Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 60 farmers in cities within White County received a total of $466,501 in 76 farm subsidies, a 10.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $522,623 in 150 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seabolt Farms | $83,704 | $48,204 | -42.4% |
| Tony Skelton | $0 | $42,159 | -- |
| Jacob London | $0 | $38,476 | -- |
| Dean Nix | $7,982 | $34,739 | 335.2% |
| Adam Kennedy | $10,034 | $33,896 | 237.8% |
| Shoal Creek Poultry, LLC | $0 | $30,043 | -- |
| Brent Taylor | $0 | $29,530 | -- |
| Warren Lee Cain | $660 | $19,521 | 2,857.7% |
| London Farms, Inc. | $43,475 | $18,133 | -58.3% |
| Nathan Nix | $1,606 | $15,646 | 874.2% |
| Sills Brothers Farm | $26,841 | $14,930 | -44.4% |
| Casey Cain | $0 | $14,730 | -- |
| Michael Shore, Inc. | $0 | $13,435 | -- |
| Dennis Thomas | $0 | $12,153 | -- |
| Kenny Duane Thompson | $2,754 | $6,525 | 136.9% |
| Lara Megan Taylor | $76,976 | $6,417 | -91.7% |
| Freedom Ranch, LLC | $0 | $6,084 | -- |
| Mossy Creek Dairy, Inc. | $3,751 | $5,878 | 56.7% |
| Stanley Lawson | $5,318 | $5,318 | 0% |
| Voyce B. Hunt | $32,511 | $5,237 | -83.9% |
| Peggy Foster | $0 | $4,756 | -- |
| Charles Ray Dyer | $0 | $4,624 | -- |
| Rod Nix | $17,915 | $4,567 | -74.5% |
| Richard Roy Gerrell | $2,706 | $4,109 | 51.8% |
| Charles L. McClure | $17,306 | $4,030 | -76.7% |
| Don R. Simmons | $5,595 | $3,505 | -37.4% |
| Eric Ray Nix | $6,211 | $3,422 | -44.9% |
| Larry Dyer | $0 | $2,920 | -- |
| Peggy F. Biggers | $11,350 | $2,854 | -74.9% |
| Stacey B. Stovall | $24,912 | $2,816 | -88.7% |
| Carol Armour | $2,307 | $2,307 | 0% |
| Randall Townley | $16,965 | $2,001 | -88.2% |
| David Dyer | $6,479 | $1,949 | -69.9% |
| Berlin E. Nix | $3,696 | $1,932 | -47.7% |
| Morgan & Robinson Enterprises, LLC | $0 | $1,838 | -- |
| T & G Kinsey Farm, Inc. | $0 | $1,829 | -- |
| Chastain Family Farms, LLC | $6,435 | $1,658 | -74.2% |
| Eric K. Cantrell | $4,950 | $1,552 | -68.6% |
| Lynn Satterfield | $10,179 | $1,332 | -86.9% |
| Jerrell Dockery | $6,914 | $1,018 | -85.3% |
| Aaron Dwayne Turner | $6,625 | $908 | -86.3% |
| Ken W. Dorsey | $6,890 | $902 | -86.9% |
| Jerry A. McAfee | $4,304 | $848 | -80.3% |
| Leon H. Thomason | $4,560 | $828 | -81.8% |
| Lonnie W West | $3,761 | $684 | -81.8% |
| Richard W. Granger | $3,056 | $674 | -77.9% |
| Wayne H. Hulsey | $1,914 | $656 | -65.7% |
| Curtis Ledford | $3,184 | $627 | -80.3% |
| Vivian Lewis | $3,298 | $603 | -81.7% |
| Leland Brett Wigley | $1,468 | $573 | -61% |
| Michael Gibby | $2,258 | $480 | -78.7% |
| Riley M. Crumley Jr. | $3,154 | $466 | -85.2% |
| Cheryl Lusnia | $2,931 | $412 | -85.9% |
| Jack West | $1,386 | $380 | -72.6% |
| James F. Haag | $437 | $312 | -28.6% |
| Sandy L. Irvin | $2,660 | $293 | -89% |
| Zachary Scott Dalton | $2,876 | $274 | -90.5% |
| Donald E. Allison | $1,312 | $255 | -80.6% |
| Mitchell Barrett | $1,285 | $132 | -89.7% |
| April Deann Williams | $605 | $121 | -80% |
| Ann L. Kinsey | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Harold Shelnut | $1,540 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeff Hunt | $3,300 | $0 | -100% |
| Joe Ledford | $1,052 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Knaus | $4,000 | $0 | -100% |
| Mitchell Biggers | $6,985 | $0 | -100% |
| Nicole Taylor | $1,616 | $0 | -100% |
| Rodney Nix | $4,852 | $0 | -100% |
| Rodney Wayne Bowman | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| William M. Carnes | $297 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $522,623 | $466,501 | -10.7% |
Alerts Sign-up