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In 2021, 54 farmers in cities within Calhoun County received a total of $2.5 million in 104 farm subsidies, a 41.5% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $4.3 million in 168 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew L. Lee | $0 | $323,289 | -- |
| Ethan Davis Peacock | $422,588 | $257,937 | -39% |
| Mark Peacock | $325,179 | $200,025 | -38.5% |
| Melvin Family Farm, LLC | $327,128 | $170,127 | -48% |
| Melton Farms | $434,126 | $137,078 | -68.4% |
| Gary Burdette Ward | $282,765 | $127,839 | -54.8% |
| Dorothy Anne Ward | $382,082 | $127,430 | -66.6% |
| Joseph S. Tillman | $324,228 | $118,202 | -63.5% |
| Crooked Creek Farms, LLC | $332,678 | $107,834 | -67.6% |
| Joseph H. McCrone | $247,039 | $102,879 | -58.4% |
| Carol Peacock | $325,179 | $102,690 | -68.4% |
| Roy D. Pickron | $0 | $58,435 | -- |
| Joey T. Brady | $31,925 | $56,898 | 78.2% |
| Glen A. McClellan | $0 | $54,560 | -- |
| Baggett Brothers Farms, Inc. | $110,485 | $46,899 | -57.6% |
| Laurie K. Howard | $0 | $41,040 | -- |
| Amos Lee | $0 | $39,607 | -- |
| Terrell L. Stone | $25,555 | $39,207 | 53.4% |
| Robert M. Mears | $29,838 | $38,935 | 30.5% |
| Chris Kohlsaat | $0 | $33,681 | -- |
| David L. Tatum | $0 | $32,138 | -- |
| Neil Rackley | $153,054 | $28,980 | -81.1% |
| Cazz Dylan Eady | $4,806 | $27,731 | 477% |
| Bobby Baggett | $0 | $25,023 | -- |
| David Casper Halada | $0 | $23,545 | -- |
| David C. Yoder | $3,537 | $23,463 | 563.4% |
| Kay Tipton | $0 | $22,770 | -- |
| Joan Alderman | $0 | $20,917 | -- |
| Craig Watson | $0 | $17,985 | -- |
| Mccroan Farms, Inc. | $32,160 | $15,539 | -51.7% |
| James E. Clemons Jr. | $42,667 | $13,646 | -68% |
| Volena Burkett Barfield | $34,871 | $11,198 | -67.9% |
| Joe Wood Jr. | $0 | $10,983 | -- |
| Pony B Adams | $0 | $10,033 | -- |
| Byron Allen | $31,493 | $7,850 | -75.1% |
| Arthur Frank Stone | $7,596 | $7,107 | -6.4% |
| Eldridge Family Trust 03/26/13 | $0 | $6,914 | -- |
| Harry W. Cumbaa | $12,452 | $6,102 | -51% |
| Vicki Montford | $0 | $5,200 | -- |
| Mike Purvis | $32,750 | $4,672 | -85.7% |
| Charles Franklin Wood Jr. | $0 | $4,095 | -- |
| Donald L. Stanley Jr. | $9,713 | $3,098 | -68.1% |
| Wade A. Stepler | $2,442 | $2,442 | 0% |
| Jarrod Earl Barfield | $8,009 | $1,703 | -78.7% |
| William G. Smith | $9,218 | $1,537 | -83.3% |
| Hilda Edenfield | $2,409 | $1,160 | -51.8% |
| Katrena Walker | $1,248 | $1,063 | -14.8% |
| Ferlon Everett Baggett | $37,009 | $924 | -97.5% |
| John Lafollette | $3,063 | $656 | -78.6% |
| James Kevin Musgrove | $3,487 | $364 | -89.6% |
| Jimmy Lee Holley | $0 | $128 | -- |
| Ricky Tipton | $0 | $128 | -- |
| JMW Properties, LLC | $141 | $21 | -85.1% |
| Waldorff Properties, LLC | $107 | $15 | -86% |
| David Branton | $909 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry L. Strauss | $3,095 | $0 | -100% |
| Maxie Waldorff SR | $4,052 | $0 | -100% |
| Nicole Gonzalez | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Oglesby Plants International, Inc. | $250,000 | $0 | -100% |
| Roy Jackson II | $365 | $0 | -100% |
| Donnie Ray Southwell | $6,455 | $0 | -100% |
| Elton Headings | $1,445 | $0 | -100% |
| Sharon Leonard-Mccrone | $17,017 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $4,316,695 | $2,523,722 | -41.5% |
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