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In 2021, 52 farmers in cities within Clarke County received a total of $365,755 in 88 farm subsidies, a 63% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $987,809 in 149 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John O Hardesty & Son, LLC | $254,097 | $130,357 | -48.7% |
| Robert W. Koon Jr. | $142,739 | $63,450 | -55.5% |
| Frankford Farm, LLC | $70,744 | $26,338 | -62.8% |
| Moore & Dorsey, Inc. | $29,066 | $25,597 | -11.9% |
| Joseph W. Henderson | $44,669 | $25,250 | -43.5% |
| Eric T. Good | $54,686 | $12,422 | -77.3% |
| Samuel G. Conrad | $11,380 | $6,451 | -43.3% |
| Round Oak Farm, Ltd. | $40,612 | $6,406 | -84.2% |
| Kimberly Ann Henderson | $28,377 | $5,736 | -79.8% |
| Rosney Stables, LLC | $5,982 | $4,831 | -19.2% |
| RSP Enterprises LC | $12,463 | $4,429 | -64.5% |
| Bradley T. Riner | $14,835 | $3,912 | -73.6% |
| John D. Schutte | $17,410 | $3,812 | -78.1% |
| Gwendolyn Gail Sutphin | $6,224 | $3,171 | -49.1% |
| Freddie C. Pierce Sr. | $14,423 | $2,988 | -79.3% |
| James Michael Swisher | $1,544 | $2,980 | 93% |
| Edward L. Mainhart | $12,187 | $2,484 | -79.6% |
| The Clermont Foundation | $14,620 | $2,457 | -83.2% |
| River Farm SN, LLC | $13,838 | $2,216 | -84% |
| Kinder Bauernhof Farm, Inc. | $6,929 | $2,120 | -69.4% |
| Roseville Farms, LLC | $7,400 | $1,917 | -74.1% |
| Warren A. Javins | $6,433 | $1,880 | -70.8% |
| Diamond H, LLC | $27,087 | $1,840 | -93.2% |
| G C King Land Trust | $3,301 | $1,664 | -49.6% |
| James H. Royston | $8,894 | $1,564 | -82.4% |
| Keith Tubandt | $1,481 | $1,481 | 0% |
| Claude D. Lawson | $0 | $1,430 | -- |
| Gary L. Foltz | $4,927 | $1,411 | -71.4% |
| Freddie Cleveland Pierce Jr. | $5,503 | $1,376 | -75% |
| Eric T. Good | $0 | $1,347 | -- |
| Rufus P. Rinker | $2,055 | $1,309 | -36.3% |
| Community of Cistercian of the Strict Observance | $0 | $1,029 | -- |
| Matthew St Clair | $6,352 | $1,018 | -84% |
| Paris M. Rasnic Jr. | $500 | $868 | 73.6% |
| Roderick A. de Arment | $1,762 | $795 | -54.9% |
| Mark David Manns | $1,079 | $742 | -31.2% |
| Harold E. Hartsell III | $3,731 | $671 | -82% |
| Vera Galina McGaughey | $716 | $656 | -8.4% |
| Mcintire Cattle Company, Inc. | $2,145 | $629 | -70.7% |
| Joel B. Evans | $1,442 | $494 | -65.7% |
| Kelly Brown Unger | $7,871 | $481 | -93.9% |
| Michael S. Snapp | $5,616 | $481 | -91.4% |
| W. B. Watkins III | $0 | $455 | -- |
| Bruce L. Legge | $1,075 | $454 | -57.8% |
| Aaron Michael Bonar | $0 | $436 | -- |
| Jean Kay Bonar | $0 | $436 | -- |
| William C. Staples | $0 | $373 | -- |
| Russell B Mckelway | $327 | $327 | 0% |
| Keith D. Seekford | $1,144 | $270 | -76.4% |
| Stephen C. R. Stephens | $1,104 | $233 | -78.9% |
| Curtis A. Winter | $168 | $168 | 0% |
| Lawrence W. Duncan | $0 | $113 | -- |
| Community of Cistercian of the St. | $1,029 | $0 | -100% |
| Justin Paul Carrasco | $4,074 | $0 | -100% |
| Lawsons Grand View Farm, LLC | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Mackintosh Fruit Farm, LLC | $30,149 | $0 | -100% |
| Oak Hart Farm | $6,321 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald L. Lemarr | $1,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Stuart B. McNamara | $126 | $0 | -100% |
| Veramar Vineyard | $4,872 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Mueske Berry | $5,132 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert E. Chandler Jr. | $119 | $0 | -100% |
| Shenandoah Seasonal, LLC | $34,904 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $987,809 | $365,755 | -63% |
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