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In 2021, 171 farmers in cities within Bradley County received a total of $1.7 million in 252 farm subsidies, a 45.9% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3.1 million in 476 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 Bradley County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rex Calfee | $481,775 | $271,644 | -43.6% |
| James Michael Brown | $139,747 | $191,150 | 36.8% |
| Ron Calfee | $191,746 | $127,159 | -33.7% |
| Syl Ray Riverland Farms | $249,819 | $124,258 | -50.3% |
| Jack & Jim Moore Part | $141,145 | $118,694 | -15.9% |
| John Gretlein | $80,108 | $102,928 | 28.5% |
| Edward Charles Cross | $0 | $58,193 | -- |
| Michael P. Rymer | $0 | $51,437 | -- |
| Corey M. Davis | $0 | $39,219 | -- |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $37,715 | -- |
| Mark Guy | $0 | $32,255 | -- |
| James Kevin Morrison | $0 | $31,969 | -- |
| Milton Humberd Jr. | $34,270 | $31,907 | -6.9% |
| Mr. Randal Lee Branham | $0 | $27,128 | -- |
| Joseph L. Conley | $9,711 | $19,193 | 97.6% |
| Tylan R Davis | $0 | $19,060 | -- |
| Hannah Bros Dairy | $21,726 | $17,841 | -17.9% |
| John M. Moore | $94,351 | $16,498 | -82.5% |
| Braden J. Surrena | $12,996 | $15,288 | 17.6% |
| Darryl Sneed | $5,151 | $14,516 | 181.8% |
| Brian Cartwright | $13,047 | $13,239 | 1.5% |
| Michael Heath Green | $0 | $13,025 | -- |
| Bilbo Family Farm, Inc. | $4,950 | $11,043 | 123.1% |
| George Ronald Davis | $133,971 | $10,347 | -92.3% |
| R & L Farms, Inc. | $0 | $10,176 | -- |
| Eddie Harris | $19,486 | $9,437 | -51.6% |
| Lois Winters-Sharpe | $6,371 | $9,273 | 45.6% |
| Tina Watson | $0 | $8,824 | -- |
| Jennifer McClure | $0 | $8,640 | -- |
| Wes Davis | $0 | $8,325 | -- |
| James V. Rymer | $13,666 | $7,445 | -45.5% |
| Ed W. Campbell | $28,434 | $7,026 | -75.3% |
| Benjamin Paul Sanders | $15,048 | $6,101 | -59.5% |
| Daniel E. Beaty | $21,330 | $6,061 | -71.6% |
| Theba Hamilton | $81,957 | $6,034 | -92.6% |
| Wilhoit Farms | $27,144 | $5,754 | -78.8% |
| Burgess Brothers Dairy | $25,801 | $5,740 | -77.8% |
| C. A. Lightfoot | $35,339 | $5,501 | -84.4% |
| Michael T. Voelker | $24,659 | $5,497 | -77.7% |
| Melissa Nicole Ownby | $0 | $5,333 | -- |
| Ricky Hutson | $23,990 | $5,332 | -77.8% |
| Charles Wattenbarger | $8,170 | $4,798 | -41.3% |
| Glenn Calfee | $16,124 | $4,793 | -70.3% |
| John F. Thompson | $120,730 | $3,860 | -96.8% |
| Shawn S. Davis | $0 | $3,850 | -- |
| Thomas Kenny Frazier | $12,551 | $3,748 | -70.1% |
| Hubert Conley | $8,366 | $3,704 | -55.7% |
| Sandra S. Vest | $25,192 | $3,668 | -85.4% |
| David S. Chase | $22,085 | $3,468 | -84.3% |
| Holt Bros Dairy | $6,600 | $3,298 | -50% |
| Dean Skelton | $17,290 | $3,190 | -81.6% |
| Nikki Johnson-Corley | $19,102 | $3,146 | -83.5% |
| Leonard Hilton | $23,876 | $3,139 | -86.9% |
| John Heifner | $26,686 | $3,099 | -88.4% |
| George A. Delay | $11,572 | $3,052 | -73.6% |
| Judy Wilson | $14,377 | $3,018 | -79% |
| Tim McKenzie | $17,372 | $2,972 | -82.9% |
| Wesley Allen Beck | $13,763 | $2,941 | -78.6% |
| Ronald J. Burdette | $0 | $2,884 | -- |
