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In 2021, 66 farmers in cities within Charlottesville city received a total of $534,998 in 105 farm subsidies, a 31.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $776,705 in 183 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Nature Conservancy | $144,891 | $150,000 | 3.5% |
| Early Dawn Dairy, Inc. | $164,490 | $130,544 | -20.6% |
| David B. Norford | $59,540 | $109,520 | 83.9% |
| Irvin Dulaney White | $45,058 | $34,033 | -24.5% |
| Britt Family Farms, LLC | $14,848 | $14,444 | -2.7% |
| Allan Zumbrunn | $0 | $9,392 | -- |
| J C Smith Farm Partnership, LLP | $31,762 | $6,607 | -79.2% |
| Leroy R Lewis JR Trust | $19,144 | $5,186 | -72.9% |
| Gregory E. Scharer | $4,719 | $4,718 | -0% |
| Zachary Miller | $24,390 | $4,604 | -81.1% |
| Richard Fox | $21,707 | $4,504 | -79.3% |
| Virginia L Gross Illinois Property Trust | $4,042 | $4,042 | 0% |
| William Kid McCoy | $4,017 | $4,017 | 0% |
| Phyllis Jeannine Cotten Rev Trustee | $8,595 | $3,931 | -54.3% |
| Sylvia J. Sundin | $3,835 | $3,440 | -10.3% |
| Atchley Family Limited Partnership | $11,484 | $3,411 | -70.3% |
| Adams Management & Development Corporation | $1,091 | $3,401 | 211.7% |
| Lu Ann Leisy Fife | $741 | $3,185 | 329.8% |
| Phillip F. Stokes | $10,475 | $2,184 | -79.2% |
| Clifton H. McCleskey | $2,781 | $1,895 | -31.9% |
| Lowry W. Abell | $10,769 | $1,790 | -83.4% |
| Hunter B. Yancey | $3,397 | $1,635 | -51.9% |
| Joshua Maccluer | $1,102 | $1,579 | 43.3% |
| Roger G. Wilson | $2,545 | $1,473 | -42.1% |
| Mark Brown | $3,563 | $1,457 | -59.1% |
| Judith a Goering Rev Trust | $3,634 | $1,435 | -60.5% |
| Abell Brothers | $5,741 | $1,316 | -77.1% |
| James E. Bowen | $4,312 | $1,250 | -71% |
| Seth Abell | $7,701 | $1,243 | -83.9% |
| Shirley Sites | $1,577 | $1,126 | -28.6% |
| Justin Mallory | $5,557 | $1,103 | -80.2% |
| Raymond Patterson | $7,604 | $1,052 | -86.2% |
| Rocky Hill Farm, LLC | $1,010 | $1,010 | 0% |
| Thomas W. Epps | $3,138 | $984 | -68.6% |
| Jason Penn | $2,902 | $962 | -66.9% |
| Miles M. Creasy | $4,151 | $948 | -77.2% |
| William Lester Self Andrews William Lester Self Andrews Decl | $0 | $947 | -- |
| Amelia Carter Manning | $2,780 | $935 | -66.4% |
| Joe Lee Kerley | $8,798 | $864 | -90.2% |
| Gregory J. Cooley | $4,826 | $635 | -86.8% |
| Craig Huneke | $5,391 | $620 | -88.5% |
| Bruce T. Carter | $613 | $613 | 0% |
| George W. Moore | $0 | $610 | -- |
| David D. Kardell | $3,138 | $585 | -81.4% |
| Matthew J. Frey | $299 | $545 | 82.3% |
| Herbert L. Beskin | $424 | $516 | 21.7% |
| Nancy T. Paulson | $924 | $440 | -52.4% |
| Sarah A. Gerome | $447 | $409 | -8.5% |
| Kerber BT East Farms, LLC | $0 | $408 | -- |
| Anissa K Anniss | $453 | $393 | -13.2% |
| Robert L Cumbia | $0 | $385 | -- |
| Donal Day | $359 | $359 | 0% |
| James Hiram Aylor | $1,232 | $289 | -76.5% |
| Thomas Joel Loving | $207 | $289 | 39.6% |
| Anne M Shaw-Kennedy | $287 | $287 | 0% |
| Michele D. Mangham | $17,361 | $270 | -98.4% |
| Polly Ann Talbott | $2,233 | $242 | -89.2% |
| James David Wilborn Zehmer | $216 | $216 | 0% |
| Nystrom Brothers Corporation | $196 | $196 | 0% |
| William A. Orr | $132 | $132 | 0% |
| VA Polo, Inc. | $124 | $124 | 0% |
| Michele L. Russell | $243 | $84 | -65.4% |
| Miller School | $6,798 | $71 | -99% |
| Somerfarm | $64 | $64 | 0% |
| Michael Lee Henson | $1,354 | $48 | -96.5% |
| James R. Boyd | $0 | $1 | -- |
| Arthur A. Watson Jr. | $559 | $0 | -100% |
| Austin E. Jamison | $357 | $0 | -100% |
| Barbara Barrell | $51 | $0 | -100% |
| Bellair Produce, LLC | $47,553 | $0 | -100% |
| Wayne C. Nuckols | $2,090 | $0 | -100% |
| Carol Sweeney | $3,080 | $0 | -100% |
| Chiennoir Farmstead, LLC | $955 | $0 | -100% |
| Christopher S. Tyler | $435 | $0 | -100% |
| Henry C. Page Jr. | $5,592 | $0 | -100% |
| John Michael Osteen | $685 | $0 | -100% |
| Katharine Dulaney | $1,490 | $0 | -100% |
| Leanna Whitmore | $270 | $0 | -100% |
| Leslie S. Bergin | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard L. Hudson Jr. | $512 | $0 | -100% |
| Shobe Farm Operations - 2016, LLC | $5,872 | $0 | -100% |
| William Lester Self Andrews Willi | $947 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $776,705 | $534,998 | -31.1% |
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