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In 2021, 65 farmers in cities within Barrow County received a total of $271,753 in 68 farm subsidies, a 54.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $598,004 in 175 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marco Davila | $3,190 | $42,258 | 1,224.7% |
| Walter Wayne Glass | $0 | $41,929 | -- |
| Cullin Todd Hamilton | $0 | $31,929 | -- |
| Johnny L. Wright | $13,235 | $22,811 | 72.4% |
| Mclocklin Cattle, LLC | $62,936 | $15,463 | -75.4% |
| Michael J. Etheridge | $8,917 | $15,150 | 69.9% |
| Xuan V. Tran | $0 | $13,060 | -- |
| Joe Thrash Hutchins Jr. | $46,547 | $8,746 | -81.2% |
| Charles M. Cox | $59,968 | $6,488 | -89.2% |
| Mary F. Cooper | $23,015 | $4,952 | -78.5% |
| Betsy H. McDonald | $16,143 | $4,030 | -75% |
| James P. Wright | $22,447 | $3,847 | -82.9% |
| Russell Wilburn | $23,886 | $3,368 | -85.9% |
| William R. Lee | $28,126 | $3,278 | -88.3% |
| Lewis Darrell Cronic | $19,300 | $3,105 | -83.9% |
| Gayle H. Glass | $14,380 | $2,500 | -82.6% |
| Paul E. Borders | $4,554 | $2,380 | -47.7% |
| Dale T. Crowe | $10,096 | $2,311 | -77.1% |
| Claire G. McDougald | $2,312 | $2,230 | -3.5% |
| Caroline R. Stallings | $8,558 | $2,229 | -74% |
| William S. Franklin | $11,627 | $2,087 | -82.1% |
| Rachel Sirmons Cuthbertson | $2,077 | $2,077 | 0% |
| James K. Crumley | $12,044 | $1,800 | -85.1% |
| David J. Bradley | $10,303 | $1,699 | -83.5% |
| William Jerry Frost Sr. | $7,577 | $1,629 | -78.5% |
| Marvin Spurlin | $6,263 | $1,582 | -74.7% |
| Marjorie S. Pinkard | $1,562 | $1,562 | 0% |
| Michael Terrell Sailors | $5,458 | $1,552 | -71.6% |
| Mark Douglas Thompson | $4,906 | $1,501 | -69.4% |
| Carol Goodnight | $3,683 | $1,458 | -60.4% |
| Frances Elizabeth Casper | $10,349 | $1,430 | -86.2% |
| Donald Perkins | $7,504 | $1,401 | -81.3% |
| Tammy M. Skinner | $6,889 | $1,333 | -80.7% |
| Amy Wilmoth Watts | $7,756 | $1,284 | -83.4% |
| Patricia Page | $5,910 | $1,273 | -78.5% |
| Mark Gilreath | $8,440 | $1,190 | -85.9% |
| Steve P. Emerick | $5,610 | $1,072 | -80.9% |
| Estelle Peek | $287 | $1,030 | 258.9% |
| Tyler N. Wade | $7,566 | $951 | -87.4% |
| Russell K Schonerstedt | $0 | $928 | -- |
| Eddie Knight | $3,036 | $867 | -71.4% |
| Dwayne Elliott | $3,025 | $862 | -71.5% |
| Donny W. House | $4,088 | $834 | -79.6% |
| Jerry Garrett | $2,094 | $828 | -60.5% |
| Brian Dean Freeman | $4,070 | $796 | -80.4% |
| Leigh Warren Caine | $2,926 | $724 | -75.3% |
| Johnny Royster | $2,508 | $621 | -75.2% |
| Hubert S. Hunter | $7,424 | $611 | -91.8% |
| Justin Cooper | $3,158 | $604 | -80.9% |
| Rickey R. Peppers | $2,442 | $586 | -76% |
| Timothy A. Long | $1,089 | $467 | -57.1% |
| Donnie Davis | $2,587 | $418 | -83.8% |
| Doris W. Niblett | $0 | $375 | -- |
| Harold D. Tapp | $1,650 | $335 | -79.7% |
| Robbie B. Paine | $649 | $309 | -52.4% |
| William W. Pruitt | $0 | $279 | -- |
| Robert A. Glass | $1,374 | $267 | -80.6% |
| Ernest L. Patrick | $1,715 | $232 | -86.5% |
| Glenn Downs | $185 | $185 | 0% |
| George M. Meeks | $0 | $181 | -- |
| David Huffman | $485 | $147 | -69.7% |
| Raymond Reynolds | $6,373 | $126 | -98% |
| Vann H. Logan | $2,161 | $97 | -95.5% |
| Brian Ragle | $157 | $65 | -58.6% |
| Melissa Jean Crane | $622 | $34 | -94.5% |
| Jack W. Still | $4,097 | $0 | -100% |
| Harvey Scogin | $595 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry W. McCain | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Wallace Peek | $842 | $0 | -100% |
| Wayne Mclocklin | $22,353 | $0 | -100% |
| Finch Creek Farm, Inc. | $7,302 | $0 | -100% |
| Heather B Lewis-Slamkova | $313 | $0 | -100% |
| John D. Bowman | $201 | $0 | -100% |
| Mulberry Road Farm, LLC | $1,628 | $0 | -100% |
| Sergey Russu | $12,554 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $598,004 | $271,753 | -54.6% |
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