| Donald H. Wyatt | $11,979 | $2,651 | -77.9% |
| Lois Bowman | $2,347 | $2,347 | 0% |
| WM Ray Bicknell JR Revocable Trust | $0 | $2,192 | -- |
| Stacy G. Ensley | $9,604 | $2,124 | -77.9% |
| Mary L. Woods | $2,004 | $2,004 | 0% |
| Roger Knight | $11,135 | $1,998 | -82.1% |
| Iris Sandidge | $7,990 | $1,983 | -75.2% |
| Ben Moore | $5,634 | $1,975 | -64.9% |
| Dr. Nora H. Williams | $3,935 | $1,887 | -52% |
| James F. King | $5,125 | $1,822 | -64.4% |
| Jerry Simpson | $7,861 | $1,787 | -77.3% |
| Sean R. Mullett | $1,695 | $1,695 | 0% |
| Howard Moore | $43,851 | $1,679 | -96.2% |
| M J Thieme Farm | $2,528 | $1,669 | -34% |
| James F. Mitchell Jr. | $6,578 | $1,657 | -74.8% |
| Dorothy Keller | $10,311 | $1,600 | -84.5% |
| Moore Groves | $60,858 | $1,595 | -97.4% |
| Fred Dwaine Lovingood | $6,492 | $1,584 | -75.6% |
| Kathy Ownby | $7,250 | $1,583 | -78.2% |
| Phillip W. Brown | $4,323 | $1,455 | -66.3% |
| Roger A. Carson | $6,235 | $1,426 | -77.1% |
| Jeff Tilley | $7,362 | $1,416 | -80.8% |
| Johnny Maupin | $1,444 | $1,370 | -5.1% |
| Eugene Cox | $3,377 | $1,335 | -60.5% |
| Florine M. King | $0 | $1,311 | -- |
| Jack D. Chase | $4,180 | $1,290 | -69.1% |
| Jeremy Reagan | $4,785 | $1,268 | -73.5% |
| Johnny Morgan | $4,044 | $1,213 | -70% |
| Jason Kincaid | $3,938 | $1,193 | -69.7% |
| Kent E. Copeland | $5,797 | $1,181 | -79.6% |
| Robert Seaton | $2,430 | $1,179 | -51.5% |
| Paul Beaty | $5,566 | $1,177 | -78.9% |
| Whitney Cox | $4,444 | $1,176 | -73.5% |
| Keith D. Roberts | $3,360 | $1,118 | -66.7% |
| David Stanley Cochran | $5,555 | $1,091 | -80.4% |
| Don Caywood | $6,872 | $1,080 | -84.3% |
| Adelia Hall | $1,042 | $1,042 | 0% |
| David P. Clark | $6,258 | $1,016 | -83.8% |
| Mildred Sparkman | $1,632 | $1,007 | -38.3% |
| Tim R. Shope | $4,302 | $1,004 | -76.7% |
| Joseph E. Smith | $3,267 | $981 | -70% |
| Ronald E. Beene | $4,777 | $981 | -79.5% |
| Fred Trantham | $5,645 | $952 | -83.1% |
| Charles E. Wheeler Jr. | $935 | $935 | 0% |
| Edwin N. Scott | $5,731 | $912 | -84.1% |
| Gary Ball | $5,614 | $902 | -83.9% |
| Henley Ledford | $3,476 | $881 | -74.7% |
| Larry G. Ellis | $3,619 | $876 | -75.8% |
| Stephen Foster | $3,678 | $864 | -76.5% |
| John Simpson | $3,083 | $828 | -73.1% |
| William Sneed Jr. | $2,453 | $810 | -67% |
| Boyd Milton Hooper Jr. | $2,706 | $809 | -70.1% |
| Jack Sanders | $0 | $806 | -- |
| Terry Loveday | $3,553 | $800 | -77.5% |
| Ray Hindman | $3,676 | $792 | -78.5% |
| Carlon Davis | $2,486 | $790 | -68.2% |
| Wesley Skelton | $3,697 | $782 | -78.8% |
| Lonnie Hood | $3,106 | $764 | -75.4% |
| Charley Crisp | $4,838 | $760 | -84.3% |
| Jane Van Deventer | $742 | $742 | 0% |
| Kara Hutson Branham | $3,512 | $711 | -79.8% |
| Ben Carroll | $6,387 | $611 | -90.4% |
| Thomas Butler | $487 | $595 | 22.2% |
| Bobby L. Rymer | $2,277 | $579 | -74.6% |
| John Stanesic | $1,371 | $560 | -59.2% |
| Dustin Darrell Day | $4,960 | $546 | -89% |
| Charles L. Beck | $1,771 | $540 | -69.5% |
| Alan Winter | $1,362 | $531 | -61% |
| Donna R. Walker | $1,023 | $510 | -50.1% |
| James E. Chase | $1,683 | $502 | -70.2% |
| James Shelton | $2,553 | $494 | -80.7% |
