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In 2021, 110 farmers in cities within Patrick County received a total of $366,542 in 149 farm subsidies, a 17.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $442,096 in 277 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayo River Lumber Company, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Collins Sawmill & Logging, LLC | $0 | $47,245 | -- |
| Liberty Farms, LLC | $21,544 | $36,823 | 70.9% |
| Jerry Lee Marshall | $0 | $28,929 | -- |
| Kayla Tucker Collins | $12,109 | $20,842 | 72.1% |
| Elizabeth Via A. Kolinski | $9,213 | $18,793 | 104% |
| Duncan Venable Merritt | $17,777 | $18,501 | 4.1% |
| Christopher Dean Worley | $3,024 | $8,253 | 172.9% |
| Gregory J. Rorrer | $4,805 | $6,988 | 45.4% |
| Christian Michael Taylor | $10,916 | $6,968 | -36.2% |
| Robert Wayne Worley | $2,530 | $6,373 | 151.9% |
| James A. Havens II | $0 | $5,889 | -- |
| Lisa Corns | $4,158 | $5,391 | 29.7% |
| Cheryl Via | $0 | $4,915 | -- |
| Eric Sheppard | $0 | $4,342 | -- |
| Rose Wood | $0 | $4,329 | -- |
| Parker Gray Smith | $1,650 | $3,997 | 142.2% |
| Jesse W. Via | $14,623 | $3,845 | -73.7% |
| John F. Clark | $8,394 | $3,677 | -56.2% |
| Joseph Fulton Clark | $0 | $3,642 | -- |
| Jeffrey Amos | $3,487 | $3,413 | -2.1% |
| Kathy Anderson | $12,051 | $3,273 | -72.8% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $3,231 | -- |
| John W. McArthur | $13,774 | $3,039 | -77.9% |
| James M. Sowers | $709 | $2,873 | 305.2% |
| Jimmy Dale Merritt | $65 | $2,629 | 3,944.6% |
| Stephen Mckinley Dodson | $13,275 | $2,426 | -81.7% |
| Joseph Alexander Sparks | $9,552 | $1,883 | -80.3% |
| John D. Wood | $6,719 | $1,830 | -72.8% |
| Derick M. Smith | $7,597 | $1,810 | -76.2% |
| Waitman H. Wade | $362 | $1,708 | 371.8% |
| Wilbur C. Walker | $7,003 | $1,706 | -75.6% |
| Eric Fain | $0 | $1,686 | -- |
| Darryl Charles Smith | $4,952 | $1,686 | -66% |
| Andrew W. Bray | $13,688 | $1,580 | -88.5% |
| Garland Collins | $12,184 | $1,566 | -87.1% |
| Terry J. Amos | $8,686 | $1,452 | -83.3% |
| Harold Styers Jr. | $8,459 | $1,413 | -83.3% |
| Albert L. Fain Jr. | $3,135 | $1,376 | -56.1% |
| Charles R. Hamm | $8,532 | $1,373 | -83.9% |
| Roger Lee Nunn | $4,675 | $1,315 | -71.9% |
| James W. Helms | $5,659 | $1,224 | -78.4% |
| Shona L. Helms | $7,053 | $1,042 | -85.2% |
| James Holt | $5,017 | $1,026 | -79.5% |
| Bradley A. Joyce | $3,413 | $1,004 | -70.6% |
| Lee Ann Collins | $5,027 | $989 | -80.3% |
| Darrell W. Mitchell | $5,666 | $982 | -82.7% |
| David Collins | $8,431 | $952 | -88.7% |
| Toney W. Weatherman | $1,865 | $939 | -49.7% |
| David L. Walker Jr. | $3,826 | $916 | -76.1% |
| Posey Baliles Jr. | $5,373 | $882 | -83.6% |
| Clarence Willliam Collins | $4,004 | $835 | -79.1% |
| James Leon Stevens | $4,327 | $797 | -81.6% |
| Larry Corns | $5,137 | $792 | -84.6% |
| Danny L. Wood | $5,269 | $788 | -85% |
| Earnie Eugene Setliff | $2,789 | $763 | -72.6% |
| Samantha B. Conner | $4,025 | $757 | -81.2% |
| Glenda S. Cobbler | $3,917 | $708 | -81.9% |
| Garland D. Lawson | $2,934 | $687 | -76.6% |
| Lee Farm | $3,212 | $661 | -79.4% |
| Deborah Ball Money | $2,475 | $659 | -73.4% |
