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In 2021, 100 farmers in cities within Clarke County received a total of $732,338 in 108 farm subsidies, a 31.8% increase from 2020, when the total was $555,698 in 207 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael D. Cheeks | $9,790 | $69,375 | 608.6% |
| James Buddy E. Butler | $15,873 | $55,124 | 247.3% |
| Buxton Logging | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Jones & Young Logging | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Mathis Logging | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| B&C Timber, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Robin Jones Logging | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Hosey Farms, Inc. | $0 | $50,222 | -- |
| George R. Butler | $0 | $49,703 | -- |
| Robinson Trucking, LLC | $0 | $33,973 | -- |
| J J & K Trucking | $0 | $31,394 | -- |
| John Cooks Trucking, LLC | $0 | $24,572 | -- |
| Smith Trucking | $0 | $20,273 | -- |
| J&L Trucking | $0 | $18,572 | -- |
| Mary W. Jones | $40,716 | $10,522 | -74.2% |
| Lester L. Risher | $32,959 | $8,489 | -74.2% |
| Pauline C. Harwell | $24,421 | $7,785 | -68.1% |
| Ray C. McDonald | $0 | $6,522 | -- |
| Jacquelin E. Pitts | $5,587 | $5,587 | 0% |
| James C. Brewer Jr. | $44,019 | $5,453 | -87.6% |
| Annette J. Thomas | $0 | $3,728 | -- |
| Betty McKenna | $7,238 | $2,835 | -60.8% |
| William McRee | $13,321 | $2,708 | -79.7% |
| Burt Carmichael Jr. | $34,824 | $2,166 | -93.8% |
| Jonathan M. Cranford | $6,061 | $1,964 | -67.6% |
| Charles O. Ivy | $7,282 | $1,941 | -73.3% |
| Denice M. Watson | $1,920 | $1,920 | 0% |
| Joe E. Evans | $8,635 | $1,826 | -78.9% |
| Andrew P. Hailes | $12,785 | $1,719 | -86.6% |
| Jones Cattle Farm, LLC | $7,403 | $1,659 | -77.6% |
| Steven Lee Smith | $5,537 | $1,574 | -71.6% |
| Larry A. van Orden Jr. | $3,729 | $1,558 | -58.2% |
| Larry D. Parker | $6,140 | $1,535 | -75% |
| Christina Michelle Smith | $8,769 | $1,523 | -82.6% |
| Stephen Lee | $5,182 | $1,506 | -70.9% |
| George D. Barnett | $5,779 | $1,406 | -75.7% |
| Edward Green | $4,662 | $1,380 | -70.4% |
| Albert N. Fleming | $3,888 | $1,353 | -65.2% |
| David W. Rice Jr. | $2,599 | $1,273 | -51% |
| Charles Mosley | $1,273 | $1,273 | 0% |
| Edward Williams | $4,565 | $1,216 | -73.4% |
| Bruce Martin | $5,335 | $1,208 | -77.4% |
| Franklin Miller | $1,141 | $1,141 | 0% |
| Evelyn M. Duvall | $1,076 | $1,076 | 0% |
| Joshua L. Chancellor | $6,064 | $1,072 | -82.3% |
| Bobby Ray Kidd | $6,265 | $1,044 | -83.3% |
| Marshall C. Leggett | $3,201 | $1,002 | -68.7% |
| Selby O. Eidson | $3,609 | $988 | -72.6% |
| Benny Fleming | $6,065 | $949 | -84.4% |
| Robert Taylor | $3,472 | $939 | -73% |
| Lisa M. Smith | $925 | $925 | 0% |
| Randall Hoyet Mathis | $27,386 | $925 | -96.6% |
| Carol C. Allen | $3,124 | $912 | -70.8% |
| Dale C. Lightsey | $878 | $878 | 0% |
| Sylvester Gates | $2,871 | $778 | -72.9% |
| Conway Riley | $3,641 | $768 | -78.9% |
