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In 2021, 73 farmers in cities within Giles County received a total of $175,642 in 85 farm subsidies, a 75.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $721,830 in 200 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary M. Henderson | $45,507 | $27,836 | -38.8% |
| Kelly A. Kidd | $24,978 | $27,005 | 8.1% |
| Barbara C. Buckland | $107,871 | $18,594 | -82.8% |
| Lucy Ann Dodge | $1,249 | $9,228 | 638.8% |
| Dianne J. Dinger | $0 | $4,288 | -- |
| Robert L. Francis | $18,692 | $4,232 | -77.4% |
| Kevin H. Price | $21,923 | $3,848 | -82.4% |
| Christian Tyler Ballard | $24,767 | $3,828 | -84.5% |
| Ralph E. Williams | $22,434 | $3,706 | -83.5% |
| Richard V. Long | $10,812 | $3,606 | -66.6% |
| Lee L. Eaton | $49,750 | $3,508 | -92.9% |
| Ronald Holdren | $13,872 | $3,314 | -76.1% |
| Mildred Rose Cumbee | $21,816 | $3,260 | -85.1% |
| Roger F. Robertson | $27,180 | $3,040 | -88.8% |
| Kauffelt Livestock Company | $45,871 | $3,031 | -93.4% |
| Amy L. Henderson | $3,153 | $2,799 | -11.2% |
| Jessie E. Williams | $16,026 | $2,683 | -83.3% |
| Alvis Dwight Jamison | $16,015 | $2,466 | -84.6% |
| Elliott G. Gilmer | $18,476 | $2,425 | -86.9% |
| Larry Jay Williams | $17,859 | $2,422 | -86.4% |
| Christopher L. Townsend | $10,706 | $1,995 | -81.4% |
| Michael T. Jennings | $11,504 | $1,840 | -84% |
| Curtis Rice | $7,941 | $1,495 | -81.2% |
| Dean Short | $7,475 | $1,422 | -81% |
| Ricky L. Johnston | $4,136 | $1,403 | -66.1% |
| Howard A. Burton | $0 | $1,394 | -- |
| Zachary Edge Bowden | $5,984 | $1,292 | -78.4% |
| Craig H. Whittaker | $6,670 | $1,209 | -81.9% |
| Phillip S. Stafford | $5,522 | $1,189 | -78.5% |
| Rebecca Sadler Carr | $4,059 | $1,125 | -72.3% |
| John Jeff Johnson | $6,789 | $1,089 | -84% |
| Savannah Leigh Hedrick | $2,528 | $1,047 | -58.6% |
| James Anthony Robertson | $6,044 | $1,041 | -82.8% |
| Marty A. Fleeman | $4,664 | $1,032 | -77.9% |
| Joseph B. Shortt | $4,671 | $1,021 | -78.1% |
| Chester Steven Tabor | $4,114 | $1,005 | -75.6% |
| Cynthia E. Dodge | $3,394 | $991 | -70.8% |
| Cathy Spicer Burton | $0 | $968 | -- |
| Ryan Dale Johnston | $6,184 | $821 | -86.7% |
| Michael D. Talbert | $3,938 | $810 | -79.4% |
| Terry Lee Fleeman | $5,773 | $792 | -86.3% |
| Thomas G. Moye | $1,980 | $764 | -61.4% |
| Cynthia Yvonne Hedrick | $5,243 | $760 | -85.5% |
| Mark Akers | $1,650 | $752 | -54.4% |
| Winfred B. Williams | $6,561 | $733 | -88.8% |
| Kenneth R. Kirk | $3,944 | $728 | -81.5% |
| Michael Andrew Thompson | $3,162 | $695 | -78% |
| W. E. Williams II | $3,940 | $684 | -82.6% |
| Alton C. Thompson | $3,113 | $654 | -79% |
| Rickie Lee Johnston | $2,772 | $620 | -77.6% |
| Sammy R. Belcher | $2,948 | $619 | -79% |
| Richard Joe Stafford | $4,636 | $613 | -86.8% |
| James W. Mustard | $2,720 | $607 | -77.7% |
| Michael W. Falls | $3,026 | $599 | -80.2% |
| Thomas Wayne Gautier Jr. | $2,134 | $598 | -72% |
| Robert Lewis Raymond II | $2,867 | $516 | -82% |
| Eddie Shrader | $2,376 | $515 | -78.3% |
| Sherwood Sanders | $1,760 | $510 | -71% |
| Darren D. Blankenship Jr. | $2,545 | $502 | -80.3% |
| Evan James Collins | $2,315 | $487 | -79% |
| Basil L. Mustard | $2,449 | $453 | -81.5% |
| Richard A. King | $1,914 | $440 | -77% |
| Sandra Kay Bowman | $0 | $436 | -- |
| Denny Duncan | $4,096 | $414 | -89.9% |
| Stanley Newton Blankenship | $1,408 | $410 | -70.9% |
| Dean Perdue | $1,496 | $277 | -81.5% |
| Reggie Lee Stephens | $1,629 | $269 | -83.5% |
| Jeffrey S. Dinger | $726 | $243 | -66.5% |
| Donald Greg Graham | $968 | $198 | -79.5% |
| Robert L. Rice | $2,376 | $189 | -92% |
| Cassidy Perdue | $2,734 | $167 | -93.9% |
| James D. Stump | $465 | $73 | -84.3% |
| Rodger D. Woodrum | $17 | $17 | 0% |
| Belinda R. Young | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark J. Akers | $3,115 | $0 | -100% |
| Jonathan A. Jochem | $3,407 | $0 | -100% |
| Joshua Waldron | $1,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Randy Blankenship | $2,805 | $0 | -100% |
| Rich Hollow Farms, LLC | $749 | $0 | -100% |
| Sandra Bowman | $1,089 | $0 | -100% |
| Savannah L. Hedrick | $1,311 | $0 | -100% |
| Gregory L. Robertson | $1,925 | $0 | -100% |
| James Albert Stephens | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard L. Townsend | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Sharon Moye | $605 | $0 | -100% |
| James A. Dowdy | $2,530 | $0 | -100% |
| Patrick J. Muldoon | $622 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $721,830 | $175,642 | -75.7% |
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