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In 2021, 170 farmers in cities within Monroe County received a total of $852,565 in 210 farm subsidies, a 60.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.2 million in 483 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.
Farmers and Their Subsidies in Cities Associated with Monroe County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| John S. Lee | $460,857 | $231,156 | -49.8% |
| Larry Lay | $162,030 | $127,429 | -21.4% |
| Andrew Barr | $49,093 | $61,727 | 25.7% |
| Cardin Farms | $95,170 | $50,655 | -46.8% |
| Doyle Cardin | $95,778 | $44,223 | -53.8% |
| Christopher E. Butler | $0 | $41,649 | -- |
| Victor Arwood | $69,224 | $33,852 | -51.1% |
| Arthur L. Millsaps | $13,275 | $21,804 | 64.2% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $19,670 | -- |
| Patrick Watson | $155,367 | $18,538 | -88.1% |
| Tsali Notch Vineyard | $0 | $18,389 | -- |
| Melvin A. Hyman | $26,014 | $11,434 | -56% |
| ROBBY | $0 | $10,560 | -- |
| Ran-Jill Acres, LLC | $47,094 | $9,665 | -79.5% |
| Charles Plemons | $32,475 | $6,304 | -80.6% |
| Lowry F. Dougherty | $35,969 | $5,623 | -84.4% |
| Neil Blair | $23,541 | $4,883 | -79.3% |
| Richard Cotay Baxter | $0 | $4,730 | -- |
| Tyler Carl Lay | $29,159 | $3,977 | -86.4% |
| Merrell Livestock, LLC | $87,177 | $3,626 | -95.8% |
| David McLemore | $16,382 | $3,448 | -79% |
| Coldstream Farms | $11,728 | $3,426 | -70.8% |
| William Hubert White Jr. | $6,080 | $3,107 | -48.9% |
| Mack Odell | $10,313 | $2,837 | -72.5% |
| Bill Bivins | $15,238 | $2,673 | -82.5% |
| Bill J. Shadden | $19,233 | $2,566 | -86.7% |
| Angela F. Lee | $18,411 | $2,486 | -86.5% |
| Clowers Family Farms, LLC | $12,546 | $2,409 | -80.8% |
| Jerry Lynn Lay II | $8,470 | $2,340 | -72.4% |
| John K. Wiggins | $10,666 | $2,303 | -78.4% |
| Benjamin Joseph Sledge | $10,898 | $2,060 | -81.1% |
| Kevin Darian Lynn | $8,526 | $2,020 | -76.3% |
| Derek L. Sircy | $89,763 | $2,016 | -97.8% |
| Jerry Lay | $10,789 | $2,011 | -81.4% |
| Jonathan P. Rhea | $10,579 | $2,008 | -81% |
| Melvin a Hyman Estate | $0 | $1,925 | -- |
| Doug Saffles | $21,288 | $1,876 | -91.2% |
| Ann Martin | $10,695 | $1,848 | -82.7% |
| Dean Littreal | $5,973 | $1,803 | -69.8% |
| Rebecca Taylor | $0 | $1,771 | -- |
| Michael Wiggins | $13,250 | $1,723 | -87% |
| George W. Haynes | $6,655 | $1,693 | -74.6% |
| Jerry Barr | $3,305 | $1,660 | -49.8% |
| John L. Burris | $3,216 | $1,586 | -50.7% |
| Joey Bivens | $4,140 | $1,539 | -62.8% |
| Tim Brannon | $7,122 | $1,517 | -78.7% |
| Matthew W West | $8,253 | $1,457 | -82.3% |
| J. R. Cagle III | $4,671 | $1,431 | -69.4% |
| Saskia Sowers | $0 | $1,431 | -- |
| Lynn Akins | $8,752 | $1,404 | -84% |
| Carl W. McLemore | $8,247 | $1,346 | -83.7% |
| Matthew T. Cansler | $5,500 | $1,324 | -75.9% |
| Andrew Harris | $3,740 | $1,296 | -65.3% |
| Terry Odell | $13,965 | $1,290 | -90.8% |
| Michael Gentry | $4,923 | $1,210 | -75.4% |
| Bryan Scott Patterson | $7,726 | $1,114 | -85.6% |
| Clifford Dyer | $4,802 | $1,113 | -76.8% |
| Cecil Denton | $4,510 | $1,093 | -75.8% |
