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In 2021, 60 farmers in cities within Wayne County received a total of $122,186 in 74 farm subsidies, a 2.4% increase from 2020, when the total was $119,299 in 121 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davis Logging, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Tabatha L. Ekers | $2,983 | $18,492 | 519.9% |
| Wade E. Stiltner | $7,071 | $16,737 | 136.7% |
| Dutch McCormick | $0 | $5,569 | -- |
| Tony M. Perry | $6,688 | $1,423 | -78.7% |
| Lee Pennington | $1,203 | $1,381 | 14.8% |
| Dana W. Adkins | $108 | $1,350 | 1,150% |
| Terry Thompson | $6,703 | $1,242 | -81.5% |
| Golden Bartram Jr. | $9,472 | $1,178 | -87.6% |
| Daniel K. Viers | $3,884 | $1,033 | -73.4% |
| Thomas Bartram | $392 | $1,018 | 159.7% |
| Stephen G. Larsen | $4,434 | $981 | -77.9% |
| Leonard Napier | $7,516 | $928 | -87.7% |
| Terry Spry | $10,663 | $860 | -91.9% |
| Teressa Stanley | $593 | $720 | 21.4% |
| Roy Moon | $0 | $715 | -- |
| Charles Grant Raines Jr. | $1,254 | $602 | -52% |
| Scarlet L. Robinett | $605 | $594 | -1.8% |
| Alvra Adams JR | $8,200 | $590 | -92.8% |
| David Bartram | $0 | $576 | -- |
| Verland Perry | $156 | $568 | 264.1% |
| Carl Sanders | $52 | $566 | 988.5% |
| Charles F. Cyrus | $2,519 | $557 | -77.9% |
| John K. Hoback | $1,432 | $542 | -62.2% |
| Robert L. Sword | $525 | $540 | 2.9% |
| Carl D. Napier | $3,792 | $535 | -85.9% |
| Travis Cain | $3,352 | $509 | -84.8% |
| Brian Wellman | $2,375 | $505 | -78.7% |
| Richard Chadwick | $2,162 | $488 | -77.4% |
| Galvin Dawson | $1,089 | $467 | -57.1% |
| Jeffrey Shy | $1,620 | $448 | -72.3% |
| Elmcrest Farm | $1,741 | $436 | -75% |
| Chris Hedrick | $2,739 | $432 | -84.2% |
| Richard Ward | $0 | $424 | -- |
| Cindy Damron | $2,385 | $422 | -82.3% |
| Grover Copley | $1,089 | $416 | -61.8% |
| Timothy V. Cline | $2,629 | $416 | -84.2% |
| Mary Artrip | $436 | $411 | -5.7% |
| Mack Cyrus | $2,579 | $406 | -84.3% |
| Janet Nelson | $1,023 | $375 | -63.3% |
| Nancy Lewis | $471 | $371 | -21.2% |
| Jody Alan Thompson | $726 | $361 | -50.3% |
| Garland Christian | $256 | $334 | 30.5% |
| Robert A. McSweeney | $809 | $323 | -60.1% |
| James Spry | $993 | $322 | -67.6% |
| William Robert Harris | $818 | $321 | -60.8% |
| Velvet Blakely | $177 | $242 | 36.7% |
| Shannon Wolfe | $1,308 | $229 | -82.5% |
| Gloria Marie Willis | $781 | $207 | -73.5% |
| Charles Howard McCagg Jr. | $517 | $188 | -63.6% |
| Camille Dean | $126 | $170 | 34.9% |
| Leslie P. Murray | $605 | $168 | -72.2% |
| Ronald Morgan Ferguson Jr. | $477 | $166 | -65.2% |
| Reva Sanders - B. Wallace | $770 | $132 | -82.9% |
| Sandra Meddings C. Wilson | $0 | $104 | -- |
| Tony Clay | $0 | $85 | -- |
| Warren G. Spry | $528 | $42 | -92% |
| Kala Michels | $99 | $42 | -57.6% |
| Ruth Koch | $0 | $40 | -- |
| Patrick H. Fluty | $1,195 | $12 | -99% |
| Loretha Wilson | $94 | $0 | -100% |
| Shannon Keller | $1,393 | $0 | -100% |
| Georgia Wilson | $76 | $0 | -100% |
| Bente Simerman | $145 | $0 | -100% |
| James Beckley | $220 | $0 | -100% |
| Betty Blythe Preston | $188 | $0 | -100% |
| Jacob Ralph Damron | $991 | $0 | -100% |
| Lacy Davidson Ferguson | $72 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $119,299 | $122,186 | 2.4% |
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