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In 2021, 104 farmers in cities within Oconee County received a total of $447,006 in 131 farm subsidies, an 86% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3.2 million in 350 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diego Silva | $0 | $79,850 | -- |
| James A. Hale Sr. | $73,946 | $50,975 | -31.1% |
| Dickens Farms, Inc. | $47,764 | $45,346 | -5.1% |
| Ruark Brothers | $82,705 | $33,514 | -59.5% |
| Bmwoods Enterprises, LLC | $0 | $16,635 | -- |
| South Fork Farms, LLC | $14,285 | $14,285 | 0% |
| Pamela L. Hendrix | $2,077 | $13,150 | 533.1% |
| William David Hayes | $9,317 | $12,416 | 33.3% |
| Stacey Britt | $55,725 | $11,183 | -79.9% |
| Ian McClure | $39,229 | $8,170 | -79.2% |
| Woodson Montgomery | $58,874 | $7,888 | -86.6% |
| Connie Branch Tr F. B. Uw | $19,112 | $7,344 | -61.6% |
| Charles Osborn | $38,948 | $6,715 | -82.8% |
| J Heidesch & Son, Inc. | $28,875 | $6,371 | -77.9% |
| Thompson Tree Farm, LLC | $5,827 | $5,827 | 0% |
| Mark Andrews Rose | $5,726 | $5,819 | 1.6% |
| Steven Nedza | $27,192 | $5,088 | -81.3% |
| Thomas M. Branch | $19,839 | $5,042 | -74.6% |
| Carrie Leeann Mitchell | $7,070 | $4,835 | -31.6% |
| House Farms, LLC | $28,066 | $4,281 | -84.7% |
| John Andrew Ruark | $3,310 | $3,978 | 20.2% |
| Charles R. Roland | $3,850 | $3,850 | 0% |
| Casey Dalton Green | $23,017 | $3,536 | -84.6% |
| James A. Edwards | $11,737 | $3,512 | -70.1% |
| Charles H. Crumbley Jr. | $23,064 | $3,504 | -84.8% |
| Ouachita Prairie, LLC | $3,440 | $3,440 | 0% |
| Mark A. Erickson | $3,219 | $3,219 | 0% |
| Otis Cooper | $22,650 | $3,112 | -86.3% |
| Maxey Brothers, Inc. | $26,467 | $2,931 | -88.9% |
| Stanley G. Nabors | $11,005 | $2,850 | -74.1% |
| Elizabeth Springs Farms, LLC | $10,527 | $2,642 | -74.9% |
| Zigeler Heirs | $10,143 | $2,429 | -76.1% |
| David Kenneth Hayes | $11,932 | $2,415 | -79.8% |
| Johnson Grover Boswell | $10,156 | $2,387 | -76.5% |
| Austin Nix | $7,665 | $2,295 | -70.1% |
| Eric S. Pope | $27,991 | $2,262 | -91.9% |
| Brad David Dickens | $62,760 | $2,193 | -96.5% |
| James P. Malcom | $11,106 | $2,074 | -81.3% |
| Brandon Pelfrey | $7,272 | $1,967 | -73% |
| Travis Marshall | $18,793 | $1,725 | -90.8% |
| Darryl R. Matthews | $7,608 | $1,602 | -78.9% |
| Charlie J. Garrett | $1,545 | $1,545 | 0% |
| Lloyd B. Hansford | $5,222 | $1,501 | -71.3% |
| Trenton Scott Willoughby | $2,871 | $1,501 | -47.7% |
| Randy G. Wilkes | $4,772 | $1,474 | -69.1% |
| Johnny N. Michael | $12,540 | $1,446 | -88.5% |
| James R. Hunter | $11,933 | $1,368 | -88.5% |
| William Allen Breedlove | $8,722 | $1,346 | -84.6% |
| Marty Brown | $2,636 | $1,262 | -52.1% |
| John Stanley Michael | $3,700 | $1,152 | -68.9% |
| Andy G. Landers | $5,114 | $1,148 | -77.6% |
| Richard Hunter Grayson | $6,912 | $1,121 | -83.8% |
| Harry M. Thomas | $3,475 | $1,116 | -67.9% |
| Gregory A. Peck | $8,016 | $1,051 | -86.9% |
| Patricia Lovell | $1,533 | $1,038 | -32.3% |
| John W. Smith | $4,618 | $996 | -78.4% |
| Ann Kimsey | $3,300 | $990 | -70% |
| Doris M. Miller | $6,549 | $990 | -84.9% |
| John L. Durham | $9,996 | $962 | -90.4% |
| Brandon Dwayne Wilkes | $4,042 | $942 | -76.7% |
| Oliver Kennon | $927 | $927 | 0% |
| B. J. B. Rollins | $4,036 | $922 | -77.2% |
| Elder Farm LP | $900 | $900 | 0% |
| Charles P. Dickens | $3,080 | $892 | -71% |