| Richard A. Campbell | $5,222 | $1,036 | -80.2% |
| Harold E. Atkins | $4,037 | $1,029 | -74.5% |
| Robert Mitch Ingram | $5,721 | $1,027 | -82% |
| Gerald Hyde | $5,689 | $986 | -82.7% |
| Darlene Harris | $4,313 | $974 | -77.4% |
| Jeffrey B. Watson | $3,894 | $948 | -75.7% |
| Taylor Link Burris | $4,102 | $942 | -77% |
| Dwight West | $0 | $935 | -- |
| George Torbett | $4,123 | $912 | -77.9% |
| Jeffrey Clay Cole | $11,049 | $900 | -91.9% |
| David Laney | $3,751 | $898 | -76.1% |
| Billy J. Shaw | $3,542 | $887 | -75% |
| Melody Hunt | $2,555 | $876 | -65.7% |
| Kyla Leann Belcher | $4,102 | $853 | -79.2% |
| Susan L. Jones | $8,470 | $838 | -90.1% |
| Danny Hedrick | $4,087 | $794 | -80.6% |
| George M. Chaney | $5,322 | $774 | -85.5% |
| Misti Green Ivens | $5,352 | $767 | -85.7% |
| Clarence Gibson | $3,850 | $764 | -80.2% |
| Paul Chapman | $2,816 | $756 | -73.2% |
| Larry W. Hamilton | $6,013 | $746 | -87.6% |
| Donald Isbill | $2,900 | $740 | -74.5% |
| Dortha Akins | $2,856 | $702 | -75.4% |
| Carl Williams | $4,220 | $702 | -83.4% |
| Jimmy H. Wear | $2,079 | $697 | -66.5% |
| Greg Blankenship | $2,715 | $695 | -74.4% |
| Randall Ogle | $2,489 | $672 | -73% |
| Ralph Carroll Best | $0 | $660 | -- |
| David A. Dewalt | $1,450 | $655 | -54.8% |
| Ronnie Taylor | $2,805 | $645 | -77% |
| Nathan West | $3,287 | $624 | -81% |
| Rex Yates | $2,596 | $616 | -76.3% |
| John R. Jones | $3,145 | $611 | -80.6% |
| Steve Monger | $5,472 | $610 | -88.9% |
| Stephen Rogers | $2,793 | $595 | -78.7% |
| Bill H. Best | $3,603 | $550 | -84.7% |
| Bart Toomey | $1,396 | $549 | -60.7% |
| David H. Thomas | $3,274 | $534 | -83.7% |
| Gary R. Brown | $1,386 | $530 | -61.8% |
| Tony C. Hall | $5,400 | $526 | -90.3% |
| James Ronald Thomas | $715 | $516 | -27.8% |
| Joseph Debity | $2,148 | $515 | -76% |
| Christina Marie Martin | $0 | $495 | -- |
| Delois Odell | $854 | $495 | -42% |
| Brent Heiskell | $2,142 | $490 | -77.1% |
| Norman Burton Lee II | $2,288 | $484 | -78.8% |
| Michael Gray | $2,233 | $478 | -78.6% |
| Tim Yates | $1,452 | $437 | -69.9% |
| Kenneth T. Hamilton | $17,330 | $430 | -97.5% |
| Chris Raper | $2,226 | $429 | -80.7% |
| Ed Graves | $1,419 | $428 | -69.8% |
| Ronnie D. Lynn | $2,383 | $427 | -82.1% |
| Glenn Lucas | $1,793 | $402 | -77.6% |
| Greeley Gibson | $2,112 | $396 | -81.3% |
| Mark A. Best | $990 | $394 | -60.2% |
| Daniel Bryant Cummings | $2,476 | $388 | -84.3% |
| Hoyt L. White | $1,859 | $374 | -79.9% |
| Mike Lee | $3,844 | $368 | -90.4% |
| Rick Saunders | $1,419 | $350 | -75.3% |
| George B. Davis | $1,986 | $329 | -83.4% |
| Mary Ann Trentham | $725 | $324 | -55.3% |
| Pam McDaniel | $2,295 | $322 | -86% |
| Rhonda Joines | $320 | $320 | 0% |
| Joseph Bivens | $825 | $318 | -61.5% |
| Ronnie Miller | $1,430 | $318 | -77.8% |
| Lisa M. Hunt | $660 | $314 | -52.4% |
| Lon Wayne Stamey | $5,818 | $312 | -94.6% |
| Wayne R. Perkins | $3,409 | $304 | -91.1% |
| Dewey E. Lankford | $1,780 | $302 | -83% |
| Arlin L. Phillips | $3,784 | $301 | -92% |
| Elijah L. Isbill Jr. | $1,779 | $301 | -83.1% |
