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In 2021, 53 farmers in cities within Lumpkin County received a total of $236,461 in 68 farm subsidies, a 46.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $444,145 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danny E. Brackett | $0 | $37,861 | -- |
| C & S Caldwell Farms, LLC | $0 | $21,411 | -- |
| Timothy B. Bernier | $0 | $20,314 | -- |
| Anita Anderson | $0 | $19,671 | -- |
| Hannah Grizzle | $0 | $15,495 | -- |
| Pierce's Cornerstone Farm, LLC | $0 | $14,388 | -- |
| Bobby R. Gunter | $44,997 | $11,468 | -74.5% |
| Wayne Barrett | $25,896 | $9,349 | -63.9% |
| New-Yle, LLC | $0 | $8,382 | -- |
| Sean Sullens | $9,422 | $7,728 | -18% |
| Janet L. Miller | $6,954 | $6,954 | 0% |
| Ricky D. Conner | $27,114 | $4,934 | -81.8% |
| C. F. Collins | $31,213 | $4,616 | -85.2% |
| Cantrell Brothers Cattle Company, LLC | $17,352 | $4,416 | -74.6% |
| Rhett Stringer | $24,582 | $3,989 | -83.8% |
| Robert McLaren | $4,622 | $3,983 | -13.8% |
| Linda Feyereisen | $0 | $2,652 | -- |
| Rjp-Pjp, LLC | $2,498 | $2,498 | 0% |
| James D. Shoffeitt | $18,638 | $2,377 | -87.2% |
| Sonshine Organic Farms, Inc. | $4,033 | $2,356 | -41.6% |
| Jerry O. Peck | $16,623 | $2,264 | -86.4% |
| Gooch & Gooch Properties, LLC | $19,842 | $2,258 | -88.6% |
| William Thacker | $1,119 | $2,018 | 80.3% |
| Lance J. Fuller | $6,886 | $1,985 | -71.2% |
| Seabolt and Brown Farms, LLC | $10,410 | $1,850 | -82.2% |
| Randall Conner | $13,802 | $1,760 | -87.2% |
| Leland E. Driver | $7,583 | $1,608 | -78.8% |
| T G Cattle Farm, LLC | $28,102 | $1,596 | -94.3% |
| J. B. Jones Jr. | $3,732 | $1,466 | -60.7% |
| Mollye Lynn Farmer Trust | $1,160 | $1,160 | 0% |
| Russell Hester | $12,342 | $1,156 | -90.6% |
| Robert Everett | $7,752 | $1,134 | -85.4% |
| C. L. Grizzle | $6,647 | $1,056 | -84.1% |
| LRC Farms LP | $3,474 | $1,020 | -70.6% |
| Oak Ridge Ranch, LLC | $8,989 | $983 | -89.1% |
| William Gilstrap | $7,380 | $897 | -87.8% |
| Cindy Bierschenk | $5,095 | $879 | -82.7% |
| Timothy Outz | $3,592 | $704 | -80.4% |
| John Andrew Dabbs | $2,001 | $667 | -66.7% |
| Keith Johns | $3,072 | $656 | -78.6% |
| Ty Panter | $3,893 | $652 | -83.3% |
| David A. Jones | $3,797 | $604 | -84.1% |
| Amy Peck | $3,627 | $481 | -86.7% |
| Jeffrey Jones | $3,298 | $473 | -85.7% |
| Jack Nelson Jones | $6,178 | $442 | -92.8% |
| James L. Kinnard | $2,297 | $397 | -82.7% |
| Dalton Graham | $924 | $380 | -58.9% |
| Julia T. Loughran | $718 | $308 | -57.1% |
| Harvey C. Sutton | $1,243 | $260 | -79.1% |
| Joseph E. Conner | $462 | $244 | -47.2% |
| James Edward Bickham | $0 | $102 | -- |
| Jonathan David Nelson | $237 | $101 | -57.4% |
| Edward O. Peck | $0 | $58 | -- |
| Arthur James White | $165 | $0 | -100% |
| Betty Jean Dockery | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Eric Weller | $394 | $0 | -100% |
| James M. White | $6,072 | $0 | -100% |
| James R. Caldwell | $2,035 | $0 | -100% |
| Jarvis Allen Seabolt | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffrey Pruitt | $3,384 | $0 | -100% |
| Juliette M. Tyson | $475 | $0 | -100% |
| Kathryn J Langerman Survivors Trust | $1,596 | $0 | -100% |
| Laura Perry | $4,443 | $0 | -100% |
| Lucas Conner | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Melvin Anderson | $1,393 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Anderson | $5,401 | $0 | -100% |
| Randy Eaton | $2,329 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $444,145 | $236,461 | -46.8% |
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