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In 2021, 62 farmers in cities within Clay County received a total of $169,632 in 73 farm subsidies, a 73.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $646,776 in 159 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| H & W Logging | $0 | $39,467 | -- |
| Jason E. Hamilton | $0 | $23,024 | -- |
| Rickey T. Melton | $52,392 | $18,584 | -64.5% |
| Jerry R. Watson | $0 | $8,191 | -- |
| Stacy Lee Bilbrey | $94,775 | $7,568 | -92% |
| James D. White Jr. | $166,870 | $6,371 | -96.2% |
| John Cordell Donaldson | $14,047 | $3,847 | -72.6% |
| Tony Neil Tidwell | $15,892 | $3,519 | -77.9% |
| Willie J. Crawford Jr. | $15,627 | $3,503 | -77.6% |
| Chase Emerton | $23,794 | $3,038 | -87.2% |
| Michael McClain | $7,424 | $3,008 | -59.5% |
| Danny Stone | $10,859 | $2,909 | -73.2% |
| Floyd Scott | $16,469 | $2,760 | -83.2% |
| Todd Lynn | $15,226 | $2,697 | -82.3% |
| Christopher Lee Hampton | $9,680 | $2,640 | -72.7% |
| Ronnie Raines | $10,333 | $1,971 | -80.9% |
| Gary Plumlee | $9,461 | $1,868 | -80.3% |
| Harlin H. Trobaugh | $6,952 | $1,838 | -73.6% |
| Gerald L. Strong | $7,575 | $1,824 | -75.9% |
| Gray Brothers Farms | $9,339 | $1,811 | -80.6% |
| Jerry Haynes | $5,929 | $1,772 | -70.1% |
| Joseph D. Fox Jr. | $26,999 | $1,696 | -93.7% |
| Bobby Burton Arms | $7,458 | $1,600 | -78.5% |
| Johnny Boles | $8,604 | $1,479 | -82.8% |
| Joe Isenberg | $6,298 | $1,440 | -77.1% |
| Timothy Langford | $0 | $1,357 | -- |
| Karlie Shaye Webb | $4,642 | $1,310 | -71.8% |
| Jeffery D. Sherrell | $6,609 | $1,297 | -80.4% |
| Vonda Stephens | $4,928 | $1,264 | -74.4% |
| Robert S. Craighead | $5,379 | $1,174 | -78.2% |
| Ronnie Webb | $6,179 | $1,071 | -82.7% |
| Ruth Lynn | $786 | $1,046 | 33.1% |
| Ronnie Gene Raines Jr. | $3,300 | $980 | -70.3% |
| Michael Bailey | $4,576 | $978 | -78.6% |
| Brandon Likens | $6,392 | $923 | -85.6% |
| Matthew Rollin Copeland | $4,618 | $852 | -81.6% |
| Dennis Smith | $4,387 | $740 | -83.1% |
| Lucretia Grace Crawford | $457 | $695 | 52.1% |
| Mark L. Grace | $444 | $674 | 51.8% |
| James Holman | $2,882 | $673 | -76.6% |
| Lonnie Paul Daniels | $2,453 | $613 | -75% |
| Justin Bart Cunningham | $1,991 | $495 | -75.1% |
| Cecil Langford Jr. | $2,425 | $485 | -80% |
| Joyce Marie Strong | $1,697 | $430 | -74.7% |
| Scottie C. Ogletree | $2,748 | $405 | -85.3% |
| James Clements | $1,822 | $381 | -79.1% |
| Kenneth Kirby | $2,388 | $373 | -84.4% |
| Vernon Groce | $2,195 | $350 | -84.1% |
| Russell West | $2,376 | $332 | -86% |
| Barbara N. Watson | $0 | $330 | -- |
| Kenneth Wayne McLerran | $1,936 | $322 | -83.4% |
| Luke M. Collins | $9,574 | $288 | -97% |
| Rossie L. Anderson Jr. | $1,150 | $222 | -80.7% |
| Rexel York | $1,574 | $214 | -86.4% |
| Randall Kimes | $5,510 | $172 | -96.9% |
| Mitchell Strode | $878 | $155 | -82.3% |
| David West | $214 | $135 | -36.9% |
| Dorothy M. Langford | $841 | $110 | -86.9% |
| John D. Butler Jr. | $539 | $107 | -80.1% |
| Diana Monroe | $0 | $88 | -- |
| Joann McLerran | $162 | $88 | -45.7% |
| Dwayne Craighead | $124 | $78 | -37.1% |
| Buddy Bower | $1,925 | $0 | -100% |
| Jacqueline B. Burnette | $327 | $0 | -100% |
| Joe Glen Swan | $981 | $0 | -100% |
| Mattie Monroe | $139 | $0 | -100% |
| Steve Monroe | $119 | $0 | -100% |
| William Goney | $1,557 | $0 | -100% |
| William L. Donaldson | $394 | $0 | -100% |
| Wilma Nevans | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $646,776 | $169,632 | -73.8% |
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