| Tyson Ray Kile | $1,647 | $297 | -82% |
| Sandra G. Hughes | $1,656 | $284 | -82.9% |
| Hedrick Rodeo Company, LLC | $751 | $278 | -63% |
| Mechelle I. Mitchell | $1,144 | $278 | -75.7% |
| John R. Isbill | $2,938 | $276 | -90.6% |
| Ransom Stiles | $2,554 | $266 | -89.6% |
| Charlie Fry | $2,376 | $265 | -88.8% |
| Jesse Teague | $2,070 | $257 | -87.6% |
| Keith Lynn | $1,342 | $256 | -80.9% |
| Donald Ray Jenkins | $1,505 | $247 | -83.6% |
| Doug Campbell | $946 | $242 | -74.4% |
| Jarrod Mitchell Brackett | $957 | $236 | -75.3% |
| Douglas M. Stephens | $1,221 | $232 | -81% |
| Connie Jones | $772 | $232 | -69.9% |
| Dale Phillips | $1,030 | $232 | -77.5% |
| Jill Gurley | $3,475 | $219 | -93.7% |
| David E. Webb | $495 | $214 | -56.8% |
| Loretta E. Jones | $968 | $214 | -77.9% |
| Michael Reed | $935 | $206 | -78% |
| Andy Fuller | $1,552 | $204 | -86.9% |
| Ronald W. Shaw | $1,008 | $202 | -80% |
| Tammy M. Watson | $1,265 | $197 | -84.4% |
| Madison Martin | $0 | $190 | -- |
| Joseph C. Peals Jr. | $1,194 | $177 | -85.2% |
| Gregory Jump | $5,840 | $175 | -97% |
| Lonnie Jones | $759 | $163 | -78.5% |
| Daniel P. McKane | $396 | $162 | -59.1% |
| Carol Elizabeth West | $883 | $162 | -81.7% |
| Jeffery Williams | $825 | $162 | -80.4% |
| George S. McBride | $660 | $158 | -76.1% |
| Gib Harris | $638 | $149 | -76.6% |
| Lewis Andrew Jones Jr. | $616 | $142 | -76.9% |
| Eddie Stalcup | $363 | $138 | -62% |
| Josh McDaniel | $506 | $135 | -73.3% |
| Leah McKane | $886 | $123 | -86.1% |
| Timmy Shaun Akins | $517 | $122 | -76.4% |
| Randall D. Millsaps | $1,187 | $104 | -91.2% |
| Bill Coppenger | $5,949 | $98 | -98.4% |
| Russell Prater | $649 | $97 | -85.1% |
| Mia Sage Lowry Beason | $3,872 | $69 | -98.2% |
| James Q. Williford | $165 | $35 | -78.8% |
| Brenda T. Leslie | $145 | $0 | -100% |
| Carlton Ted Watson | $40,590 | $0 | -100% |
| Cody T. Watson | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Dorothy Farner | $220 | $0 | -100% |
| Dr. Paul Brakebill Jr. | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $392 | $0 | -100% |
| Irene Atkins | $89 | $0 | -100% |
| Jane Davenport | $166 | $0 | -100% |
| Jimmy Ray Haynes | $2,255 | $0 | -100% |
| John Sitzler | $9,163 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Watson | $1,595 | $0 | -100% |
| Madsion Martin | $3,688 | $0 | -100% |
| Nancy L. Hawkins | $1,062 | $0 | -100% |
| Wayne Thomas | $917 | $0 | -100% |
| Zachary Perry | $1,210 | $0 | -100% |
| Albert Medina | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Bethany Taylor | $1,220 | $0 | -100% |
| Dan E. Johnson | $177 | $0 | -100% |
| DJ | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Donald Bivens | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary Stenger | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Ryan C. Burnett | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Theba Hamilton | $745 | $0 | -100% |
| Travis Davis | $2,831 | $0 | -100% |
| WM Esley Watson | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,151,515 | $852,565 | -60.4% |
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