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In 2021, 83 farmers in cities within Person County received a total of $1.7 million in 212 farm subsidies, a 51.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3.5 million in 364 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Lanes Farms, LLC | $419,111 | $220,404 | -47.4% |
| Xtreme, Inc. | $311,116 | $155,608 | -50% |
| William M. Porterfield | $178,455 | $143,193 | -19.8% |
| Morrow Farms, LLC | $219,301 | $141,193 | -35.6% |
| Mayo Farms, Inc. | $151,890 | $114,231 | -24.8% |
| Poindexter Organics, LLC | $130,263 | $80,999 | -37.8% |
| Thomas Elliott | $94,653 | $71,005 | -25% |
| Stone Family Farms, Inc. | $158,968 | $63,643 | -60% |
| The Hill of Berrys | $198,505 | $60,349 | -69.6% |
| Mark A. Garrett | $146,896 | $57,064 | -61.2% |
| Derek S. Day | $93,018 | $51,962 | -44.1% |
| Porterfield Farms, Inc. | $214,092 | $42,629 | -80.1% |
| Rocky Acre Farms, LLC | $51,961 | $36,076 | -30.6% |
| Carver Brothers Turf, LLC | $0 | $35,745 | -- |
| T M Allen, Inc. | $47,642 | $34,333 | -27.9% |
| Lawrence Michael Brooks | $0 | $27,209 | -- |
| Winston H. Elliott Sr. | $52,770 | $25,370 | -51.9% |
| Winston H. Elliott Jr. | $25,004 | $24,805 | -0.8% |
| Carl Boyd | $43,249 | $24,306 | -43.8% |
| DPW, Ltd. | $39,068 | $23,933 | -38.7% |
| Boyd and Duncan Farms, Inc. | $37,843 | $21,199 | -44% |
| Benjamin C. Whitfield Jr. | $60,327 | $19,168 | -68.2% |
| Wagstaff, Inc. | $45,324 | $15,852 | -65% |
| Randy Blalock | $21,539 | $13,518 | -37.2% |
| William David Broach | $13,331 | $12,627 | -5.3% |
| Joe L. Johnson Sr. | $24,407 | $11,570 | -52.6% |
| Winston Ryan Elliott | $18,979 | $10,280 | -45.8% |
| Robert Curtis Wrenn | $14,485 | $10,247 | -29.3% |
| Jessie B. Denny | $23,343 | $8,322 | -64.3% |
| Steve Poole | $32,709 | $8,195 | -74.9% |
| Roy S. Carver III | $31,610 | $7,902 | -75% |
| J. W. Chambers | $20,038 | $7,503 | -62.6% |
| Joshua Denny | $25,803 | $7,125 | -72.4% |
| Carver Brothers Farms, LLC | $8,231 | $6,429 | -21.9% |
| Peggy T. Garrett | $35,486 | $6,395 | -82% |
| Gentry Farms, Inc. | $11,868 | $6,093 | -48.7% |
| CC Blalock Farms, LLC | $0 | $6,009 | -- |
| Hunter R. Thomas | $6,459 | $5,688 | -11.9% |
| James D. Satterfield | $8,723 | $5,547 | -36.4% |
| William K. Stone | $62,036 | $5,156 | -91.7% |
| Cameron C. Blalock | $7,096 | $5,100 | -28.1% |
| Franklin D. Poindexter Sr. | $17,155 | $5,057 | -70.5% |
| Rogers Cattle Company, LLC | $26,751 | $4,833 | -81.9% |
| Christopher B. Duncan | $8,637 | $4,622 | -46.5% |
| Foushee Farms, LLC | $49,144 | $4,205 | -91.4% |
| Paul L. Bailey | $4,573 | $3,453 | -24.5% |
| RCB Farms, LLC | $2,714 | $3,405 | 25.5% |
| Donnie A. Clayton | $7,393 | $3,104 | -58% |
| Ernest R. Rowland | $8,019 | $2,726 | -66% |
| Clinton J. Morrow | $10,045 | $2,692 | -73.2% |
| Richard Adoulphus Whitfield III | $2,458 | $2,468 | 0.4% |
| Earl H. Brooks Jr. | $4,096 | $2,412 | -41.1% |
| R T Warren Company | $8,328 | $2,145 | -74.2% |
| Ronald Carver | $40,181 | $2,025 | -95% |
| Troy L. Wilson | $4,941 | $1,668 | -66.2% |
| Jackson R. Pleasant | $4,820 | $1,606 | -66.7% |
| Steve Shotwell | $7,509 | $1,507 | -79.9% |
| Fred H. Fox Jr. | $2,519 | $1,275 | -49.4% |
| Robert Davis Burnette | $1,959 | $1,197 | -38.9% |
| Kimberly K. Rand | $0 | $960 | -- |
| Heston Farms, LLC | $5,629 | $925 | -83.6% |
| Alan Lavon Lawson | $4,447 | $905 | -79.6% |
| Arnold Denny | $0 | $744 | -- |
| Talmadge Yancey | $2,739 | $743 | -72.9% |
| George T. Whitt | $4,034 | $646 | -84% |
| Stephen E. Melton Jr. | $1,881 | $644 | -65.8% |
| Jason K. Parrott | $2,563 | $607 | -76.3% |
| Scottie D. Poole | $2,739 | $588 | -78.5% |
| Lucys Phratry Farm, LLC | $450 | $500 | 11.1% |
| Yvette Y. Rice | $1,770 | $470 | -73.4% |
| William Wisner | $2,134 | $416 | -80.5% |
| Ricky Eugene Kendrick | $2,101 | $413 | -80.3% |
| Eddie R. Pulliam | $987 | $357 | -63.8% |
| Virginia Diepheal Whitaker | $1,407 | $348 | -75.3% |
| Rickey M. Chambers | $1,221 | $304 | -75.1% |
| Randall M. Whitfield | $1,155 | $284 | -75.4% |
| Joseph N. Hicks | $561 | $232 | -58.6% |
| John Steven Tingen Sr. | $979 | $228 | -76.7% |
| Sarah C. Jolly | $495 | $197 | -60.2% |
| Bradley A. Jonas | $396 | $146 | -63.1% |
| Donald W. Thomas Jr. | $3,819 | $137 | -96.4% |
| Claude Blackwell | $892 | $59 | -93.4% |
| B R Jeffers Farms, LLC | $1,893 | $14 | -99.3% |
| Alan B. Williams | $6,406 | $0 | -100% |
| Brian Whitfield | $5,531 | $0 | -100% |
| Catherine D. Lowery | $1,395 | $0 | -100% |
| Clayton & Sons, LLC | $1,196 | $0 | -100% |
| David Atwill Day | $19,583 | $0 | -100% |
| Doyle T. Wilson | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency Farm Loan | $2 | $0 | -100% |
| Junious M. Paylor | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Marion L. Chambers | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark C. Wagstaff | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Quinton Clayton | $246 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert H. Moore | $298 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald K. Bowes | $6,201 | $0 | -100% |
| Roy N. Huff | $681 | $0 | -100% |
| Tina Morris Porterfield | $58,933 | $0 | -100% |
| Tunnel Creek Farm, LLC | $5,670 | $0 | -100% |
| Wilkins Farms, LLC | $65,624 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $3,516,309 | $1,695,249 | -51.8% |
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