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In 2021, 114 farmers in cities within Overton County received a total of $254,120 in 133 farm subsidies, a 74.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1 million in 305 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Reeder | $46,487 | $51,305 | 10.4% |
| Terry Phillips | $319,159 | $25,859 | -91.9% |
| Scott Hammock | $0 | $24,266 | -- |
| Roger Walker | $0 | $12,035 | -- |
| Mark Speck | $5,236 | $11,789 | 125.2% |
| John Mark Ramsey | $65,049 | $9,510 | -85.4% |
| David C. Thrasher | $54,828 | $8,212 | -85% |
| Michael R. Webb | $37,146 | $7,269 | -80.4% |
| George Glen Ford | $0 | $5,147 | -- |
| William D. Thomas II | $9,008 | $4,388 | -51.3% |
| David Holt | $20,285 | $4,212 | -79.2% |
| Johnny Vaughn | $19,784 | $4,182 | -78.9% |
| Brandon Cooper | $21,240 | $3,894 | -81.7% |
| Randall Stephen Graff | $19,789 | $3,816 | -80.7% |
| Elliot Hicks | $4,930 | $3,380 | -31.4% |
| R. L. Oakley Jr. | $7,455 | $2,387 | -68% |
| Bobby Poston | $8,356 | $2,200 | -73.7% |
| Bill Warren | $12,532 | $1,960 | -84.4% |
| Jeffrey J. Green | $0 | $1,953 | -- |
| John D. Alcorn | $5,331 | $1,852 | -65.3% |
| Brent A. Linder | $8,943 | $1,839 | -79.4% |
| Roy Parrott | $8,382 | $1,816 | -78.3% |
| Terry D. Melton | $8,767 | $1,787 | -79.6% |
| James O. Savage | $9,116 | $1,627 | -82.2% |
| Carolyn Q. White | $9,597 | $1,522 | -84.1% |
| Vickie Carr | $6,466 | $1,392 | -78.5% |
| Johnny E. York | $7,878 | $1,360 | -82.7% |
| Thomas A. Windle | $4,752 | $1,324 | -72.1% |
| Vance Williams | $6,774 | $1,314 | -80.6% |
| Matthew C. White | $5,886 | $1,214 | -79.4% |
| Delon L. Clark | $4,431 | $1,180 | -73.4% |
| Buckie Parsons | $2,904 | $1,178 | -59.4% |
| Todd Macmillan Johnson | $6,992 | $1,150 | -83.6% |
| Jason Copeland | $5,632 | $1,142 | -79.7% |
| Charles Parrott | $3,597 | $1,136 | -68.4% |
| Delphus Randall Dial | $4,224 | $1,128 | -73.3% |
| Pamela Walker | $6,217 | $1,121 | -82% |
| Levi R. Ledbetter | $5,346 | $1,091 | -79.6% |
| Terry L. Webb | $4,939 | $1,053 | -78.7% |
| Ricky D. Thompson | $4,928 | $977 | -80.2% |
| Jack McCormick | $4,389 | $966 | -78% |
| Richard Roberson | $4,004 | $962 | -76% |
| Dennis Ledbetter | $1,628 | $957 | -41.2% |
| Douglas Maynord | $4,722 | $879 | -81.4% |
| David Thurman | $4,710 | $872 | -81.5% |
| Jeffrey Flowers Estate | $2,607 | $852 | -67.3% |
| Edward F. Beason | $2,464 | $845 | -65.7% |
| Matthew Q. Allred | $2,882 | $845 | -70.7% |
| Lisa C. Ledford | $3,663 | $835 | -77.2% |
| Michael B. Coleman | $4,215 | $826 | -80.4% |
| Amanda Leigh Mainord | $3,941 | $817 | -79.3% |
| Jeffrey L. Hammock | $4,992 | $816 | -83.7% |
| Jerry R. Garrett | $4,883 | $800 | -83.6% |
| Michael A. White | $4,793 | $796 | -83.4% |
| Roy L. Ogletree | $3,740 | $795 | -78.7% |
| James D. White | $5,772 | $793 | -86.3% |
| Carol Ann Rudd | $2,854 | $792 | -72.2% |
| Reggie Reeder | $3,146 | $743 | -76.4% |
| Michael Hammock | $3,608 | $736 | -79.6% |
| Matthew Gaspar | $2,981 | $702 | -76.5% |
| Christopher L. Savage | $3,707 | $690 | -81.4% |
