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In 2021, 80 farmers in cities within Houston County received a total of $88,621 in 86 farm subsidies, an 85.3% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $601,983 in 216 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin L. Redman | $49,649 | $12,098 | -75.6% |
| James 0 Fussell | $21,739 | $6,687 | -69.2% |
| Robert Parchman | $193,382 | $5,079 | -97.4% |
| Carl Wayne Miller | $17,380 | $4,298 | -75.3% |
| Christopher R. Pitts | $16,126 | $3,629 | -77.5% |
| Fred A. Richardson | $16,448 | $3,532 | -78.5% |
| Hollie J. Holbrook | $11,690 | $3,332 | -71.5% |
| Sandra C. Knierim | $0 | $2,728 | -- |
| Berry Sugg | $8,867 | $1,922 | -78.3% |
| Patrick Corey Bucciarelli | $10,870 | $1,816 | -83.3% |
| Donald H. Clark | $10,141 | $1,794 | -82.3% |
| James E. Clark | $10,196 | $1,794 | -82.4% |
| Norma G. Shelton | $7,359 | $1,741 | -76.3% |
| Seth W. Rye | $3,982 | $1,498 | -62.4% |
| Eugene Foster | $8,569 | $1,427 | -83.3% |
| Blake Dillon Nolen | $4,532 | $1,377 | -69.6% |
| Teresa Loftin | $5,804 | $1,264 | -78.2% |
| Jerry Lee Black | $7,615 | $1,245 | -83.7% |
| Donald Clark | $6,191 | $1,240 | -80% |
| Carter H. Cary | $5,673 | $1,174 | -79.3% |
| Joe Pulley | $5,621 | $1,101 | -80.4% |
| Brent Whitaker | $3,831 | $1,086 | -71.7% |
| Lance T. Coleman | $3,586 | $1,070 | -70.2% |
| Ronnie Leegon | $6,544 | $930 | -85.8% |
| Raymond Pulley | $5,839 | $895 | -84.7% |
| Craig E. Gordon | $4,661 | $879 | -81.1% |
| William L. Parker | $3,938 | $864 | -78.1% |
| Carl S. Smith | $2,937 | $844 | -71.3% |
| Marian S. Dunn | $5,407 | $793 | -85.3% |
| Kendall Coleman | $2,255 | $776 | -65.6% |
| Larry G. Knierim | $3,494 | $766 | -78.1% |
| Brian Richardson | $2,584 | $739 | -71.4% |
| Matthew B. Pride | $5,477 | $718 | -86.9% |
| Dalton L. Cary | $3,201 | $682 | -78.7% |
| James F. Clark | $3,464 | $633 | -81.7% |
| Gerald Rye | $2,563 | $632 | -75.3% |
| James Turner | $9,319 | $630 | -93.2% |
| Kevin Holbrook | $14,636 | $586 | -96% |
| Dewey D. Whitaker | $3,754 | $557 | -85.2% |
| Fred Lyle | $7,182 | $552 | -92.3% |
| Nelda R. Ellingson | $1,793 | $541 | -69.8% |
| Jeffrey Wayne Clark | $2,399 | $540 | -77.5% |
| John W. Finch | $1,540 | $532 | -65.5% |
| Susan E. Dennis | $2,398 | $498 | -79.2% |
| George E. Peak Jr. | $1,962 | $488 | -75.1% |
| Tyler Featherstone | $3,085 | $484 | -84.3% |
| David Lynn Rumfelt | $2,368 | $464 | -80.4% |
| Lewis Moore | $1,716 | $450 | -73.8% |
| Robert W. Cary Jr. | $2,503 | $447 | -82.1% |
| Timothy R. Dobbins | $2,090 | $442 | -78.9% |
| Frank Metcalf | $1,419 | $432 | -69.6% |
| Vickie Coleman | $1,141 | $428 | -62.5% |
| Betty J. Alsobrooks | $1,639 | $414 | -74.7% |
| Ricky Rye | $2,226 | $414 | -81.4% |
| Jason L. Clark | $1,564 | $396 | -74.7% |
| Joel C. Clark | $1,538 | $389 | -74.7% |
| Chris Selph | $2,256 | $386 | -82.9% |
| Herman E. Parsons | $2,524 | $386 | -84.7% |
| William R. Brooks Jr. | $770 | $382 | -50.4% |
| Charles W. Sweeney | $2,847 | $353 | -87.6% |
| Tammy Seay | $0 | $336 | -- |
| Lawrence Brengel | $1,362 | $312 | -77.1% |
| Rodney E. Lowe | $1,287 | $312 | -75.8% |
| Shawna McNeil | $1,144 | $310 | -72.9% |
| Donald R. Williams | $1,623 | $304 | -81.3% |
| Raymond B. Finch | $1,574 | $298 | -81.1% |
| Steve Rogers | $1,364 | $284 | -79.2% |
| Steffan Peak | $1,125 | $282 | -74.9% |
| Janice Mitchell | $968 | $278 | -71.3% |
| Stephanie N. Morris | $1,530 | $256 | -83.3% |
| David R. Mitchell | $2,041 | $242 | -88.1% |
| Randal L. Lowe | $1,621 | $232 | -85.7% |
| Billy Hughes II | $880 | $218 | -75.2% |
| Wayland A. Brooks | $0 | $140 | -- |
| Weldon Ray Downs | $220 | $138 | -37.3% |
| Brandon Miller | $1,001 | $132 | -86.8% |
| Jason Horn | $616 | $125 | -79.7% |
| Kevin Manners | $826 | $93 | -88.7% |
| Stephanie Anderson | $2,062 | $31 | -98.5% |
| Valley View Partners | $582 | $24 | -95.9% |
| Carrol Lee Parker | $1,980 | $0 | -100% |
| Francis Leon Wagler | $1,705 | $0 | -100% |
| James B. Fussell | $818 | $0 | -100% |
| Linda M. Parker | $1,650 | $0 | -100% |
| Neal Seay | $1,518 | $0 | -100% |
| Sam Fussell | $12,840 | $0 | -100% |
| Sheila Settles | $689 | $0 | -100% |
| Teddy Howell | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Weldon R. Downs | $363 | $0 | -100% |
| William David Anderson | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| William L. Brown | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $601,983 | $88,621 | -85.3% |
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