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In 2021, 104 farmers in cities within Monroe County received a total of $491,331 in 141 farm subsidies, a 54.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.1 million in 288 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.
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| B & B Timber, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Larry D. Bostic | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Michael G Boggs - a & M Logging | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Rodney Hubbard & Son Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Walnut Ridge Dairy, Inc. | $59,119 | $40,852 | -30.9% |
| Belle Vue Dairy | $16,490 | $37,291 | 126.1% |
| Eleanor J. Ash | $18,091 | $15,052 | -16.8% |
| David L. Atkins | $56,498 | $12,704 | -77.5% |
| Richard Lee Nichols | $30,171 | $11,204 | -62.9% |
| Boggess Dairy, Inc. | $198,054 | $10,457 | -94.7% |
| Stephen H. Bostic II | $0 | $10,357 | -- |
| Jack R. Vickers | $40,711 | $9,597 | -76.4% |
| Gary G. Farley | $40,085 | $9,015 | -77.5% |
| Barry E. Miller | $41,634 | $8,489 | -79.6% |
| Robert B. Allen | $32,240 | $6,731 | -79.1% |
| William G. Sibold | $22,352 | $6,477 | -71% |
| Brian W. Wickline | $16,416 | $5,176 | -68.5% |
| Donald W. Dransfield | $16,707 | $5,049 | -69.8% |
| Thomas R. Mitchell | $21,642 | $4,964 | -77.1% |
| Barry G. Booth | $12,460 | $4,299 | -65.5% |
| Little Mountains Farms, LLC | $18,678 | $4,114 | -78% |
| Larry Burwell | $16,876 | $3,688 | -78.1% |
| Benjamin L. Preston | $25,324 | $3,668 | -85.5% |
| Zachary D. Taylor | $8,877 | $3,554 | -60% |
| Joseph P. Lusk | $31,045 | $3,547 | -88.6% |
| Steve Echols | $9,045 | $3,317 | -63.3% |
| Debra G. Hawkins | $14,245 | $3,199 | -77.5% |
| Kathleen Wilson | $17,875 | $3,080 | -82.8% |
| David W. Smith | $8,335 | $2,824 | -66.1% |
| Jeffrey Walker - Locust Lane Farm | $11,167 | $2,798 | -74.9% |
| Mildred McKenzie | $6,743 | $2,274 | -66.3% |
| Ronnie L. Glover | $10,633 | $2,159 | -79.7% |
| Darel W. Pickenpaugh | $8,240 | $1,867 | -77.3% |
| Michael K. Smith | $8,954 | $1,773 | -80.2% |
| Porter M. Robertson | $6,041 | $1,698 | -71.9% |
| Robert H. Bostic | $8,960 | $1,692 | -81.1% |
| Clarence L. Dillion | $6,423 | $1,544 | -76% |
| Earl W. Booth | $6,613 | $1,516 | -77.1% |
| Danny H. Dunbar | $8,686 | $1,406 | -83.8% |
| Gerald D. Clarkson | $5,995 | $1,372 | -77.1% |
| Lamer E. Lankford | $11,085 | $1,330 | -88% |
| Herbert Thomas | $5,335 | $1,301 | -75.6% |
| James O. Gore | $7,699 | $1,210 | -84.3% |
| Tyler Barreras | $5,244 | $1,146 | -78.1% |
| Donnie G. Hoke | $5,479 | $1,056 | -80.7% |
| Judith K. Mullins | $8,172 | $1,042 | -87.2% |
| Teddy G. Helm | $6,426 | $1,022 | -84.1% |
| Fred D. Ferguson | $3,575 | $966 | -73% |
| Elwood Parker | $5,082 | $953 | -81.2% |
| Charles D. Reed | $4,602 | $903 | -80.4% |
| G. A. Spangler | $3,080 | $892 | -71% |
| Karl E. Reese Jr. | $5,997 | $868 | -85.5% |
| Amy Cole South | $4,627 | $838 | -81.9% |
| Remington A. Hoke | $3,729 | $836 | -77.6% |