| Cameron P. Kolinski | $2,288 | $590 | -74.2% |
| Kevin Ray Collins | $2,354 | $561 | -76.2% |
| Donnie Ray Jones | $212 | $559 | 163.7% |
| Shannon Horton | $2,816 | $530 | -81.2% |
| James A. Shockley | $3,048 | $526 | -82.7% |
| Ronald Rorrer | $2,238 | $518 | -76.9% |
| Michael G. Rorrer | $2,304 | $500 | -78.3% |
| Ronald Jack Williams | $1,848 | $480 | -74% |
| Michael Applegate | $0 | $475 | -- |
| Wayne Gilley | $3,130 | $451 | -85.6% |
| Barry A. Hill | $3,021 | $415 | -86.3% |
| Sandra W. Heath | $3,871 | $411 | -89.4% |
| Wayne Scott | $391 | $391 | 0% |
| Colleen Richardson Ghammashi | $1,536 | $384 | -75% |
| Denver L. Lawson | $2,680 | $380 | -85.8% |
| Larry V. Brown | $1,529 | $380 | -75.1% |
| Rebecca Lenee Shoaf | $7,278 | $373 | -94.9% |
| Fred J. Hill | $1,584 | $360 | -77.3% |
| Walter Luther Scott | $1,496 | $346 | -76.9% |
| James Dustin Dalton | $1,680 | $330 | -80.4% |
| Blake Alan Haas | $1,540 | $316 | -79.5% |
| Hutchens Farms, LLC | $594 | $306 | -48.5% |
| William Jesse Jones | $78 | $279 | 257.7% |
| Ronald W. Davis | $0 | $273 | -- |
| Bryant Pruitt | $1,325 | $240 | -81.9% |
| Carlen Emanuel | $213 | $213 | 0% |
| Kenneth Dale Goodyear | $964 | $206 | -78.6% |
| Stanley T. Hill | $770 | $195 | -74.7% |
| David N. Pleasants | $655 | $190 | -71% |
| Eliseo Olivares Nunez | $902 | $190 | -78.9% |
| Karen M. Foley | $1,088 | $180 | -83.5% |
| David Clement | $1,637 | $157 | -90.4% |
| Tony Wayne Collins | $374 | $154 | -58.8% |
| Ella Sue Hylton | $1,619 | $153 | -90.5% |
| Kelly L. Witt | $150 | $150 | 0% |
| Roger Keith Wilson | $1,281 | $140 | -89.1% |
| Everette W. Scott | $682 | $133 | -80.5% |
| Bradley Lawless | $1,616 | $126 | -92.2% |
| Scott Taylor | $0 | $124 | -- |
| Nathan Lee Harkey | $429 | $107 | -75.1% |
| Crystal Martin Farmer | $1,186 | $99 | -91.7% |
| Diane A. Griffin | $0 | $90 | -- |
| Lowell C. Turman | $1,056 | $84 | -92% |
| Keith Bruce Gunter | $60 | $60 | 0% |
| Kurt Bozenmayer | $55 | $55 | 0% |
| Joseph Littles | $0 | $34 | -- |
| Susan G. Noblett | $47 | $17 | -63.8% |
| Glenn Edward Belcher | $787 | $14 | -98.2% |
| Glenn W. Gunter Jr. | $92 | $9 | -90.2% |
| Pansy McAlexander | $1,650 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert T. Hargett | $522 | $0 | -100% |
| Stanburn Vineyard, LLC | $6,901 | $0 | -100% |
| Bobby Allan Mabe | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Brandon Lee Jessup | $188 | $0 | -100% |
| Eric Fain | $3,933 | $0 | -100% |
| Marion G. Cobbler | $121 | $0 | -100% |
| John C. Ayers Jr. | $8,824 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph F. Clark | $11,556 | $0 | -100% |
| Keith Vernon | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Mulberry Tree Farm, LLC | $434 | $0 | -100% |
| Nancy Lee Hooker | $244 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Paul Williams | $1,536 | $0 | -100% |
| Ted Kirby Jr. | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Vincent Lackey | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Winfred Hill | $141 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $442,096 | $366,542 | -17.1% |
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