| Danny R. Smith | $2,937 | $759 | -74.2% |
| Thomas W. Odom | $4,033 | $745 | -81.5% |
| Daniel R. Smith | $3,180 | $742 | -76.7% |
| Charles Curtis Driver | $2,577 | $710 | -72.4% |
| Steve Helms | $2,669 | $698 | -73.8% |
| Jerry O. Lewis | $4,835 | $672 | -86.1% |
| Mary Ann Morgan | $0 | $627 | -- |
| John Paul Hosey | $576 | $576 | 0% |
| Benjamin M. Fleming | $2,046 | $552 | -73% |
| Todd Riley | $2,599 | $540 | -79.2% |
| Anthony Maurice Shanks Jr. | $759 | $534 | -29.6% |
| Mark Waller | $1,826 | $511 | -72% |
| Bryant D. Rutledge Jr. | $2,016 | $510 | -74.7% |
| Robert Miller Jr. | $1,320 | $506 | -61.7% |
| Patricia M. Boney | $2,814 | $500 | -82.2% |
| Luther T. Slay | $825 | $466 | -43.5% |
| Thomas Phil Nichols | $2,013 | $463 | -77% |
| Sandra G. Phillips | $931 | $444 | -52.3% |
| Milton Logan | $924 | $422 | -54.3% |
| Cammie L. Harris | $1,344 | $413 | -69.3% |
| Daniel Wayman Harris | $1,831 | $413 | -77.4% |
| Aldarius Montrell Turner | $2,035 | $407 | -80% |
| Cecil Scottie Johnson | $3,678 | $405 | -89% |
| Robert Wayne Evans | $1,514 | $401 | -73.5% |
| Troy Smith | $801 | $391 | -51.2% |
| Carolyn Etheridge | $3,423 | $386 | -88.7% |
| Billy Joe Gibbs | $1,485 | $370 | -75.1% |
| Jody Simpson | $1,737 | $362 | -79.2% |
| Garrett Z. Ericksen | $662 | $324 | -51.1% |
| Dusty Jacks | $1,253 | $312 | -75.1% |
| Richard Lee Carter | $1,388 | $306 | -78% |
| Marilyn Taormina | $1,718 | $298 | -82.7% |
| Augustus McKenzie | $1,353 | $290 | -78.6% |
| Leon W. Adams | $1,131 | $228 | -79.8% |
| Peyton W. Kidd | $1,056 | $222 | -79% |
| Michael A. Leggett | $990 | $218 | -78% |
| Austin Touchstone | $1,465 | $207 | -85.9% |
| Charles F. Jasper | $726 | $197 | -72.9% |
| Robert Alan Harper | $968 | $190 | -80.4% |
| Benjamin Beau Eidson | $501 | $145 | -71.1% |
| Thomas Moody | $1,524 | $123 | -91.9% |
| Linda M. Perry | $139 | $68 | -51.1% |
| Lester B. McCarty | $236 | $52 | -78% |
| Darlene C. Edge | $66 | $24 | -63.6% |
| Arthur H. McMillan | $2,153 | $0 | -100% |
| Walter D. Jones | $3,245 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles L. Boney | $1,415 | $0 | -100% |
| Derek Ray Griffin | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Jason Miller | $2,766 | $0 | -100% |
| John Sanfred Reeks | $243 | $0 | -100% |
| William C. Dyess | $127 | $0 | -100% |
| Breckenridge Farms, LLC | $60,741 | $0 | -100% |
| David L. Mayo | $5,885 | $0 | -100% |
| Eric Hailes | $287 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeff A. Arrington | $2,687 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Downs | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Johnny E. McCarty | $1,210 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Wayne Glover | $165 | $0 | -100% |
| Matt Mayo | $605 | $0 | -100% |
| Raymond Nicholson | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Cooley | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $555,698 | $732,338 | 31.8% |
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