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In 2021, 111 farmers in cities within Wayne County received a total of $337,917 in 154 farm subsidies, a 70% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.1 million in 333 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Hillis Jr. | $0 | $39,480 | -- |
| Rolling Shoals Farm, Inc. | $104,144 | $29,239 | -71.9% |
| Roy Lee Ashcraft Trust | $27,295 | $24,006 | -12% |
| Michael Keith Johnson | $44,554 | $17,421 | -60.9% |
| Henson Farms, Inc. | $72,152 | $15,557 | -78.4% |
| Alma Nadine Ashcraft Trust | $27,658 | $15,297 | -44.7% |
| Thomas Levi Willis | $0 | $12,481 | -- |
| Alex Hutson | $14,814 | $9,120 | -38.4% |
| Janie Marie Ashcraft Trust | $16,826 | $8,782 | -47.8% |
| David Dwight Rose | $30,224 | $8,361 | -72.3% |
| Willard Abbott | $22,715 | $6,069 | -73.3% |
| George Delbert Street | $4,389 | $5,951 | 35.6% |
| Mason Babb | $34,370 | $5,652 | -83.6% |
| Hovis Farms | $27,235 | $5,336 | -80.4% |
| Dora Fay Street | $4,891 | $5,032 | 2.9% |
| Michael J. Huffman | $17,319 | $4,485 | -74.1% |
| Gary D. Ross | $21,695 | $4,335 | -80% |
| John Clark | $24,721 | $3,959 | -84% |
| Mary Darnell | $2,998 | $3,948 | 31.7% |
| Larry S. Nicholson | $16,423 | $3,875 | -76.4% |
| Brian M. Polk | $17,512 | $3,783 | -78.4% |
| Lisa Madden-Wood | $10,422 | $3,669 | -64.8% |
| Douglas Murphy | $4,850 | $3,608 | -25.6% |
| David E. Crites | $11,825 | $3,488 | -70.5% |
| Gunnar Investments, LLC | $11,093 | $3,405 | -69.3% |
| Morgan Farm and Lumber, LLC | $21,740 | $3,072 | -85.9% |
| Westley Smith | $15,609 | $2,991 | -80.8% |
| Ryan Scott Middleton | $11,550 | $2,768 | -76% |
| James E. Thurman | $14,526 | $2,737 | -81.2% |
| Tony Austin Hughes | $12,727 | $2,598 | -79.6% |
| Lee Roy Foster | $11,707 | $2,580 | -78% |
| Randy Winston | $5,080 | $2,359 | -53.6% |
| Louis L. Bell | $4,127 | $2,289 | -44.5% |
| Donald Wright | $11,518 | $2,263 | -80.4% |
| Jeff Henson | $9,819 | $2,260 | -77% |
| Doug Wood | $13,059 | $2,197 | -83.2% |
| Rita C. Clanahan | $2,420 | $2,157 | -10.9% |
| Jerod M Street | $9,441 | $2,062 | -78.2% |
| Paul B. Sharp | $11,900 | $2,018 | -83% |
| Price Farms | $10,745 | $1,964 | -81.7% |
| Harvey Thompson | $40,552 | $1,834 | -95.5% |
| Orla E Stephens JR | $7,392 | $1,744 | -76.4% |
| Mark Duncan | $8,663 | $1,732 | -80% |
| Brooke Erin Rose | $16,059 | $1,672 | -89.6% |
| Rena Sue Baughman | $3,993 | $1,643 | -58.9% |
| Christina Savage | $10,760 | $1,638 | -84.8% |
| Nathan Henson | $6,237 | $1,628 | -73.9% |
| Kathleen Marler | $16,338 | $1,548 | -90.5% |
| Samuel Gullett | $1,692 | $1,546 | -8.6% |
| Charles F. Collom | $6,438 | $1,535 | -76.2% |
| Vicki Robinson | $9,599 | $1,496 | -84.4% |
| Gregory D. Waller | $5,611 | $1,300 | -76.8% |
| Robert D. Baker | $5,308 | $1,282 | -75.8% |
| Mason E. Bell | $3,199 | $1,271 | -60.3% |
| Belinda F. Worthy | $1,502 | $1,270 | -15.4% |
| Jim Estes | $4,902 | $1,236 | -74.8% |
| Johnnie R. Berrong | $3,432 | $1,232 | -64.1% |
| Jacob Polk | $4,488 | $1,201 | -73.2% |
| Eugene Rose | $2,970 | $1,112 | -62.6% |
| Robert Lee Chitwood Jr. | $4,777 | $1,104 | -76.9% |
| Janet K. Robertson | $3,576 | $1,066 | -70.2% |
