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In 2021, 160 farmers in cities within Franklin County received a total of $1.6 million in 291 farm subsidies, a 54.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3.5 million in 470 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 Franklin County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwards & Foster Farms, LLC | $228,457 | $147,592 | -35.4% |
| Wester Farms, LLC | $291,543 | $111,295 | -61.8% |
| N & N Farms, Inc. | $158,527 | $103,404 | -34.8% |
| Preddy Farms, LLC | $228,999 | $102,600 | -55.2% |
| Logan Cattle Company, LLC | $245,818 | $89,373 | -63.6% |
| William P. Bolton | $174,307 | $78,773 | -54.8% |
| Triple R Farms, Inc. | $85,724 | $64,243 | -25.1% |
| Brent C. Strickland | $78,263 | $62,236 | -20.5% |
| Kevin Mitchell | $103,754 | $54,785 | -47.2% |
| William Frank Batchelor | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Harvey S. Mitchell | $128,398 | $45,899 | -64.3% |
| Jeffreys Family Farms, Inc. | $129,974 | $41,936 | -67.7% |
| Michael C. Bell | $57,256 | $38,136 | -33.4% |
| Cleathen Bell | $57,240 | $38,133 | -33.4% |
| Jimmy D. Nelms | $116,383 | $30,176 | -74.1% |
| Jeremy Richard May | $68,990 | $29,496 | -57.2% |
| May Farms | $84,661 | $28,915 | -65.8% |
| Gilbert Wheeler | $41,104 | $23,746 | -42.2% |
| Nicholas E. Bell | $21,455 | $23,600 | 10% |
| Ricky D. Bell | $67,139 | $23,560 | -64.9% |
| Ricky V. May | $50,959 | $23,515 | -53.9% |
| Ryan May | $38,015 | $22,908 | -39.7% |
| Roger G. Edwards | $6,813 | $20,589 | 202.2% |
| Lamm & Lamm Farms | $72,300 | $19,301 | -73.3% |
| Raymond W. Foster | $54,554 | $17,250 | -68.4% |
| Foster Family Vineyards, LLC | $0 | $13,521 | -- |
| Jackie Ted Mitchell | $24,239 | $13,470 | -44.4% |
| Philip H. Smith | $43,951 | $13,098 | -70.2% |
| Stuart V. May | $39,011 | $12,605 | -67.7% |
| Riley D. Eichhorn | $0 | $11,660 | -- |
| Todd Land | $31,921 | $9,304 | -70.9% |
| Springfield Angus, LLC | $46,134 | $9,214 | -80% |
| Michael W. Hicks | $43,088 | $9,169 | -78.7% |
| Meadow Lane Beef, LLC | $38,187 | $9,048 | -76.3% |
| Edward Wheeler | $13,578 | $8,602 | -36.6% |
| Henry Allen Nelms Jr. | $30,552 | $8,591 | -71.9% |
| Troy Jason Aycock | $26,835 | $8,326 | -69% |
| William T. Pyle | $15,361 | $8,051 | -47.6% |
| Sally Murphy | $0 | $7,520 | -- |
| Jeffrey Ray Wood | $13,823 | $7,436 | -46.2% |
| Rian Wilder | $14,966 | $7,252 | -51.5% |
| T S Dean Farms, LLC | $68,420 | $6,038 | -91.2% |
| L H Dickens Farms, LLC | $5,770 | $5,624 | -2.5% |
| Mullen View Farms | $33,695 | $5,527 | -83.6% |
| Alice P. Hunter | $5,445 | $5,459 | 0.3% |
| Robert Banks Preddy | $0 | $4,425 | -- |
| Clem C. Mitchell Jr. | $9,918 | $4,353 | -56.1% |
| Thomas Perdue Jr. | $11,096 | $4,118 | -62.9% |
| Mary Denton Gupton Estate | $0 | $3,696 | -- |
| E. H. Journigan Jr. | $10,084 | $3,673 | -63.6% |
| Jeffrey T. Layton | $11,808 | $3,661 | -69% |
| Richard T. Layton | $11,422 | $3,299 | -71.1% |
| Rufus R. Wynn | $5,976 | $3,242 | -45.7% |
| Henry A. Nelms | $19,273 | $3,157 | -83.6% |
