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In 2021, 90 farmers in cities within Floyd County received a total of $671,952 in 118 farm subsidies, a 54.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.5 million in 266 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curtis R & Mark a Sowers PTR | $244,182 | $133,582 | -45.3% |
| Wade Brothers, Inc. | $66,187 | $54,381 | -17.8% |
| Clyde Marshall | $4,855 | $53,933 | 1,010.9% |
| Jacob's Logging, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Little Mountain Land and Timber, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Quercus Rubra, Incorporated | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Conner Dairy Farm, Inc. | $29,342 | $32,384 | 10.4% |
| Robert L. Ingram | $7,285 | $26,035 | 257.4% |
| Kevin D. Mitchell | $23,721 | $22,747 | -4.1% |
| Baker Cattle Company, LLC | $103,520 | $18,918 | -81.7% |
| Wade V. Lester | $0 | $15,371 | -- |
| David W. Slusher | $10,658 | $12,422 | 16.6% |
| Beulah H. Conner | $0 | $8,463 | -- |
| Ricky J. Radford | $32,490 | $7,985 | -75.4% |
| David Hicks Logging, LLC | $0 | $6,729 | -- |
| Mark L Grim, LLC | $34,360 | $6,509 | -81.1% |
| Terry E. Slusher | $65,117 | $6,309 | -90.3% |
| Lynette Vest | $17,470 | $4,900 | -72% |
| Randall M. Nester | $22,363 | $4,678 | -79.1% |
| Kenneth W. Blackwell | $17,878 | $4,584 | -74.4% |
| Billy R. Brammer | $12,606 | $4,088 | -67.6% |
| Turner M. Dehart | $23,722 | $3,684 | -84.5% |
| Randall W. Harmon | $40,702 | $3,594 | -91.2% |
| Kevin L. Keith | $20,952 | $3,555 | -83% |
| Ersel Manning JR | $13,991 | $3,418 | -75.6% |
| Bobby L. Huff | $15,530 | $3,364 | -78.3% |
| Charles E. Hall | $9,901 | $3,277 | -66.9% |
| Zachery James Fisher | $15,503 | $2,752 | -82.2% |
| John D. Gallimore | $12,639 | $2,594 | -79.5% |
| Andy L. Grim | $10,762 | $2,586 | -76% |
| Aaron L. Grim | $10,854 | $2,542 | -76.6% |
| Kenneth E. Nolen Jr. | $20,344 | $2,415 | -88.1% |
| Robert E. Janney | $17,369 | $2,410 | -86.1% |
| Joyce B. Shortt | $9,996 | $2,400 | -76% |
| Charles E. Conner | $12,655 | $2,393 | -81.1% |
| Kenneth E. Nolen | $20,227 | $2,389 | -88.2% |
| Mcalexander Beef | $13,161 | $2,302 | -82.5% |
| Matthew Sherman Blackwell | $9,944 | $2,144 | -78.4% |
| David A. Whitlock | $16,079 | $2,134 | -86.7% |
| David L. Hicks | $9,948 | $2,006 | -79.8% |
| William Clayton Moran Jr. | $11,081 | $1,936 | -82.5% |
| William E. Hickson | $10,610 | $1,916 | -81.9% |
| Elvin E. Ingram | $44,250 | $1,761 | -96% |
| Dehart Farms, LLC | $61,776 | $1,697 | -97.3% |
| Norma Jean Rector | $7,749 | $1,625 | -79% |
| Phyllis Hall | $5,355 | $1,614 | -69.9% |
| Jeffrey A. Wade | $7,151 | $1,604 | -77.6% |
| John D. Howell | $10,670 | $1,535 | -85.6% |
| Kyle E. Lee | $4,928 | $1,491 | -69.7% |
| R. J. Thompson | $6,582 | $1,467 | -77.7% |
| George D. Keith | $7,101 | $1,239 | -82.6% |
| Thomas L. Spangler | $5,588 | $1,218 | -78.2% |
| Michael Chad Scott | $4,990 | $1,214 | -75.7% |
