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In 2021, 49 farmers in cities within Greene County received a total of $330,065 in 66 farm subsidies, a 52.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $692,993 in 143 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairview Farm Dairy, LLC | $32,576 | $113,008 | 246.9% |
| Heavenly Acres Farm | $53,459 | $101,086 | 89.1% |
| Rapidan Valley Farm, LLC | $56,612 | $11,882 | -79% |
| Mickey L. Cox | $13,584 | $10,409 | -23.4% |
| Stewart L. Morris Jr. | $59,276 | $8,682 | -85.4% |
| Greenfield Cattle Farm, LLC | $27,851 | $6,695 | -76% |
| Timothy G. Baugher | $112,804 | $6,529 | -94.2% |
| David M. Morris | $24,937 | $5,869 | -76.5% |
| Alton Keel | $1,516 | $4,856 | 220.3% |
| Spring Run Farm, LLC | $8,255 | $4,199 | -49.1% |
| James A. Henshaw | $17,478 | $3,899 | -77.7% |
| Horace Garth | $22,045 | $3,514 | -84.1% |
| Rebecca L. Shifflett | $17,054 | $3,464 | -79.7% |
| Richard Durrer | $27,539 | $3,190 | -88.4% |
| Ashby Horace Garth | $16,596 | $3,189 | -80.8% |
| Dundee Farm, LLC | $10,956 | $3,037 | -72.3% |
| Calvin K. Powell | $15,126 | $3,031 | -80% |
| Bobby McDaniel | $9,174 | $2,616 | -71.5% |
| John McDaniel | $8,937 | $2,590 | -71% |
| Davis M. Lamb | $13,294 | $2,296 | -82.7% |
| John R. Thomas | $2,078 | $2,078 | 0% |
| Richard Eppard | $4,620 | $1,987 | -57% |
| Anne W. Eppard | $2,607 | $1,946 | -25.4% |
| Dustin Marshall Watson | $7,051 | $1,791 | -74.6% |
| Donald L. Parrott | $9,223 | $1,618 | -82.5% |
| Robert E. Runkle | $8,068 | $1,602 | -80.1% |
| Douglas Lee Clay | $0 | $1,540 | -- |
| Travis D. Baugher | $11,345 | $1,523 | -86.6% |
| Morton Heights Farm | $6,295 | $1,298 | -79.4% |
| Charles L. Morton | $6,350 | $1,298 | -79.6% |
| Brian J. Farinholt | $5,574 | $957 | -82.8% |
| Steven D. Morris | $953 | $953 | 0% |
| Thomas M. Eddins | $922 | $922 | 0% |
| Cattle Run Farm, LLC | $5,735 | $849 | -85.2% |
| Brick Kiln Farm Trust | $0 | $847 | -- |
| Mary T. Marshall | $3,630 | $758 | -79.1% |
| Arthur McDaniel | $6,216 | $616 | -90.1% |
| John E. Ensor | $513 | $513 | 0% |
| Thomas R. Dean | $363 | $363 | 0% |
| Jeanette H. Harlow | $1,274 | $359 | -71.8% |
| Daryl K. Eppard | $1,375 | $329 | -76.1% |
| Cheryl M. Ragland | $0 | $317 | -- |
| James M. Jarrell | $309 | $309 | 0% |
| Carl H. Schmitt | $289 | $289 | 0% |
| Merril Foley Powell | $1,643 | $280 | -83% |
| Dustin M. Clay | $0 | $275 | -- |
| Julia D. Dickey | $0 | $222 | -- |
| Walter R. Haney | $1,372 | $146 | -89.4% |
| Michael H. McClung | $39 | $39 | 0% |
| Bruce R. Florence Jr. | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Brian K. Chapman | $58 | $0 | -100% |
| Dolly A. Morris | $663 | $0 | -100% |
| Edwin A. Haney | $1,595 | $0 | -100% |
| Floyd L. Snow | $2,530 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeremy Thomas Garth | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Joann Woods | $1,870 | $0 | -100% |
| John D. Davis | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth Scott Chapman | $58 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Powell | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Laymon Breeden | $525 | $0 | -100% |
| Mary N Teu | $8,558 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Glenn Clark | $29,943 | $0 | -100% |
| Patricia Myers | $1,705 | $0 | -100% |
| Randall J. Lawson | $2,970 | $0 | -100% |
| Stephen Catalano | $545 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas M. Garth | $1,815 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $692,993 | $330,065 | -52.4% |
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