| C & R Family Properties, LLC | $3,546 | $3,059 | -13.7% |
| Patrick Journigan | $6,709 | $3,033 | -54.8% |
| Bute Farm, LLC | $12,911 | $2,735 | -78.8% |
| Jarrett W. Southall | $2,701 | $2,701 | 0% |
| Christopher D. Tharrington | $4,524 | $2,640 | -41.6% |
| Gary Fuller | $2,506 | $2,506 | 0% |
| Cade Carter | $2,494 | $2,494 | 0% |
| Wallace A. Pruitt Jr. | $2,485 | $2,485 | 0% |
| Ernie Mustian | $1,458 | $2,439 | 67.3% |
| Thompson Properties | $2,276 | $2,276 | 0% |
| Timothy G. Strickland | $18,127 | $2,211 | -87.8% |
| Leo W. Stallings | $3,882 | $2,199 | -43.4% |
| James H. Wheless | $2,177 | $2,177 | 0% |
| Edward S. Mitchell | $8,448 | $2,120 | -74.9% |
| Frances S. Tharrington | $2,088 | $2,088 | 0% |
| Sandra W. Bailey | $1,992 | $1,992 | 0% |
| Tyler Craig Parrott | $0 | $1,911 | -- |
| Nell Rose Holmes, LLC | $1,824 | $1,824 | 0% |
| Donald Edwards | $8,011 | $1,680 | -79% |
| Alejandro Contreras Aguilar | $3,235 | $1,645 | -49.1% |
| Russell Bottoms | $6,919 | $1,591 | -77% |
| Robert R. Rednour | $2,882 | $1,528 | -47% |
| Grace C. Perdue | $1,463 | $1,520 | 3.9% |
| Louis Southall | $1,470 | $1,470 | 0% |
| Sandra Medlin | $951 | $1,464 | 53.9% |
| Tony Dale Perdue | $5,610 | $1,461 | -74% |
| Justin T. Mitchell | $1,055 | $1,449 | 37.3% |
| Mike Carter | $4,114 | $1,407 | -65.8% |
| Russell Gupton | $2,750 | $1,295 | -52.9% |
| Shiloh Farm, Inc. | $3,674 | $1,266 | -65.5% |
| Joseph C. Tharrington III | $6,814 | $1,214 | -82.2% |
| Colin Davis Speed | $3,707 | $1,173 | -68.4% |
| Charlie E West | $6,163 | $1,153 | -81.3% |
| Julius Havens Burrell Griffin | $3,305 | $1,114 | -66.3% |
| William E. Pearce | $1,072 | $1,072 | 0% |
| Billy Bruce Faulkner | $4,302 | $1,024 | -76.2% |
| Pernell Farms | $1,635 | $999 | -38.9% |
| Roy Gerald Edwards | $1,145 | $972 | -15.1% |
| Ronald Beckham | $946 | $946 | 0% |
| Guillermo Rangel Montiel | $1,782 | $932 | -47.7% |
| Wilbur Pearce | $5,705 | $906 | -84.1% |
| BB Organic Farm NC, LLC | $3,146 | $904 | -71.3% |
| James Stone | $3,212 | $899 | -72% |
| H., LLC, O.D. | $1,795 | $890 | -50.4% |
| Shocco Creek Ranch, LLC | $4,642 | $862 | -81.4% |
| Michael Schriver | $2,123 | $784 | -63.1% |
| Samuel F Land | $730 | $730 | 0% |
| Amanda D. Dixon | $816 | $672 | -17.6% |
| Laura Crabtree | $816 | $672 | -17.6% |
| John West | $2,706 | $664 | -75.5% |
| Daryl S. Tharrington | $3,058 | $634 | -79.3% |
| Taylor R. Fitzpatrick | $3,571 | $616 | -82.7% |
| Jean L. Jones | $595 | $595 | 0% |
| JLP Family Investments, LLC | $592 | $592 | 0% |
| Ted J. Arnold | $565 | $565 | 0% |
| L. H. Dickens III | $559 | $558 | -0.2% |
| Wayne A. Bobbitt | $3,036 | $554 | -81.8% |
| Charles R. Forsyth | $3,153 | $520 | -83.5% |
| William Bradley Harris | $0 | $507 | -- |
| Martin Scott Pleasants | $1,714 | $506 | -70.5% |
| Tamryn Celine Coots | $7,656 | $503 | -93.4% |
| Valerie Norris | $0 | $493 | -- |
| Lowell Thomas Hart | $480 | $480 | 0% |
| Joe Duke Radford | $2,657 | $454 | -82.9% |
| Janice Southerland | $436 | $436 | 0% |
| Michael G. Jones | $8,961 | $426 | -95.2% |
| Lee Inscoe | $4,262 | $415 | -90.3% |
