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In 2021, 81 farmers in cities within Union County received a total of $374,855 in 106 farm subsidies, a 47.5% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $714,063 in 205 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of GA | $94,494 | $75,790 | -19.8% |
| B & B Farm | $70,246 | $70,320 | 0.1% |
| Robert Michael Jones | $0 | $48,707 | -- |
| Brown Logging, Inc. | $0 | $38,736 | -- |
| Beaver Logging, Inc. | $0 | $29,367 | -- |
| Jason Michael Burrell | $91,602 | $22,798 | -75.1% |
| Philip Parramore | $0 | $11,377 | -- |
| Harold D. Wimpey | $21,391 | $5,103 | -76.1% |
| Jimmy S. Thomas | $74,705 | $5,050 | -93.2% |
| Warren Christopher Souther | $890 | $3,780 | 324.7% |
| Kenneth Dyer | $14,333 | $3,222 | -77.5% |
| William Brock Kelley | $3,946 | $3,173 | -19.6% |
| Hillvue Family Limited Partnership | $8,141 | $3,086 | -62.1% |
| Warren Christopher Souther Jr. | $14,018 | $3,022 | -78.4% |
| Gertrude Kennedy Declaration of Trustee Ua Dated July 7 1997 | $5,767 | $2,902 | -49.7% |
| Nottely Oak Farms, LLC | $9,820 | $2,789 | -71.6% |
| Larry E. Garrett | $2,025 | $2,739 | 35.3% |
| Stanley Bryson | $12,633 | $2,403 | -81% |
| Kevin W. Hutson | $4,474 | $1,846 | -58.7% |
| Milton Akins | $8,989 | $1,834 | -79.6% |
| Robert R. Lance | $8,227 | $1,550 | -81.2% |
| Catherine W. Leroy | $0 | $1,533 | -- |
| Robert L. Martin | $9,479 | $1,491 | -84.3% |
| Thomas Harlan Duncan | $2,882 | $1,366 | -52.6% |
| G & P Kennedy Farm | $1,659 | $1,357 | -18.2% |
| Jerrold Neal Rusk | $11,500 | $1,281 | -88.9% |
| Mickey David | $0 | $1,161 | -- |
| Chris B. Kelley | $6,010 | $1,142 | -81% |
| David Allen Christensen | $4,730 | $1,114 | -76.4% |
| Joshua Paul Stepp | $5,571 | $1,114 | -80% |
| Sonny D. Dyer | $5,385 | $996 | -81.5% |
| Jonathan Willard Ledbetter | $3,496 | $937 | -73.2% |
| Darren T. Hughes | $7,090 | $932 | -86.9% |
| William J. Gray | $3,660 | $932 | -74.5% |
| Gary L. Pepper | $953 | $885 | -7.1% |
| Joseph T. McGinnis | $4,538 | $866 | -80.9% |
| Berry Springs, LLLP | $2,178 | $827 | -62% |
| Jonathan A. Cook | $3,905 | $808 | -79.3% |
| Jerry L. Driskell | $985 | $792 | -19.6% |
| James H. Bradley | $3,300 | $780 | -76.4% |
| William C. Collins Jr. | $2,782 | $768 | -72.4% |
| James G. Nix | $5,405 | $756 | -86% |
| Charles W. Kelley | $4,901 | $738 | -84.9% |
| James B. Emerine | $3,883 | $733 | -81.1% |
| Paul Puett Jr. | $3,241 | $732 | -77.4% |
| James K. Cook | $3,938 | $706 | -82.1% |
| Ralph E. Hughes | $2,922 | $672 | -77% |
| Barbara A. Butt | $2,442 | $587 | -76% |
| Tony R. Collins | $3,352 | $582 | -82.6% |
| Teresa Kay Hamilton | $3,179 | $574 | -81.9% |
| Jackie L. Dillard | $2,816 | $568 | -79.8% |
| Lee F. Knight | $3,829 | $523 | -86.3% |
| Bruce Ledford | $3,256 | $511 | -84.3% |
| Big Branch Valley Farm, LLC | $12,432 | $500 | -96% |
| Sheila C. Scarborough | $472 | $472 | 0% |
| Edwin D. England | $1,738 | $408 | -76.5% |
| Andrew L. Akins | $2,647 | $365 | -86.2% |
| Larry Nelson Poteete | $1,353 | $345 | -74.5% |
| F. C. Collins | $1,067 | $328 | -69.3% |
| Gino J Zalunardo | $1,760 | $307 | -82.6% |
| Grover Dale Brendle | $1,166 | $304 | -73.9% |
| Charles E. Dyer | $673 | $303 | -55% |
| Larry C. Helton | $1,967 | $301 | -84.7% |
| Ronald Harlan Duncan | $1,620 | $274 | -83.1% |
| Johnny Hamby | $1,648 | $273 | -83.4% |
| Steve W. Leroy | $16,029 | $273 | -98.3% |
| Alex M. Stewart Jr. | $759 | $256 | -66.3% |
| Albert Clyde Davenport | $836 | $215 | -74.3% |
| Kenneth M. Collins | $1,199 | $204 | -83% |
| James W. Baxter | $246 | $201 | -18.3% |
| Curtis M. Young | $935 | $182 | -80.5% |
| David R. Dyer | $759 | $182 | -76% |
| Marty J. Payne | $1,051 | $168 | -84% |
| Ronald Dyer | $1,711 | $162 | -90.5% |
| Valerie J. Wells | $1,086 | $132 | -87.8% |
| Troy A. Collins | $787 | $131 | -83.4% |
| Jerry A. Collins | $758 | $117 | -84.6% |
| Montana D. Tincher | $506 | $59 | -88.3% |
| Katie Elisabeth Thomas | $260 | $22 | -91.5% |
| David Gerald Patterson | $116 | $12 | -89.7% |
| Ross D. Peterson | $0 | $1 | -- |
| 7M Family Farms, LLC | $36,802 | $0 | -100% |
| Joshua Harold Berry | $784 | $0 | -100% |
| Justin H. Duncan | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Kaylon D Grubbs | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Lon Allen Dillard | $139 | $0 | -100% |
| Rachall Autumn Johnson | $256 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Keith Long | $1,361 | $0 | -100% |
| Southern Tree Plantation, Inc. | $3,710 | $0 | -100% |
| Tammy Mikles | $3,576 | $0 | -100% |
| Terrapin Cattle LP | $41,415 | $0 | -100% |
| Tim M. Dyer | $151 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $714,063 | $374,855 | -47.5% |
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