| Veronica Wills | $5,608 | $810 | -85.6% |
| Dirk A. McCormick | $1,775 | $765 | -56.9% |
| William R. Tuggle Jr. | $1,770 | $669 | -62.2% |
| Adam W. Neel | $1,980 | $638 | -67.8% |
| Dan K. Copeland | $3,157 | $630 | -80% |
| Jackie a Kaluk | $3,514 | $600 | -82.9% |
| Chuck Weikle | $2,442 | $599 | -75.5% |
| Nathen Atkins | $3,652 | $579 | -84.1% |
| Steve Ballengee | $2,442 | $574 | -76.5% |
| Dennis D. Hylton | $1,881 | $538 | -71.4% |
| L. E. Rice | $2,955 | $512 | -82.7% |
| James R. Ridgeway | $2,409 | $488 | -79.7% |
| Michael S. Hawkins | $2,431 | $474 | -80.5% |
| Martin Wengerd | $2,082 | $464 | -77.7% |
| John R. Altizer | $2,134 | $459 | -78.5% |
| Michael W. Dixon | $1,254 | $420 | -66.5% |
| Randal S. Williams | $1,587 | $414 | -73.9% |
| Debra K. Wilson | $1,848 | $381 | -79.4% |
| Roger L. Wimmer | $1,617 | $377 | -76.7% |
| Bruce A. Weikle | $1,496 | $371 | -75.2% |
| William E. Miller | $4,166 | $348 | -91.6% |
| Tommy Ray Page | $1,463 | $336 | -77% |
| William M. Shiflet II | $3,993 | $332 | -91.7% |
| Lacy H Toney Farm Trust | $1,557 | $311 | -80% |
| Dorothy Mae Mullins | $1,419 | $292 | -79.4% |
| Cody McPeak | $1,188 | $291 | -75.5% |
| Charles S. Goodall | $1,320 | $284 | -78.5% |
| Marshall Glover | $1,419 | $284 | -80% |
| William Michael Sibold | $1,144 | $282 | -75.3% |
| David A. Pontius | $1,501 | $248 | -83.5% |
| Lane Steven Reece | $4,502 | $242 | -94.6% |
| Patricia A. Cole | $999 | $239 | -76.1% |
| Richard Ward | $968 | $239 | -75.3% |
| Jeffrey B. Lilly | $1,089 | $228 | -79.1% |
| Amber Weikle | $1,056 | $222 | -79% |
| Red Silos Farm, LLC | $8,391 | $220 | -97.4% |
| Elwyn Weikle | $2,442 | $208 | -91.5% |
| Roger Martin | $935 | $187 | -80% |
| Seth W. Croy | $462 | $185 | -60% |
| Arnold Lucas | $649 | $183 | -71.8% |
| Trish W. Echols | $22,362 | $162 | -99.3% |
| John D. Fullen | $103 | $103 | 0% |
| Sarah F. Martin | $1,525 | $102 | -93.3% |
| Keith Blankenship | $2,102 | $90 | -95.7% |
| Marshall Dunn | $156 | $76 | -51.3% |
| James E. Bradley | $732 | $73 | -90% |
| Carey Clarkson | $495 | $66 | -86.7% |
| Betty J. Atkins | $242 | $48 | -80.2% |
| James Reed | $176 | $14 | -92% |
| Carolyn M. Mann | $33 | $7 | -78.8% |
| Benjamin Belcher | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Carl A. Weiss | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| James A. Skeens | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy D. Bradley | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Wayne K. Johnson | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Dalford Mcmahan | $279 | $0 | -100% |
| Darrell Echols | $221 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency | $571 | $0 | -100% |
| Gregory W. Elmore | $2,142 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Kilcollin | $18,392 | $0 | -100% |
| Mary Ann Hinkle | $24 | $0 | -100% |
| Patricia Cookie Cole | $475 | $0 | -100% |
| Sharon C. Sluss | $945 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,083,979 | $491,331 | -54.7% |
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