Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 75 farmers in cities within Jackson County received a total of $48,462 in 78 farm subsidies, an 82.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $275,167 in 191 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve R. Hammock | $14,047 | $3,114 | -77.8% |
| Garry A. Fox | $15,844 | $2,840 | -82.1% |
| Gail Mayberry | $12,537 | $2,662 | -78.8% |
| John Bybee | $16,073 | $2,363 | -85.3% |
| Richard Chaffin | $6,532 | $2,113 | -67.7% |
| Linda A. Prill | $2,926 | $1,687 | -42.3% |
| Art L. Warden | $9,748 | $1,488 | -84.7% |
| Bobby Richardson | $5,621 | $1,432 | -74.5% |
| James Elrod | $11,213 | $1,332 | -88.1% |
| Joshua Brian Loftis | $5,758 | $1,313 | -77.2% |
| James G. Brown | $4,400 | $1,268 | -71.2% |
| Lee Birdwell | $20,444 | $1,225 | -94% |
| Alex Lee Ragland | $5,643 | $1,208 | -78.6% |
| Donnie Ragland | $3,511 | $1,081 | -69.2% |
| Kenneth Hoy Conner | $3,571 | $981 | -72.5% |
| R. L. Harris | $3,509 | $878 | -75% |
| Jon P. Heinrich | $7,728 | $877 | -88.7% |
| Edward T. Anderson | $8,401 | $874 | -89.6% |
| James Travis Davis | $3,056 | $854 | -72.1% |
| Steve Bybee | $3,893 | $841 | -78.4% |
| David Johnson | $4,341 | $748 | -82.8% |
| Robert Lee Chaffin | $3,611 | $743 | -79.4% |
| Patrick N. Huffines | $2,052 | $736 | -64.1% |
| Phillip B. Brown | $3,432 | $735 | -78.6% |
| George Hubert Flatt | $3,399 | $724 | -78.7% |
| Timothy Heady | $4,726 | $720 | -84.8% |
| Larry Dudney | $1,452 | $710 | -51.1% |
| Joey Phillips | $1,518 | $670 | -55.9% |
| Jeffrey W. Collins | $3,633 | $619 | -83% |
| Donnie C. Dill | $2,013 | $533 | -73.5% |
| Glendon C. Woodard | $2,670 | $501 | -81.2% |
| John T. McCarthy | $3,418 | $471 | -86.2% |
| Jack Chenneville | $1,122 | $470 | -58.1% |
| Lincoln Ragland | $3,645 | $460 | -87.4% |
| Jerry King | $4,101 | $453 | -89% |
| John Robert Green | $1,602 | $448 | -72% |
| Timmy Harris Garrett | $1,089 | $436 | -60% |
| Donal Elrod | $4,755 | $401 | -91.6% |
| Michael Long | $1,434 | $398 | -72.2% |
| Eddie A. Lane | $3,008 | $388 | -87.1% |
| Marjorie Agee Holland | $1,540 | $366 | -76.2% |
| James G. Crockett | $858 | $336 | -60.8% |
| Terry Wayne Ward | $1,309 | $335 | -74.4% |
| Rodney McMillan | $1,720 | $318 | -81.5% |
| Charles Bybee | $1,345 | $303 | -77.5% |
| Bruce Huffines | $693 | $288 | -58.4% |
| William T. Brown Sr. | $1,243 | $280 | -77.5% |
| Terry Lawson | $1,461 | $263 | -82% |
| Calvin Beede | $1,866 | $259 | -86.1% |
| Andrew T. Gray | $968 | $241 | -75.1% |
| Cathy Ellen Smith | $883 | $232 | -73.7% |
| Robert Edward Harper | $1,232 | $225 | -81.7% |
| Frances McGuire | $1,485 | $218 | -85.3% |
| Glynn Phillips | $1,123 | $218 | -80.6% |
| Nell Anderson | $429 | $212 | -50.6% |
| Blair Pryor | $990 | $197 | -80.1% |
| Ronnie J. Long | $1,738 | $186 | -89.3% |
| Billy W. Myers | $288 | $182 | -36.8% |
| Glen Franklin | $847 | $170 | -79.9% |
| Tim Parker | $1,580 | $167 | -89.4% |
| Jack D. Agee | $878 | $166 | -81.1% |
| Loretta Stacy | $781 | $156 | -80% |
| Terry Ray Fields | $1,008 | $152 | -84.9% |
| Larry J. Stafford | $605 | $150 | -75.2% |
| Johnny Douglas Pigg II | $550 | $132 | -76% |
| Tim Collins | $809 | $132 | -83.7% |
| Mark Collins | $603 | $124 | -79.4% |
| Matthew Otte | $7,132 | $121 | -98.3% |
| James Kelly Stockton | $2,959 | $115 | -96.1% |
| Michael Curtis Jennings | $352 | $102 | -71% |
| Ricky E. Strong | $561 | $100 | -82.2% |
| Wayne Alvin Hix | $1,330 | $70 | -94.7% |
| Tommy Head | $96 | $60 | -37.5% |
| Gene Stephens | $1,017 | $58 | -94.3% |
| Linda Millsaps | $53 | $33 | -37.7% |
| Dale Richardson | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| David Leggett | $3,025 | $0 | -100% |
| James Edward Guffey Jr. | $301 | $0 | -100% |
| Kamon Andrew Reynolds | $1,524 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Meadows | $2,200 | $0 | -100% |
| Lynne Noxon | $1,046 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Head | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Ryan Crabtree | $410 | $0 | -100% |
| Tim Marker | $1,533 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $275,167 | $48,462 | -82.4% |
Alerts Sign-up