| John Helm | $3,311 | $988 | -70.2% |
| Iris Gay Beck | $5,624 | $982 | -82.5% |
| Kimberly Volz | $3,828 | $928 | -75.8% |
| Robert R. Boyer | $4,125 | $859 | -79.2% |
| Eva I. Asher | $3,223 | $847 | -73.7% |
| Rickey L. Clubb | $7,993 | $840 | -89.5% |
| Larry L. Potter | $1,325 | $832 | -37.2% |
| Mack Burnett | $4,089 | $816 | -80% |
| Roger Wilhite | $3,201 | $758 | -76.3% |
| Mark Hackworth | $3,585 | $737 | -79.4% |
| Jeff Darnell | $8,529 | $719 | -91.6% |
| Gale Elaine Graham | $3,322 | $680 | -79.5% |
| Anna Williams | $1,113 | $673 | -39.5% |
| Kaleb Chase Berrong | $4,186 | $672 | -83.9% |
| Mark J. Diesel | $2,167 | $665 | -69.3% |
| James W. Hovis | $3,036 | $661 | -78.2% |
| Travis Crum | $2,013 | $659 | -67.3% |
| James Keith Elston | $2,794 | $640 | -77.1% |
| Mary McFadden | $2,904 | $623 | -78.5% |
| Timothy William Brantley | $2,377 | $599 | -74.8% |
| Tomlin Farms, LLC | $2,992 | $599 | -80% |
| John Nathan Williams | $2,068 | $588 | -71.6% |
| Clyde R. Reed | $4,104 | $588 | -85.7% |
| Leroy Duckett | $1,595 | $537 | -66.3% |
| William Heath Robertson | $2,021 | $521 | -74.2% |
| William W. Lacey | $2,453 | $512 | -79.1% |
| Viola Darnell | $1,062 | $442 | -58.4% |
| Jeff Clark | $1,826 | $435 | -76.2% |
| Carolyn F. Keathley | $414 | $414 | 0% |
| Donald L. Henson Jr. | $1,694 | $385 | -77.3% |
| Robert Meloy | $2,099 | $376 | -82.1% |
| Rick L. Golden | $1,452 | $370 | -74.5% |
| Lloyd Keele | $1,574 | $360 | -77.1% |
| Richard K. Sloan Jr. | $358 | $358 | 0% |
| Billy G Hollida JR | $4,910 | $352 | -92.8% |
| Darren Todd Garrison | $1,419 | $350 | -75.3% |
| Richard Lee Ayers | $1,474 | $350 | -76.3% |
| Stanley Garrison | $2,091 | $348 | -83.4% |
| Brenda Szilagyi | $1,535 | $339 | -77.9% |
| Jeff Hampton | $2,565 | $335 | -86.9% |
| Kara Kearby | $660 | $290 | -56.1% |
| Austin R. Tinsley | $1,583 | $265 | -83.3% |
| Martin C. Carpenter Jr. | $1,482 | $242 | -83.7% |
| Michael Haley | $250 | $186 | -25.6% |
| Michael Anderson | $2,522 | $149 | -94.1% |
| Eric David Fuchs | $18,321 | $126 | -99.3% |
| Carla Moore | $158 | $105 | -33.5% |
| Gary A. Baudino | $2,554 | $34 | -98.7% |
| Gerald L. Clubb | $596 | $26 | -95.6% |
| Linda Seematter | $140 | $13 | -90.7% |
| Dennis W. Hicks | $2,350 | $0 | -100% |
| Rickey Lynn Clubb Jr. | $935 | $0 | -100% |
| Donna Amerlan | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Holmes Family Farm of Wayne County | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Jack Adams | $110 | $0 | -100% |
| Jason Seals | $1,815 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Spinks | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Linda Johnston | $571 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Allen | $2,035 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard L. McAllister | $2,145 | $0 | -100% |
| Roy Lee Ashcraft, LLC | $68,518 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary M. Simmons | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Denver J. Nicholas | $274 | $0 | -100% |
| Jacky Smith | $1,210 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,125,966 | $337,917 | -70% |
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