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In 2021, 60 farmers in cities within Cabell County received a total of $75,442 in 71 farm subsidies, a 78.5% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $351,357 in 161 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betty E. Meadows | $0 | $10,463 | -- |
| Stacy Allen Call | $59,682 | $7,905 | -86.8% |
| Jack T. Black | $26,520 | $6,973 | -73.7% |
| Wesley R. Morrison | $1,397 | $6,735 | 382.1% |
| Danny Nash | $1,893 | $5,363 | 183.3% |
| Ladonna Jackson | $6,890 | $5,131 | -25.5% |
| Tracy L. Vickers | $1,836 | $4,360 | 137.5% |
| David D. Conrad | $28,343 | $4,275 | -84.9% |
| Devin Conrad | $25,817 | $2,240 | -91.3% |
| James Tim Ramey | $8,173 | $1,660 | -79.7% |
| Jason Gibson | $426 | $1,103 | 158.9% |
| Keith Wiebe | $2,656 | $1,048 | -60.5% |
| Ronnie Bates | $3,538 | $1,046 | -70.4% |
| Gerard M. Hodge | $7,190 | $897 | -87.5% |
| Brian E. Gibson | $6,549 | $862 | -86.8% |
| Sue Ann Short | $1,215 | $849 | -30.1% |
| Mark Lilly | $1,197 | $825 | -31.1% |
| Halleck W. Adkins | $1,379 | $772 | -44% |
| Eddie Dillon | $2,530 | $690 | -72.7% |
| Gary D. Payne II | $5,345 | $678 | -87.3% |
| Lonnie Keenan | $8,272 | $658 | -92% |
| Preston Collins | $2,647 | $574 | -78.3% |
| Zackary J. Winters | $1,316 | $552 | -58.1% |
| Charles M. Finley | $1,418 | $505 | -64.4% |
| Candace Marie Nance | $1,870 | $502 | -73.2% |
| Julie Bowen | $158 | $457 | 189.2% |
| Richard Davis | $7,895 | $447 | -94.3% |
| Lanny D. King | $422 | $422 | 0% |
| Darlene Adams | $58 | $416 | 617.2% |
| Donald Childers | $363 | $405 | 11.6% |
| James Dillon | $1,177 | $386 | -67.2% |
| Barry L. Meadows | $1,353 | $377 | -72.1% |
| Jerry Weatherholt | $1,155 | $362 | -68.7% |
| Ira S. McCoy | $0 | $357 | -- |
| Justin P. Browning | $2,472 | $338 | -86.3% |
| Larry Fetty | $495 | $316 | -36.2% |
| Phyllis V. Miller | $1,142 | $311 | -72.8% |
| Keith A. Clagg | $1,648 | $303 | -81.6% |
| Anthony B. Courts | $1,659 | $276 | -83.4% |
| Rutha Annette Smith | $0 | $275 | -- |
| Debra Debruin | $886 | $268 | -69.8% |
| G & G Nursery, Inc. | $89,522 | $250 | -99.7% |
| Kirk Carey | $938 | $248 | -73.6% |
| Robert Winters III | $1,137 | $246 | -78.4% |
| Jonathan Childers | $1,258 | $246 | -80.4% |
| Elmer Lucas | $905 | $231 | -74.5% |
| Glen Morrison | $1,051 | $224 | -78.7% |
| Truman Adkins | $726 | $213 | -70.7% |
| Stefanie Richards | $1,361 | $211 | -84.5% |
| Rodman G. Lowe | $1,758 | $209 | -88.1% |
| Joshua Adkins | $809 | $200 | -75.3% |
| Gregory James Kane Jr. | $363 | $149 | -59% |
| Bennie C. Courts Jr. | $712 | $141 | -80.2% |
| Philip Spurlock | $2,018 | $124 | -93.9% |
| Sherman O. Smith | $719 | $106 | -85.3% |
| Rick Coyner | $1,658 | $104 | -93.7% |
| Billy Chaffin II | $192 | $85 | -55.7% |
| Barry Baylous | $385 | $45 | -88.3% |
| Joshua Paul Yates | $1,718 | $14 | -99.2% |
| Rex Clagg | $2,146 | $14 | -99.3% |
| Danny Dailey | $176 | $0 | -100% |
| Douglas Walker | $220 | $0 | -100% |
| Harry R. Beckett | $165 | $0 | -100% |
| Jackie C. Call | $3,392 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenner Markins | $4,125 | $0 | -100% |
| Pauline Porter | $120 | $0 | -100% |
| Wilford Dale Poston | $329 | $0 | -100% |
| William Wagoner | $145 | $0 | -100% |
| Billy K. Holley | $1,721 | $0 | -100% |
| Jack Chapman | $561 | $0 | -100% |
| James Warner | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| John Hathaway | $51 | $0 | -100% |
| Jonathan M. Black | $145 | $0 | -100% |
| Jonathan Scott Hathaway | $292 | $0 | -100% |
| Kim A. Cooper | $484 | $0 | -100% |
| Samuel Markins | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Donna Holley | $358 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $351,357 | $75,442 | -78.5% |
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