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In 2021, 108 farmers in cities within Pickett County received a total of $584,865 in 135 farm subsidies, a 55.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.3 million in 307 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel L. Gibson | $21,396 | $217,823 | 918.1% |
| Edgefield Farms, LLC | $449,800 | $103,513 | -77% |
| JL Bryant Lumber, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| J. B. Stinson | $0 | $35,326 | -- |
| Elder Brothers Properties | $79,476 | $27,395 | -65.5% |
| Dale Keisling | $89,885 | $14,422 | -84% |
| Amonett Family Trust | $58,091 | $9,626 | -83.4% |
| Lee J. Amonett | $29,461 | $8,117 | -72.4% |
| Roger Moon | $27,192 | $7,362 | -72.9% |
| Philip R. Lee | $6,378 | $6,378 | 0% |
| Stephen D Lindemer Revocable Living Trust | $10,636 | $5,677 | -46.6% |
| Craig Martin | $25,850 | $4,448 | -82.8% |
| Jason L. Gibson | $27,551 | $4,109 | -85.1% |
| John H. Lee | $7,774 | $3,432 | -55.9% |
| Jeremy Loranzie Howard | $22,649 | $3,430 | -84.9% |
| Danny Moon | $19,853 | $2,707 | -86.4% |
| James D. Moon | $9,060 | $2,613 | -71.2% |
| Nathan E. Elder | $1,110 | $2,349 | 111.6% |
| Sandra Gay Clark | $11,869 | $2,311 | -80.5% |
| Terry R. Riley | $7,424 | $2,286 | -69.2% |
| Teddy Martin | $11,770 | $2,264 | -80.8% |
| John Clark | $7,271 | $2,234 | -69.3% |
| Junior Amos Nicholas | $7,692 | $2,234 | -71% |
| JL Bryant, LLC | $12,391 | $2,229 | -82% |
| John E. Reagan | $13,000 | $1,953 | -85% |
| Robert Reagan | $17,037 | $1,926 | -88.7% |
| Brandon Mckendre Suiter | $3,609 | $1,887 | -47.7% |
| Steven Cooksey Jr. | $12,367 | $1,826 | -85.2% |
| Jeff Crouch | $8,338 | $1,756 | -78.9% |
| Douglas G. Elder | $3,965 | $1,724 | -56.5% |
| Blake Christopher Smith | $7,590 | $1,682 | -77.8% |
| Heath Elder | $9,147 | $1,558 | -83% |
| Dana Edward Dowdy | $6,641 | $1,506 | -77.3% |
| Martin F. Shelley | $8,417 | $1,505 | -82.1% |
| Billy G. Garrett | $2,908 | $1,503 | -48.3% |
| Douglas Tompkins | $8,600 | $1,495 | -82.6% |
| Jerry Gale Mitchell | $9,102 | $1,378 | -84.9% |
| Carey B. Garner | $6,457 | $1,372 | -78.8% |
| Jerry G. Parris | $5,422 | $1,357 | -75% |
| William Matheny | $6,160 | $1,346 | -78.1% |
| Wayne Masiongale | $0 | $1,226 | -- |
| Michael R. Gunter | $6,915 | $1,206 | -82.6% |
| Amy L. White | $4,466 | $1,190 | -73.4% |
| Larry Zachary | $6,464 | $1,182 | -81.7% |
| Harlan C. Jones | $4,785 | $997 | -79.2% |
| Wade N. Rector | $13,539 | $886 | -93.5% |
| Roger Tompkins | $5,932 | $844 | -85.8% |
| Michael Lane Smith | $4,365 | $830 | -81% |
| Richard G. Huddleston | $4,379 | $816 | -81.4% |
| Phillip Masiongale | $4,850 | $806 | -83.4% |
| Daniel Wayne Abbott | $4,705 | $786 | -83.3% |
| Lynn E. Mitchell | $2,827 | $756 | -73.3% |
| Bryan R. Elder | $3,598 | $744 | -79.3% |
| Bonnie J. Reagan | $2,525 | $733 | -71% |
| Randy G. Garrett | $3,135 | $723 | -76.9% |
