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In 2021, 78 farmers in cities within Union County received a total of $474,411 in 86 farm subsidies, a 43.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $838,013 in 253 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santuc Farms, Inc. | $0 | $78,697 | -- |
| Scales Turkey Farms, LLC | $0 | $74,253 | -- |
| Gaston Logging, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Barfield's Bulldozing, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Barfield's Timber, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Premier Land & Timber, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Fowler's Farm & Trucking, LLC | $0 | $9,794 | -- |
| Fowken Farm, LLC | $104,391 | $8,462 | -91.9% |
| Larry Nichols Goff | $7,217 | $8,295 | 14.9% |
| Guy Michael Scales | $89,615 | $6,475 | -92.8% |
| Ricky E. Smith | $34,597 | $5,845 | -83.1% |
| Ryan Thomas Whitehead | $18,535 | $4,271 | -77% |
| Charles Kevin Farr | $39,210 | $4,076 | -89.6% |
| Mark Jordan | $33,668 | $3,807 | -88.7% |
| Todd Allan Little | $30,081 | $3,026 | -89.9% |
| Paul M Kicidis JR | $27,874 | $2,728 | -90.2% |
| Michael Williams | $11,233 | $2,173 | -80.7% |
| Big Sandy Farms, LLC | $17,543 | $2,084 | -88.1% |
| Edmond B Wirchball JR | $9,507 | $2,076 | -78.2% |
| Floyd C. Heatherly | $13,478 | $2,068 | -84.7% |
| Benjamin Rodgers Jr. | $12,577 | $2,021 | -83.9% |
| Ray Steven Freeman | $31,041 | $1,822 | -94.1% |
| Robert Whitehead | $19,462 | $1,784 | -90.8% |
| David Martin Keith | $24,017 | $1,763 | -92.7% |
| Samuel Victor Elliott | $10,652 | $1,707 | -84% |
| Verlyn E. Harris | $16,590 | $1,703 | -89.7% |
| James M. Rice | $10,338 | $1,424 | -86.2% |
| William B. Jeter | $13,094 | $1,402 | -89.3% |
| Lamar Randolph Wilburn | $18,799 | $1,334 | -92.9% |
| Russell D. Ratliff | $1,311 | $1,311 | 0% |
| Michael S. Copeland | $12,283 | $1,216 | -90.1% |
| James T. Hunnicutt | $18,398 | $1,190 | -93.5% |
| Russell Inabinet | $5,661 | $1,180 | -79.2% |
| John Kingsmore | $7,819 | $1,163 | -85.1% |
| Jeff Bailey | $7,158 | $1,148 | -84% |
| Barry Dean Palmer | $4,664 | $1,114 | -76.1% |
| Philip T. Arnold | $5,211 | $906 | -82.6% |
| James C. Morris | $11,822 | $903 | -92.4% |
| Jerry Ivey | $6,881 | $878 | -87.2% |
| Michael P. Nichols | $17,337 | $868 | -95% |
| Paul Vaughan Jr. | $8,356 | $861 | -89.7% |
| Janice S. Hutcherson | $805 | $805 | 0% |
| Hazel B. Adams | $12,674 | $768 | -93.9% |
| James S. Crocker | $4,637 | $744 | -84% |
| Wanda Copeland Smith | $4,981 | $737 | -85.2% |
| Dennis Boughman | $3,256 | $727 | -77.7% |
| Ashley Diana Burgess | $7,887 | $688 | -91.3% |
| Robert Evans Crocker | $3,596 | $688 | -80.9% |
| Deborah T. Wade | $5,683 | $681 | -88% |
| Jeff Allen | $4,298 | $673 | -84.3% |
| Toney L. Farr | $9,693 | $670 | -93.1% |
| Anthony Lane Duckett | $2,535 | $588 | -76.8% |
| Maxie O. Sanders | $6,433 | $578 | -91% |
| Sandra Kaye Whitehead | $6,385 | $554 | -91.3% |
| Kenneth Lominack | $2,966 | $522 | -82.4% |
| Jacob Anthony Robinson | $4,141 | $516 | -87.5% |
| J C Crocker Properties, LLC | $2,332 | $506 | -78.3% |
| Lee Wayne Youngblood | $5,215 | $446 | -91.4% |
| C. W. Garner | $2,445 | $431 | -82.4% |
| Wallace R. Russell | $3,306 | $411 | -87.6% |
| Lewis E. Oliver | $3,284 | $410 | -87.5% |
| Louise B. Floyd | $397 | $397 | 0% |
| Milas J. Robinson | $4,973 | $390 | -92.2% |
| David Stanley Parks | $1,378 | $363 | -73.7% |
| Evelyn Harrell | $3,617 | $360 | -90% |
| Anne P. Brock | $1,914 | $356 | -81.4% |
| Stephen R. Stone | $2,407 | $342 | -85.8% |
| Henry Robert Evans | $3,739 | $331 | -91.1% |
| Jon Grady | $2,154 | $312 | -85.5% |
| John Lee Ward | $1,507 | $310 | -79.4% |
| Ralph Clifton Smith | $1,570 | $308 | -80.4% |
| Roger D. Bailey | $4,851 | $308 | -93.7% |
| Leon Douglas Gilliam | $825 | $290 | -64.8% |
| Rodney V. Gallman | $1,654 | $272 | -83.6% |
| Langley Farms | $1,658 | $256 | -84.6% |
| Cindy Gaston | $1,435 | $173 | -87.9% |
| Donald Gilbert Sawyer | $1,156 | $154 | -86.7% |
| Jackson Enterprises, Inc. | $656 | $18 | -97.3% |
| Michael Ralph Smith | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| John Glenn | $966 | $0 | -100% |
| Donnie Betenbaugh | $3,247 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Kingsmore | $497 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronnie Carter | $55 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $838,013 | $474,411 | -43.4% |
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