| Sam McKenzie | $2,872 | $458 | -84.1% |
| Randy Morrow | $2,321 | $450 | -80.6% |
| Michael & Therese Holler Trust | $443 | $443 | 0% |
| Mike Brown | $0 | $434 | -- |
| Scott Morrow | $2,027 | $426 | -79% |
| Jeffery Wilson | $1,812 | $425 | -76.5% |
| Larry Masengill | $2,122 | $408 | -80.8% |
| Michael J. Frank | $2,216 | $407 | -81.6% |
| Judy Rogers | $1,765 | $399 | -77.4% |
| Joe Collins | $1,969 | $395 | -79.9% |
| Ron Shaffer | $2,109 | $359 | -83% |
| Austin Boyd Calfee | $1,835 | $333 | -81.9% |
| Ruth Ann Emerson | $1,485 | $327 | -78% |
| Richard Fogwell | $1,976 | $325 | -83.6% |
| Ralph Mason | $2,960 | $318 | -89.3% |
| Jackie L. Brewer | $1,518 | $301 | -80.2% |
| Nadene M. Taylor | $477 | $286 | -40% |
| Bill Eckstein | $935 | $280 | -70.1% |
| Shane Hayes | $1,143 | $262 | -77.1% |
| Sherrie Long | $261 | $261 | 0% |
| Steven Witt | $261 | $261 | 0% |
| Henrietta Hughes | $605 | $258 | -57.4% |
| Nathan Land | $1,362 | $252 | -81.5% |
| Jannean K Hoffman | $250 | $250 | 0% |
| James Stuman | $1,258 | $236 | -81.2% |
| Ruth Ann Kersey | $1,016 | $224 | -78% |
| Rhonda D. Kitchens | $0 | $207 | -- |
| Julian L. Masoner | $0 | $206 | -- |
| Mack G. Ross | $744 | $206 | -72.3% |
| Christopher Lowe | $2,636 | $190 | -92.8% |
| Nancy J. Kersey | $770 | $172 | -77.7% |
| Daniel Mark Hines | $363 | $138 | -62% |
| Richard McAlister | $330 | $132 | -60% |
| James T Wright Revocable Living Trust | $0 | $127 | -- |
| John F. Eads | $709 | $127 | -82.1% |
| Tim Mason | $1,047 | $118 | -88.7% |
| Leslie Joe Stepp | $3,225 | $103 | -96.8% |
| Dennis Tweed | $0 | $38 | -- |
| Allen R. Earhart | $66 | $34 | -48.5% |
| Patty Bender | $0 | $7 | -- |
| Peggy J. Mooneyham | $0 | $7 | -- |
| Michael N. Estes | $425 | $0 | -100% |
| Morris W. Clark | $2,640 | $0 | -100% |
| Nellie R. Burdette | $10,274 | $0 | -100% |
| Apple Valley Orchards | $15,070 | $0 | -100% |
| Billie Sue Hamilton | $711 | $0 | -100% |
| Black Fox Farms | $250,000 | $0 | -100% |
| Chris Fugate | $132 | $0 | -100% |
| Cletus Grannan | $1,239 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel Jones | $364 | $0 | -100% |
| David E. Rollins Jr. | $21,157 | $0 | -100% |
| Donnie R. Ownby | $6,476 | $0 | -100% |
| Dorothy Nichols | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Dustin Rollins | $6,060 | $0 | -100% |
| Earl Calfee Farms | $1,980 | $0 | -100% |
| Harold C. Garrison | $1,680 | $0 | -100% |
| James F. Williams | $1,925 | $0 | -100% |
| James T Wright Revocable Living T | $105 | $0 | -100% |
| Jimmy W. Bilbo | $4,528 | $0 | -100% |
| Maple Hills Nursery | $6,290 | $0 | -100% |
| Mary H. Seago | $348 | $0 | -100% |
| Neal Allen Keller | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Peggy Johnson | $4,331 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald J. Price | $3,407 | $0 | -100% |
| Stella R. Foster | $2,884 | $0 | -100% |
| Tracy Hancock | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| WM Ray Bicknell JR Revocable Trus | $10,477 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $3,091,611 | $1,673,749 | -45.9% |
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