| Rocking D Ranch, LLC | $10,255 | $868 | -91.5% |
| Michael Q. Lowder | $4,330 | $834 | -80.7% |
| Louie Maloy | $2,629 | $726 | -72.4% |
| Russell H. Foskey | $4,705 | $720 | -84.7% |
| Paul Woodworth | $2,937 | $700 | -76.2% |
| Linda Culp | $2,396 | $690 | -71.2% |
| William H. Thomas | $672 | $672 | 0% |
| Glenn T. Lowery Jr. | $657 | $657 | 0% |
| Mark W. Dawson | $5,381 | $643 | -88.1% |
| Lawrence Mark Risse | $2,229 | $630 | -71.7% |
| Dan Dawson | $5,724 | $612 | -89.3% |
| John W. Bearden Jr. | $3,801 | $604 | -84.1% |
| Jennifer H Tucker Estate | $587 | $594 | 1.2% |
| Melissa T. Peters | $4,641 | $582 | -87.5% |
| John L. Tyre | $2,284 | $569 | -75.1% |
| Alligood Family, LLC | $1,011 | $486 | -51.9% |
| Randy O. Phillips | $3,037 | $481 | -84.2% |
| Melissa Steele | $0 | $475 | -- |
| Wynelle C Ruark | $3,263 | $462 | -85.8% |
| Melinda S Karnok | $680 | $458 | -32.6% |
| Mary Jo Webb Childrens Trustee | $0 | $455 | -- |
| John Allen Peck | $3,781 | $446 | -88.2% |
| Jimmy Owens | $441 | $441 | 0% |
| Andrew S. Hayes | $924 | $370 | -60% |
| Jimmy Allen Bell | $941 | $361 | -61.6% |
| Carl Robert Hockaday | $1,737 | $360 | -79.3% |
| Larry W. Hayes | $1,749 | $360 | -79.4% |
| Mildred S Bradley Estate | $719 | $315 | -56.2% |
| Walter Lee | $1,669 | $304 | -81.8% |
| Frank M. Thompson III | $596 | $243 | -59.2% |
| Andy Bullock | $821 | $232 | -71.7% |
| Nick Hobbs | $621 | $213 | -65.7% |
| Jasper Craig Copelan | $1,462 | $180 | -87.7% |
| Penelope Lyman | $605 | $179 | -70.4% |
| T. J. Gay | $1,655 | $176 | -89.4% |
| Tom L. Huber | $1,499 | $164 | -89.1% |
| Carol E. Kainz | $228 | $156 | -31.6% |
| Michael Dustin Ebright | $2,444 | $155 | -93.7% |
| William Watson | $726 | $146 | -79.9% |
| Shannon Wheeler Wilkes | $36,080 | $40 | -99.9% |
| House Quail Farms, Inc. | $10,144 | $0 | -100% |
| Jack's Creek Farm, LLC | $82,260 | $0 | -100% |
| Raymond Keith Odom | $1,054 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas Orchards, Inc. | $574 | $0 | -100% |
| Allan Kenneth Peck | $1,999 | $0 | -100% |
| Barbara R. Putman | $988 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles E. Williams | $136 | $0 | -100% |
| Cody Laas | $2,216 | $0 | -100% |
| EDW Farms, LLC | $739,948 | $0 | -100% |
| George C. Foreman | $1,290 | $0 | -100% |
| Green Ferry Farms, LLC | $493,196 | $0 | -100% |
| Griffith Propagation Nursery, Inc. | $183,046 | $0 | -100% |
| James A. Marshall | $161 | $0 | -100% |
| James B. Weaver Jr. | $439 | $0 | -100% |
| Jason Carl Lawson | $2,085 | $0 | -100% |
| Jill Marie Bell | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Joe David Adcock | $497,610 | $0 | -100% |
| Kathy Berry | $96 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Trennon Davison | $25,175 | $0 | -100% |
| Leroy Cooper | $712 | $0 | -100% |
| Leslie F. Morrow | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Loran Randall | $878 | $0 | -100% |
| Lorelei Prichard | $6,302 | $0 | -100% |
| Louise O. White | $1,548 | $0 | -100% |
| Mary L. Gray | $1,103 | $0 | -100% |
| Mary R. Simpson | $3,334 | $0 | -100% |
| Rebecca S. Wilkes | $6,779 | $0 | -100% |
| Sunny Springs Farm, LLC | $962 | $0 | -100% |
| William C Mcree Estate | $914 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $3,185,024 | $447,006 | -86% |
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