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In 2021, 77 farmers in cities within Montgomery County received a total of $304,885 in 100 farm subsidies, a 57.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $720,545 in 185 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LD Hamilton Logging, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Robert Pearson | $67,748 | $39,321 | -42% |
| Rayburn Gaston Jr. | $0 | $19,722 | -- |
| Shawn L. Wheeler | $29,117 | $15,953 | -45.2% |
| John Pearson | $10,897 | $8,520 | -21.8% |
| Kimerly A. Adams | $11,319 | $8,376 | -26% |
| Keith Smith | $27,106 | $8,301 | -69.4% |
| BMW Farms, LLC | $23,496 | $7,780 | -66.9% |
| Jennifer Rowland | $15,847 | $7,704 | -51.4% |
| Benjamin Rowland | $16,712 | $6,922 | -58.6% |
| Jill S. Thew | $4,224 | $5,597 | 32.5% |
| Charles L. Black | $4,092 | $5,584 | 36.5% |
| Cordell Carmack | $4,026 | $5,491 | 36.4% |
| Jason D. Morris | $21,406 | $5,180 | -75.8% |
| Paula Sing | $44,901 | $4,407 | -90.2% |
| Chris Fryar | $3,795 | $4,311 | 13.6% |
| Kelly Singleton | $3,894 | $3,778 | -3% |
| Lynn Black | $22,571 | $3,300 | -85.4% |
| Randal A. Wheeler | $4,026 | $3,168 | -21.3% |
| Stan Miller | $18,040 | $2,902 | -83.9% |
| Tom Ellison | $11,924 | $2,844 | -76.1% |
| Letitia Sommerkorn | $25,005 | $2,842 | -88.6% |
| Matthew Norman | $15,074 | $2,716 | -82% |
| Joyce Stroope | $15,717 | $2,620 | -83.3% |
| Truman Lewis | $8,195 | $2,458 | -70% |
| Eric S. Wilson | $13,890 | $2,457 | -82.3% |
| Mary G. Cook | $10,483 | $2,448 | -76.6% |
| Carson C. Pierce | $11,495 | $2,437 | -78.8% |
| K & D Warren Farm, Inc. | $0 | $2,276 | -- |
| Bonnie J. Stiltner | $10,010 | $2,170 | -78.3% |
| Kevin E. Wilson | $10,656 | $2,156 | -79.8% |
| Junior R. Spurling | $12,294 | $2,145 | -82.6% |
| Ella M. Black | $2,592 | $2,109 | -18.6% |
| Roderick N. Powell | $9,416 | $2,090 | -77.8% |
| Tommy Johnston | $8,800 | $2,059 | -76.6% |
| Mary R. Gaston | $7,601 | $2,053 | -73% |
| Jeffrey S. Wilson | $10,289 | $1,973 | -80.8% |
| Debbie J. Boggess | $8,866 | $1,843 | -79.2% |
| Zella M. Elder | $5,082 | $1,781 | -65% |
| Betty L. Boman | $531 | $1,773 | 233.9% |
| T. J. Wilson | $2,337 | $1,758 | -24.8% |
| Brandon R. Morris | $9,422 | $1,758 | -81.3% |
| Cody Ray Roberts | $1,551 | $1,661 | 7.1% |
| Paul Leemkuil | $6,582 | $1,639 | -75.1% |
| Stacy McKay | $7,502 | $1,606 | -78.6% |
| Haleigh Young | $5,742 | $1,530 | -73.4% |
| Cornelia Watkins | $6,380 | $1,500 | -76.5% |
| Eric D. Elder | $6,759 | $1,482 | -78.1% |
| Donny Ellison | $5,423 | $1,437 | -73.5% |
| Becky Gaston | $6,273 | $1,428 | -77.2% |
| Jeffery M. Black | $2,100 | $1,396 | -33.5% |
| Lavern N. Long | $8,806 | $1,367 | -84.5% |
| Lance Ellison | $4,697 | $1,335 | -71.6% |
| Elizabeth C. Ponder | $6,876 | $1,318 | -80.8% |
| Frank Scott | $825 | $1,293 | 56.7% |
| Brandon Jackson | $4,785 | $1,280 | -73.2% |
| Clifford Ladale Brewer | $0 | $1,265 | -- |
| Edward D. Barnes | $4,851 | $1,263 | -74% |
| Delton Hughes | $6,215 | $1,249 | -79.9% |
| Ray Beechy | $8,134 | $1,246 | -84.7% |
| Dwayne Rowland | $9,102 | $1,196 | -86.9% |
| Carl M. Rae | $4,312 | $1,195 | -72.3% |
| Robby Strother | $4,015 | $1,077 | -73.2% |
| Ray Miller | $5,581 | $1,034 | -81.5% |
| Vernon Ryan | $792 | $1,017 | 28.4% |
| Wesley Bates | $4,714 | $968 | -79.5% |
| Retha Romero | $4,160 | $956 | -77% |
| Gregory Harold Black | $3,256 | $667 | -79.5% |
| Deanna Beck | $1,496 | $604 | -59.6% |
| Barbara J. Ashcraft | $2,541 | $600 | -76.4% |
| Dixieland Farm, LLC | $15,050 | $500 | -96.7% |
| Gary Steve Belcher | $2,388 | $495 | -79.3% |
| James E. Simpson | $0 | $440 | -- |
| Jeff Robertson | $2,026 | $288 | -85.8% |
| Samuel Young | $1,463 | $270 | -81.5% |
| Joel Roemisch | $672 | $207 | -69.2% |
| Timothy J. Spangler | $520 | $118 | -77.3% |
| Brian Rogers | $270 | $0 | -100% |
| Dennis L. Massey | $1,485 | $0 | -100% |
| Lee D. Gaston | $4,460 | $0 | -100% |
| Pamela Slaton | $917 | $0 | -100% |
| Patty J. Buxton | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Tracy Rogers | $3,763 | $0 | -100% |
| Linda Cowart | $2,860 | $0 | -100% |
| Lonnie Young | $1,430 | $0 | -100% |
| Shane Black | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary L. Manning | $3,135 | $0 | -100% |
| Lynn Strother | $1,595 | $0 | -100% |
| Russell Lewis | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $720,545 | $304,885 | -57.7% |
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