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In 2021, 35 farmers in cities within Dawson County received a total of $305,142 in 51 farm subsidies, a 45.5% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $559,566 in 98 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derrick Powell | $0 | $64,266 | -- |
| Jason A. Hamby | $33,278 | $35,207 | 5.8% |
| Matthew Hamby | $0 | $31,783 | -- |
| Shane Long | $4,066 | $29,574 | 627.3% |
| Aubrey Tony Hansard | $0 | $19,993 | -- |
| Harris J. Turner | $192,980 | $17,791 | -90.8% |
| Ronald D. Coffee | $27,782 | $17,234 | -38% |
| James Michael Reeves | $0 | $9,159 | -- |
| Nathan Turner | $49,619 | $8,677 | -82.5% |
| Martha E. Chester | $0 | $8,243 | -- |
| Sui Pum | $0 | $7,948 | -- |
| W D Griffith & Maria R Griffith Rev Trust | $7,652 | $7,652 | 0% |
| Steve Watson | $17,042 | $4,347 | -74.5% |
| Max Wehunt | $10,678 | $4,039 | -62.2% |
| Joseph L. Bryson | $19,726 | $3,944 | -80% |
| Phillip Burt | $18,899 | $3,122 | -83.5% |
| Rickey L. Tatum | $12,309 | $2,957 | -76% |
| The Laney Girls, LLC | $12,235 | $2,804 | -77.1% |
| Danny Fausett | $11,020 | $2,744 | -75.1% |
| L & E Farms Crisp-Turner, Inc. | $0 | $2,744 | -- |
| Timothy McKinnon | $9,720 | $2,694 | -72.3% |
| Richard a Widmer Trust | $8,384 | $2,411 | -71.2% |
| Valley View Farms, Inc. | $25,753 | $2,360 | -90.8% |
| Jerry L. Smith | $4,952 | $2,327 | -53% |
| Joshua Moore | $2,390 | $2,310 | -3.3% |
| Dwight Samuel Tatum | $13,545 | $1,956 | -85.6% |
| Homer H. Bush Jr. | $5,720 | $1,418 | -75.2% |
| Robert Wayne Bennett | $7,177 | $1,236 | -82.8% |
| Palmer S. Haffner Jr. | $1,460 | $1,221 | -16.4% |
| Marla Jo Teter - Sugartree Farms, LLC | $3,107 | $1,155 | -62.8% |
| Ben Overstreet | $0 | $601 | -- |
| Lavonne M. Hoglund | $752 | $481 | -36% |
| Carlton Lee Adkins | $823 | $358 | -56.5% |
| George Power | $3,799 | $214 | -94.4% |
| Eddie Picklesimer | $762 | $172 | -77.4% |
| Gregory D. Gilreath | $6,293 | $0 | -100% |
| Harris Turner Livestock | $39,490 | $0 | -100% |
| Hubert D. Bailey | $3,467 | $0 | -100% |
| John J. Heffernan | $1,152 | $0 | -100% |
| Julia K. Lyons | $595 | $0 | -100% |
| Junior Franklin Brown II | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Marcus Einhorn | $541 | $0 | -100% |
| Randy Chester | $1,848 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $559,566 | $305,142 | -45.5% |
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