King Corn: The Family Connection

This week, SFR explores

in Santa Fe County—the vast majority of which end up with the King family (ex-Gov.

, current Attorney General

, state Rep.

, PRC Chairman

, etc.). Here, we take a closer look at just

who gets how much farm money from the feds.

---

The Patriarch

In 1918, Mollie and

William King

left Texas and homesteaded on 160 acres of farmland in Stanley, N.M. They had four children and began building what would someday be among the largest corn and alfalfa operations in Santa Fe County.

The Holdings

Taken together, the King family's four Santa Fe County properties account for the bulk of the farm subsidies coming into Santa Fe County—not to mention what they get for their holdings in neighboring Torrance County. Here's the breakdown for farm subsidies received in the past 15 years, 1995-2009:

King Brothers: $1,227,567

King Farms: $912,689

Pine Canyon Ranch: $649,988

King Land & Cattle: $372,405

TOTAL: $2,125,277

Not all that money comes in the form of direct payments. In the case of Pine Canyon Ranch, which is currently

, most federal subsidies have been for conservation reserve programs. But the rest of the roughly $45,000 King brothers and heirs received last year from the feds went almost exclusively to direct payments for commodity crops—

"the most egregious" kind of subsidy

, according to Environmental Working Group adviser Don Carr.

The Three Brothers

William's three sons—

Sam King, Sr.

, former New Mexico Gov.

Bruce King

(who passed away last November) and

Don L. King

—share ownership of King Brothers, the top-ranked farm subsidy beneficiary in the county. Note: Since these are 2009 numbers, they may not accurately reflect ownership shares since former Gov. King's death.

Don L. King

King Brothers ownership share: 33.33%

Total subsidy payments, 1995-2009:

$365,014.19

Daughter: Rhonda King

Bruce King

King Brothers ownership share: 33.33%

Total subsidy payments, 1995-2009:

$122,189.84

Sons: Bill King, Attorney General Gary King

Sam King, Sr.

King Brothers ownership share: 33.34%

Total subsidy payments, 1995-2009:

$118,828.83

Son: Sam King

The Heirs

According to the family members SFR spoke with, Bill and Sam L. King handle most of the family farming operations. The Environmental Working Group, which publishes an annual

, cautions users

not to equate ownership shares with actual payouts.

All King holdings receive subsidies from both Santa Fe and Torrance Counties, but primarily from Santa Fe, so (particularly with King Land & Cattle) Torrance County shares likely mean very little in the way of actual subsidy payments, which is why SFR is using percentages.

Bill King

King Farms ownership share: 50%

Pine Canyon Ranch ownership share: 16.67%

King Land & Cattle ownership share: 50% in Santa Fe; 20% in Torrance

Total subsidy payments, 1995-2009:

$223,985.33

Sam L. King

King Farms ownership share: 50%

Pine Canyon Ranch ownership share: 11.11%

King Land & Cattle ownership share: 50% in Santa Fe; 20% in Torrance

Total subsidy payments, 1995-2009:

$174,603.48

Jerry King

Pine Canyon Ranch ownership share: 16.67%

King Land & Cattle ownership share: 20% in Torrance County only, as of 2006

Total subsidy payments, 1995-2009:

$14,530.03

Gary King

Pine Canyon Ranch ownership share: 16.67%

King Land & Cattle ownership share: 20% in Torrance County only, as of 2006

Total subsidy payments, 1995-2009:

not listed

Public office:

Rhonda King

Pine Canyon Ranch ownership share: 16.67%

Total subsidy payments, 1995-2009:

not listed

Public office:


David King

Pine Canyon Ranch ownership share: 11.11%

King Land & Cattle ownership share: 20% in Torrance County only, as of 2006

Total subsidy payments, 1995-2009:

not listed

Public office:

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