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In 2021, 68 farmers in cities within Jefferson County received a total of $229,955 in 85 farm subsidies, a 33.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $346,253 in 151 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bragg Properties, LLC | $0 | $62,984 | -- |
| Brook Logging, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Stanley R. Parker | $54,879 | $44,072 | -19.7% |
| Mary Q. Herrera | $7,856 | $5,822 | -25.9% |
| Eugene Johnson Jr. | $1,561 | $3,658 | 134.3% |
| James W. Goree III | $0 | $3,240 | -- |
| Edith Wright | $762 | $2,965 | 289.1% |
| Dora A. McCreless | $2,946 | $2,946 | 0% |
| James L. Willis | $10,834 | $2,896 | -73.3% |
| Jane Mitchell | $10,915 | $2,346 | -78.5% |
| Donald Ray Wright | $7,524 | $2,072 | -72.5% |
| Alan J. Howle | $2,040 | $2,040 | 0% |
| Michelle F. Blackwood | $3,348 | $2,033 | -39.3% |
| We're Sowing Seeds, LLC | $0 | $1,844 | -- |
| James Ryan Tingle | $7,744 | $1,826 | -76.4% |
| Gerald V. Dake | $8,975 | $1,777 | -80.2% |
| Eddie L. Lewis Sr. | $7,029 | $1,683 | -76.1% |
| William H. Gable Jr. | $6,798 | $1,661 | -75.6% |
| Mike Hoglan | $5,787 | $1,636 | -71.7% |
| Leona M Delaney Estate | $0 | $1,626 | -- |
| Daniel Streuli | $3,164 | $1,450 | -54.2% |
| Larry Grantham | $1,397 | $1,397 | 0% |
| Brooks H. Baker III | $6,809 | $1,374 | -79.8% |
| Beamon Keith Anderson | $5,865 | $1,136 | -80.6% |
| Gerald Burns | $825 | $1,130 | 37% |
| John Biddle | $4,653 | $1,080 | -76.8% |
| Mary J. Beverly | $1,048 | $1,024 | -2.3% |
| Donald Lee Calvert | $0 | $990 | -- |
| Jered Brown | $2,347 | $948 | -59.6% |
| Michael Evan Austin Nelson | $5,115 | $925 | -81.9% |
| Carolyn R. Herr | $920 | $920 | 0% |
| Janice Goodwin | $193 | $918 | 375.6% |
| Claude G. Pettus Jr. | $5,919 | $898 | -84.8% |
| Robert Culpepper | $3,113 | $880 | -71.7% |
| Brad Fuller | $1,848 | $802 | -56.6% |
| John W. Morris | $3,410 | $756 | -77.8% |
| Isaac Hatch | $4,543 | $740 | -83.7% |
| Glenn O. Jackson | $5,941 | $718 | -87.9% |
| John Edward Smith III | $667 | $667 | 0% |
| Thomas H. Noe | $619 | $619 | 0% |
| Brian K Fayet | $3,025 | $616 | -79.6% |
| Henry Edgar Bolton IV | $0 | $605 | -- |
| Ronnie D. Bell | $600 | $600 | 0% |
| James Blackburn | $2,277 | $554 | -75.7% |
| Nancy Williams | $2,843 | $522 | -81.6% |
| Alice A. Dawson | $1,762 | $487 | -72.4% |
| Michael L. Taylor | $6,150 | $486 | -92.1% |
| Betty M. Sellers | $1,023 | $463 | -54.7% |
| Mary L. Doss | $1,480 | $462 | -68.8% |
| Neal Leon Greathouse | $2,038 | $427 | -79% |
| Frances W. Taylor | $1,023 | $387 | -62.2% |
| Harriet L. Doss | $1,808 | $353 | -80.5% |
| Alton E. Padgett | $594 | $310 | -47.8% |
| Jerry L. Simmons | $836 | $285 | -65.9% |
| MFB Trust | $362 | $231 | -36.2% |
| Marcus J. Hinton | $1,155 | $228 | -80.3% |
| Edith J Wright Revocable Trust | $0 | $227 | -- |
| Nancy A. Gafford | $220 | $220 | 0% |
| David Kim Sager | $518 | $201 | -61.2% |
| Randall L. George | $187 | $187 | 0% |
| Joel B. Roberts | $166 | $166 | 0% |
| Billie Jean Carroll | $367 | $148 | -59.7% |
| James A. Bibb | $4 | $112 | 2,700% |
| Patricia May | $979 | $93 | -90.5% |
| Roger John Wescott | $135 | $70 | -48.1% |
| Mary Frances Bell | $300 | $54 | -82% |
| Sarah Hardin Smith | $61 | $50 | -18% |
| Alberta W. Goree | $3,444 | $37 | -98.9% |
| Nancy N. Brown | $2,673 | $0 | -100% |
| Sue S. Stewart | $2,099 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas L. Moore | $303 | $0 | -100% |
| Total Scapes, LLC | $73,371 | $0 | -100% |
| Cotis Grundy | $3,861 | $0 | -100% |
| Brown Family Revocable Living Trust | $2,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Teddy Mann | $8,550 | $0 | -100% |
| Marquita Michell Hall | $15,844 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark McDowell | $2,585 | $0 | -100% |
| Arnold B. Burton Jr. | $2,860 | $0 | -100% |
| Clarence C. Walker | $152 | $0 | -100% |
| Jesse R. Byrd | $98 | $0 | -100% |
| John Keith Miller | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Joshua L. Byrd | $98 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Shiflett | $193 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $346,253 | $229,955 | -33.6% |
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