Most of the federal farm subsidy payments in Wisconsin go to a small portion of the state's farmers.

That's according to a database compiled by Environmental Working Group of Washington.

The data shows that 52 percent of Wisconsin farmers didn't receive any farm subsidies.

And 10 percent of farmers collected 63 percent of the subsidies paid in the state over the last 11 years.

The top recipients in Wisconsin averaged nearly $20,000 annually from 1995 to 2005.

The data shows farmers at the bottom received an average of just more than $800 a year.

Jerry Clark from UW-Extension says its not that surprising considering all the different subsidies out there and the different regulations for them.

"As you get fewer farmers and larger farmers, you are going to see a discrepancy in the amount of payments that are coming through based on the size of farms and how many are actually out there willing to sign up their land," said Chippewa County U-W Extension Agricultural Agent Jerry Clark.

Legislators are compiling the next farm bill.

They plan to require farmers to be more enviromentally friendly in return for these subsidies.