When Corporations Collect: The Biggest Non-Family Recipients
Farm subsidies were created to help family farmers. But LLCs, partnerships, and corporations are among the largest recipients. Here are the top corporate entities in our database.
Top Corporate Recipients
| # | Entity | Location | Total | Payments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AMERICAN CRYSTAL SUGAR CO | MOORHEAD, MN | $82.3M | 1 |
| 2 | AGRIFUND LLC | AMARILLO, TX | $28.9M | 2,391 |
| 3 | AGRIFUND LLC | RAYVILLE, LA | $28.7M | 3,318 |
| 4 | US WHEAT ASSOCIATES INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $26.5M | 166 |
| 5 | AGRIFUND LLC | FORT WORTH, TX | $17.9M | 1,724 |
| 6 | R&G FISH, LLC | PORT LAVACA, TX | $12.4M | 2 |
| 7 | DELINE FARMS PARTNERSHIP | CHARLESTON, MO | $12.2M | 121 |
| 8 | AMERICAN PEANUT COUNCIL INC | ALEXANDRIA, VA | $12.0M | 175 |
| 9 | AGRIFUND LLC | MONROE, LA | $10.8M | 1,600 |
| 10 | SUNKIST GROWERS INC | VALENCIA, CA | $10.8M | 42 |
| 11 | Agrifund LLC | RAYVILLE, LA | $10.6M | 1,080 |
| 12 | DEWAR NURSERIES INC | APOPKA, FL | $9.3M | 14 |
| 13 | ST MARTIN BANK & TRUST CO | JENNINGS, LA | $9.0M | 762 |
| 14 | Agrifund LLC | AMARILLO, TX | $8.9M | 1,379 |
| 15 | PEDERSON BROTHERS PARTNERSHIP | BEJOU, MN | $8.2M | 218 |
| 16 | PLANTERS BANK & TRUST COMPANY | RULEVILLE, MS | $8.0M | 754 |
| 17 | WORRELL FARMS PARTNERSHIP | ALTUS, OK | $7.9M | 172 |
| 18 | GRIFFIN FARMS PARTNERSHIP | HELENA, AR | $7.6M | 69 |
| 19 | HADER FARMS PARTNERSHIP | ZUMBROTA, MN | $7.5M | 491 |
| 20 | OAKRIDGE FISH HATCHERY INC %DAVID DRAWDY | PLANT CITY, FL | $7.2M | 8 |
Top 20 entities with LLC, Inc, Corp, Partnership, LP, or Trust in their name. Total: $326.8M across these 20 entities.
Payment Limits: Theory vs. Practice
Federal law caps most commodity program payments at $125,000 per person per year. But the definition of "person" is generous — it includes entities, and payments can be attributed to multiple members of a partnership or LLC. The result is that payment limits are more suggestion than constraint.
The Accountability Gap
When subsidies flow to named individuals, there's at least a human face attached to the money. When they flow to LLCs and partnerships, accountability becomes murkier. Who ultimately benefits? Are these family operations structured as LLCs for tax purposes, or are they genuinely corporate operations that have little in common with the family farm ideal?
The USDA data doesn't answer these questions — it just records payments. But the prevalence of corporate entities among top recipients raises legitimate questions about whether the subsidy system is achieving its stated goals.
📊 Explore the Data
See all top recipients on our Recipients page.