| Steve Allen Garrett | $2,081 | $699 | -66.4% |
| John Wayne Ford | $2,992 | $661 | -77.9% |
| John David Johnson | $3,968 | $654 | -83.5% |
| Marcus O. Williams | $3,366 | $641 | -81% |
| Dalton Hue Johnson | $3,237 | $628 | -80.6% |
| Darryl K. Crawford | $2,882 | $593 | -79.4% |
| Lynn Jones | $2,835 | $592 | -79.1% |
| Robert Dale Johnson | $3,820 | $574 | -85% |
| Steven K. Gray | $3,253 | $568 | -82.5% |
| Jackie Cooksey | $2,475 | $567 | -77.1% |
| Tyler Garrett | $1,881 | $552 | -70.7% |
| Herman Johnson | $4,236 | $546 | -87.1% |
| Richard Daniel | $4,846 | $526 | -89.1% |
| Elaine Beaty | $2,277 | $509 | -77.6% |
| Jimmy C. Cross | $3,719 | $508 | -86.3% |
| Lonza E Reagon | $2,868 | $508 | -82.3% |
| Kenneth A. Scott | $2,420 | $485 | -80% |
| Chris L. Johnson | $1,848 | $467 | -74.7% |
| Donald Mullins | $2,002 | $464 | -76.8% |
| Dwayne Alley | $2,651 | $464 | -82.5% |
| Bryant C. Smith | $990 | $456 | -53.9% |
| Adam N. Huddleston | $3,823 | $433 | -88.7% |
| Dakota L. Huddleston | $3,353 | $427 | -87.3% |
| Jerry Gale Mitchell II | $2,387 | $418 | -82.5% |
| Casey Richard Huddleston | $3,011 | $405 | -86.5% |
| Sharon Kay York | $1,485 | $405 | -72.7% |
| Gary W. Hill | $1,419 | $378 | -73.4% |
| John Capps | $1,947 | $377 | -80.6% |
| David O. Dowdy | $2,546 | $366 | -85.6% |
| Adrian Mitchell | $1,573 | $352 | -77.6% |
| Gary T. Winningham | $1,595 | $345 | -78.4% |
| Johnny E. Lee | $2,396 | $342 | -85.7% |
| Thomas E. Winningham | $1,617 | $328 | -79.7% |
| Walter H. Smith | $2,788 | $304 | -89.1% |
| Jimmy Storie | $1,067 | $301 | -71.8% |
| Gary Mullins | $1,419 | $294 | -79.3% |
| Brian Cook | $1,326 | $266 | -79.9% |
| Stacy Moody | $2,022 | $242 | -88% |
| Justin Wright | $1,056 | $240 | -77.3% |
| Charles Ferrell | $627 | $236 | -62.4% |
| Steve Jolley | $803 | $225 | -72% |
| Gregory D. Cross | $462 | $221 | -52.2% |
| Homer Reagan | $1,384 | $214 | -84.5% |
| Mickey Jolly | $429 | $204 | -52.4% |
| Anthony Christopher Brannum | $980 | $200 | -79.6% |
| Wendel Flowers | $4,588 | $182 | -96% |
| Gary King | $382 | $172 | -55% |
| Timothy C. Ledbetter | $803 | $169 | -79% |
| Robert G. Huddleston | $671 | $156 | -76.8% |
| Kevin Hughes | $660 | $132 | -80% |
| Merle Allen Reagon | $662 | $107 | -83.8% |
| Danny L. Crouch | $548 | $69 | -87.4% |
| Matthew Moon | $315 | $34 | -89.2% |
| Benton J. Todd | $13,752 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward T. Holt | $2,220 | $0 | -100% |
| Ethan B. Clark | $343 | $0 | -100% |
| Frank C. Capps | $3,540 | $0 | -100% |
| Jason Garner | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Jody Alley | $25,973 | $0 | -100% |
| Megan Clark | $92 | $0 | -100% |
| Steve Garrett | $2,823 | $0 | -100% |
| Vicky Alley | $12 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,306,195 | $584,865 | -55.2% |
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