies for commodities need to be done away with. Subsidies were initially started to balance the ebbs and flows of the market for commodities so that prices would not fluctuate so much on the open market, and allow small time farmers and producers to stay in business year after year. It is important to have a somewhat stable market for commodities so that the consumer does not get gouged. The government subsidies worked well for a while until large farming and ranching concerns figured out how to work the system, once that happened, then political favors for farm friendly Congressmen became the rule.
Crop insurance is a completely different deal, the farmers and producers pay a yearly premium for it and in years when the weather is good they do not collect on insurance, when it is a dry year or bad weather year, then farmers are basically paid for what it cost to plant and maintain their crop up until the time that it is disastered out. I do not think that Crop insurance is rip off of the tax payer, it similar to automobile or home insurance and is back by the US Government as well.
I support Vela. Coming from a farm and ranch family, he has our South Texas farm worker's interests at heart.
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