| Jason Lee Atkins | $0 | $412 | -- |
| Johnnie Gilliam | $1,991 | $408 | -79.5% |
| Brenda Patterson | $404 | $404 | 0% |
| Leslie S Schmelzla | $2,008 | $371 | -81.5% |
| Hope M. Coats | $951 | $366 | -61.5% |
| Kevin Fuller | $358 | $358 | 0% |
| Willie C. Perry | $1,342 | $351 | -73.8% |
| Mary L. Inscoe | $689 | $302 | -56.2% |
| Judith D. Rounsavall | $544 | $301 | -44.7% |
| Philip D. Meador Jr. | $290 | $290 | 0% |
| Gwendolyn Blackwell Harris | $280 | $280 | 0% |
| Jonathan D. Dorsey | $1,496 | $269 | -82% |
| Robin R. Faulkner | $261 | $261 | 0% |
| William Oscar Jones | $518 | $253 | -51.2% |
| Robert Earl Strickland | $667 | $252 | -62.2% |
| Frankie Gilliam | $226 | $226 | 0% |
| Susan Ragan | $212 | $212 | 0% |
| Tom Chris Duke | $1,114 | $209 | -81.2% |
| Breezy Pond Farms, LLC | $1,492 | $189 | -87.3% |
| Robert Henderson Sr. | $1,012 | $183 | -81.9% |
| Todd Cannady | $454 | $152 | -66.5% |
| Cindy F. Ayscue | $1,900 | $138 | -92.7% |
| Lumpkin & Lumpkin, LLC | $176 | $138 | -21.6% |
| Gail Floyd | $534 | $131 | -75.5% |
| Michael S. Jones | $128 | $128 | 0% |
| Alice M. Johnson | $726 | $113 | -84.4% |
| James E Jarman Life Estate | $0 | $107 | -- |
| Joseph Milton | $208 | $100 | -51.9% |
| Susan L. Hight | $388 | $72 | -81.4% |
| Jewell M. Bailey | $678 | $64 | -90.6% |
| Ann R. Peoples | $49 | $49 | 0% |
| Dollie M. Brogden | $203 | $48 | -76.4% |
| John Ayscue Jr. | $809 | $44 | -94.6% |
| Catherine T. Stallings | $43 | $43 | 0% |
| Ricky D. Tharrington | $43 | $43 | 0% |
| Arthur R. Collie | $1,658 | $34 | -97.9% |
| Carvel C. Cheves Jr. | $7,845 | $27 | -99.7% |
| Calvin Nachtrab | $193 | $24 | -87.6% |
| Rodney Lancaster | $274 | $8 | -97.1% |
| Marty A. Perry | $1,774 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul Vinson | $655 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph R. Wilson | $89 | $0 | -100% |
| Windley Family Unity Limited Par | $1,773 | $0 | -100% |
| A & W Farms | $615 | $0 | -100% |
| Anthony B. Wester | $104 | $0 | -100% |
| Bernard K. Hall | $174 | $0 | -100% |
| Brad Harris | $2,800 | $0 | -100% |
| Cecelia K. Hall | $174 | $0 | -100% |
| Donald R. McGhee | $167 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward G. Strickland | $315 | $0 | -100% |
| Edwards-Foster Farms | $5,931 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency | $5,442 | $0 | -100% |
| Franklin County FSA | $24,840 | $0 | -100% |
| Grady C. Inscoe | $274 | $0 | -100% |
| Holton Family Farms, LLC | $18,197 | $0 | -100% |
| James Jarman | $733 | $0 | -100% |
| James R. Shearin | $654 | $0 | -100% |
| Jimmie Turner Inscoe | $251 | $0 | -100% |
| Jonathan Scott Ball | $433 | $0 | -100% |
| Karen Wilson | $317 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth P. Perdue Jr. | $317 | $0 | -100% |
| Linda Ann Maggio | $2,380 | $0 | -100% |
| Mary D. Gupton | $1,892 | $0 | -100% |
| Sandra F. Edwards | $47,463 | $0 | -100% |
| Walter H. Ball Jr. | $452 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $3,535,705 | $1,602,937 | -54.7% |
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