| Justin Moody | $3,571 | $689 | -80.7% |
| R. D. Stout | $5,815 | $661 | -88.6% |
| Lee Baxter | $2,134 | $654 | -69.4% |
| Randy Lee | $3,014 | $652 | -78.4% |
| Danny Mark Pardue | $2,772 | $650 | -76.6% |
| Tommy Poston | $648 | $648 | 0% |
| Jerry B. Garrett | $3,575 | $647 | -81.9% |
| Winnie Brown | $4,383 | $647 | -85.2% |
| Jerry Norrod | $4,243 | $630 | -85.2% |
| Ross D. Carr | $3,347 | $624 | -81.4% |
| Gary Gore | $3,256 | $620 | -81% |
| Billy H. Mahaney Jr. | $3,378 | $612 | -81.9% |
| Dale Flatt | $2,222 | $599 | -73% |
| Bruce Lee | $1,683 | $535 | -68.2% |
| Edna Daniels | $2,178 | $529 | -75.7% |
| Timothy W. Reagan | $2,577 | $516 | -80% |
| Thomas Wayne Brown | $2,972 | $504 | -83% |
| Terry S. Bennett | $1,859 | $500 | -73.1% |
| Marlon M. Winningham | $2,652 | $481 | -81.9% |
| Robert L. Yates | $2,835 | $478 | -83.1% |
| Christopher W. Ayers | $1,826 | $466 | -74.5% |
| Shelby D. Reid | $2,756 | $431 | -84.4% |
| Dustin T. Collins | $2,405 | $412 | -82.9% |
| Brian Defrance | $1,738 | $402 | -76.9% |
| Doug Ledbetter | $1,806 | $394 | -78.2% |
| W. J. Staggs | $17,230 | $384 | -97.8% |
| Teddy Dailey | $1,942 | $373 | -80.8% |
| Amy M. Beaty | $2,426 | $367 | -84.9% |
| Fred Ashburn | $1,782 | $363 | -79.6% |
| Thomas Goodpasture | $1,397 | $340 | -75.7% |
| Ben Danner | $1,837 | $336 | -81.7% |
| Christopher Wayne Masiongale | $1,276 | $334 | -73.8% |
| Zachary Gentry | $1,897 | $318 | -83.2% |
| Mike Officer | $1,805 | $297 | -83.5% |
| Renee Linder | $627 | $287 | -54.2% |
| Kevin M. Ray | $1,386 | $277 | -80% |
| Duel Johnson | $913 | $270 | -70.4% |
| Kelvin Jones | $1,023 | $263 | -74.3% |
| L. D. Johnson | $880 | $263 | -70.1% |
| Melessa M Smith | $1,365 | $256 | -81.2% |
| Chucky Dewayne Speck | $1,100 | $255 | -76.8% |
| Colby Loftis | $1,089 | $239 | -78.1% |
| Chris Clark Winningham | $1,543 | $224 | -85.5% |
| Joshua Thompson | $528 | $214 | -59.5% |
| Noel Key | $2,058 | $204 | -90.1% |
| Randy Reeder | $1,289 | $197 | -84.7% |
| Earl Loftis | $814 | $163 | -80% |
| Joshua David White | $1,829 | $142 | -92.2% |
| Garry G. Boles | $792 | $133 | -83.2% |
| Riley Johnson | $823 | $124 | -84.9% |
| Randy Thrasher | $177 | $111 | -37.3% |
| Frank L. Goodpasture | $1,189 | $84 | -92.9% |
| Roy Joseph Geesling | $440 | $35 | -92% |
| Brian J. Terry | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Clois Mullins | $2,695 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward Fleming | $3,217 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $2,823 | $0 | -100% |
| John H. Webb | $784 | $0 | -100% |
| Johnny F. Coleman | $1,485 | $0 | -100% |
| Joshua A. Deck | $574 | $0 | -100% |
| Judith E. Reeder | $4,991 | $0 | -100% |
| Kelli B. Melton | $935 | $0 | -100% |
| Roger Harvey | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| Sammie T. Bilbrey | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Sammy Talent II | $1,877 | $0 | -100% |
| Wayne Dillon | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,004,935 | $254,120 | -74.7% |
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