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In 2021, 88 farmers in cities within Union County received a total of $71,034 in 92 farm subsidies, an 80.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $367,429 in 227 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greg Garren | $15,609 | $3,971 | -74.6% |
| Timothy Cox | $12,998 | $3,609 | -72.2% |
| Robert Ray | $14,352 | $3,027 | -78.9% |
| Bobby Ray | $14,424 | $3,009 | -79.1% |
| Chester Butler | $12,536 | $2,374 | -81.1% |
| Denny Bates | $11,318 | $1,936 | -82.9% |
| Timothy Daniel Bailey | $7,161 | $1,874 | -73.8% |
| Brian Brantley | $1,353 | $1,808 | 33.6% |
| David Coppock | $5,960 | $1,717 | -71.2% |
| Allen Padgett | $9,566 | $1,661 | -82.6% |
| James E. Larmer | $11,318 | $1,614 | -85.7% |
| J. C. Ray | $5,904 | $1,433 | -75.7% |
| Earl Bull | $6,281 | $1,407 | -77.6% |
| George M. Heiskell | $5,030 | $1,306 | -74% |
| John B. Loy | $6,676 | $1,280 | -80.8% |
| Willie David Cox Jr. | $5,972 | $1,229 | -79.4% |
| Noah Sexton | $2,863 | $1,188 | -58.5% |
| James G. Sexton | $8,272 | $1,069 | -87.1% |
| Joshua Gary Sexton | $3,134 | $1,045 | -66.7% |
| Elmer McHaffie Jr. | $5,434 | $1,001 | -81.6% |
| Clint Walker | $3,938 | $995 | -74.7% |
| Rick Loy Sr. | $19,287 | $972 | -95% |
| Stanley H. Dail | $1,947 | $950 | -51.2% |
| William L. Malone | $3,696 | $930 | -74.8% |
| Pearl Coffey | $2,662 | $902 | -66.1% |
| Billy Ray Hodge | $4,389 | $894 | -79.6% |
| John Edds | $3,498 | $893 | -74.5% |
| Scott Boggs | $7,037 | $886 | -87.4% |
| Perry Washam | $4,649 | $863 | -81.4% |
| Sonia Evans Hill | $5,406 | $838 | -84.5% |
| Darryl Caldwell | $3,027 | $781 | -74.2% |
| James R. Riddle | $2,683 | $778 | -71% |
| Shirley M. Kitts | $4,265 | $762 | -82.1% |
| Virginia McPhetridge | $3,117 | $758 | -75.7% |
| Charles Parsley | $2,817 | $705 | -75% |
| Jim George | $2,486 | $704 | -71.7% |
| Kent Stanley | $2,684 | $701 | -73.9% |
| Ousley Farm | $2,068 | $642 | -69% |
| Ken Venable | $2,921 | $626 | -78.6% |
| Dennis Farmer | $3,597 | $620 | -82.8% |
| Blake Andrew Middleton | $2,816 | $585 | -79.2% |
| Larry Clifford Brantley | $2,420 | $572 | -76.4% |
| Carl Coppock | $2,585 | $571 | -77.9% |
| William Kenneth Moore | $3,324 | $567 | -82.9% |
| Steve Coppock | $2,552 | $564 | -77.9% |
| Olen Booker | $2,695 | $551 | -79.6% |
| David Gray | $2,719 | $525 | -80.7% |
| Richard D. Roberts | $3,431 | $501 | -85.4% |
| Charles Coker | $3,998 | $490 | -87.7% |
| Peggy Richardson | $3,117 | $471 | -84.9% |
| Delmer Glen Hankins | $2,277 | $458 | -79.9% |
| Tyler Sweet | $3,380 | $453 | -86.6% |
| Jerry A. Smith | $1,915 | $452 | -76.4% |
| Glen Buckner | $2,310 | $446 | -80.7% |
| Cody Humphrey | $1,075 | $428 | -60.2% |
| Leonard Weaver | $1,254 | $422 | -66.3% |
| Will J. Shoffner | $3,079 | $422 | -86.3% |
| Gary W. Kitts | $3,393 | $415 | -87.8% |
| Brian Harmon | $1,881 | $408 | -78.3% |
| Jess Jones | $2,464 | $404 | -83.6% |
| Scott Thompson | $1,705 | $401 | -76.5% |
| Cody Kitts | $924 | $399 | -56.8% |
| Nick Emge | $1,992 | $384 | -80.7% |
| Bryan Preston Monroe | $1,132 | $380 | -66.4% |
| Mary Nell Varner | $1,298 | $379 | -70.8% |
| Linda Shoffner | $360 | $360 | 0% |
| David Lay | $1,727 | $357 | -79.3% |
| Wayne Roach | $2,343 | $346 | -85.2% |
| Hurstle Cosby | $1,373 | $346 | -74.8% |
| Alvin Norris | $738 | $334 | -54.7% |
| Roy Allen Buckner | $2,097 | $329 | -84.3% |
| John T. Campbell | $2,466 | $322 | -86.9% |
| Stuart Wyrick | $1,323 | $287 | -78.3% |
| Mark Seymour | $1,210 | $284 | -76.5% |
| Carson Tharp | $1,122 | $272 | -75.8% |
| Harold Savage | $839 | $268 | -68.1% |
| Mack Smith | $2,146 | $263 | -87.7% |
| Dylan S. Boggs | $804 | $263 | -67.3% |
| James H. Heiskell | $660 | $253 | -61.7% |
| Stanley J. Williams | $858 | $250 | -70.9% |
| Lucinda Oszust R. Hopper | $1,149 | $238 | -79.3% |
| Joe Hickle | $1,578 | $225 | -85.7% |
| Sidney Anderson | $1,490 | $152 | -89.8% |
| Mary Flatford | $784 | $145 | -81.5% |
| Billy Ray Hensley | $297 | $104 | -65% |
| Kallie Hopper Noblin | $476 | $104 | -78.2% |
| Robert Dukes | $582 | $86 | -85.2% |
| Sidney A. Jessee Jr. | $1,629 | $40 | -97.5% |
| Matthew C. Tindell | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Zachary Zavels | $7,930 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas Sawyer | $16 | $0 | -100% |
| Clayton Helms | $1,705 | $0 | -100% |
| Eddie H. Turner | $3,740 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeremy Blake Thomas | $605 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Byerly | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Roberta Gail Graves | $4,235 | $0 | -100% |
| Seven Springs Farm to Table | $7,261 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $367,429 | $71,034 | -80.7% |
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