| Ronald D. Belcher | $5,181 | $1,056 | -79.6% |
| Gary Eugene Gillespie | $3,894 | $1,004 | -74.2% |
| Robert Hatcher | $0 | $970 | -- |
| Justin Charles Arico | $18,349 | $900 | -95.1% |
| April Lester | $5,630 | $861 | -84.7% |
| David G. Shelor | $3,363 | $796 | -76.3% |
| Elvin H. Reed | $4,622 | $735 | -84.1% |
| Marvin Dale Brammer | $2,258 | $650 | -71.2% |
| Michael Wayne Belcher | $6,485 | $648 | -90% |
| Matthew Cole Reed | $3,570 | $616 | -82.7% |
| Wesley Turner | $2,559 | $612 | -76.1% |
| Jameson Cockram | $3,399 | $598 | -82.4% |
| Joel David Anderson | $578 | $578 | 0% |
| Jerry W. Boothe | $2,288 | $574 | -74.9% |
| Mark Brian Harris | $1,969 | $562 | -71.5% |
| Richard A. Griffith | $1,870 | $518 | -72.3% |
| Riverstone Produce, LLC | $14,870 | $500 | -96.6% |
| Audrey Lea Light | $2,233 | $472 | -78.9% |
| Benny L. Gallimore | $1,892 | $463 | -75.5% |
| Steven L. Wade | $2,747 | $450 | -83.6% |
| Don McAlexander | $1,496 | $434 | -71% |
| Michael A. Duncan | $0 | $432 | -- |
| Wayne A. Boothe | $1,552 | $286 | -81.6% |
| James K. Chaffin | $1,568 | $284 | -81.9% |
| Morgan Alexander Reed | $1,444 | $246 | -83% |
| Bradley Eugene Duncan | $1,111 | $242 | -78.2% |
| Christopher Alan Reed | $605 | $235 | -61.2% |
| Daniel Allen Akers | $968 | $221 | -77.2% |
| Sylvia D. Duncan | $2,856 | $179 | -93.7% |
| Ronnie S. Gallimore | $1,773 | $170 | -90.4% |
| Lawrence L. Bright | $153 | $153 | 0% |
| Justin Coleman | $440 | $128 | -70.9% |
| Beverly Gwen Cox Henley | $484 | $124 | -74.4% |
| Barbara J. Bauermeister | $379 | $123 | -67.5% |
| Katherine B. Weeks | $488 | $120 | -75.4% |
| Robert Jacob Huff | $5,422 | $86 | -98.4% |
| Robert Thomas Whitlock | $1,519 | $7 | -99.5% |
| A & a Farm, Inc. | $416 | $0 | -100% |
| Chris A. Reed | $1,038 | $0 | -100% |
| Dan C. Hubbard | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| Dwight Randall Reed | $2,347 | $0 | -100% |
| Fields Edge, LLC | $6,566 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Richard Long | $2,365 | $0 | -100% |
| John R. Thomas | $1,481 | $0 | -100% |
| John William Houston | $20,901 | $0 | -100% |
| Joshua Steven McAlexander | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Justin D. Quesenberry | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| Lester's Dairy | $15,639 | $0 | -100% |
| Lisa R. Crowell | $122 | $0 | -100% |
| Little River Tree Farms | $27,715 | $0 | -100% |
| Marie E. March | $760 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael L. Carr | $1,485 | $0 | -100% |
| R and B Wood, LLC | $1,540 | $0 | -100% |
| Red Fern Farm, LLC | $1,067 | $0 | -100% |
| Roger Oliver Slusher III | $2,530 | $0 | -100% |
| Slaughters' Tree Farms | $56,552 | $0 | -100% |
| Turpin Nursery, Inc. | $39,350 | $0 | -100% |
| William Harris | $4,455 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,483,348 | $671,952 | -54.7% |
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