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In 2021, 68 farmers in cities within Morgan County received a total of $234,626 in 73 farm subsidies, a 1.3% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $237,771 in 162 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| R & R Lumber Company, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Michael D. Swint | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Ricky D. Phillips | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Tony Swint | $0 | $11,534 | -- |
| Troy Ayres | $8,603 | $8,603 | 0% |
| Jansch & Whaley Nursery | $0 | $3,974 | -- |
| Ivis Slone | $3,955 | $3,955 | 0% |
| Douglas W. Brown | $0 | $3,791 | -- |
| Andrew Clay Starr IV | $10,870 | $2,489 | -77.1% |
| Danny Lee Webb | $9,262 | $2,144 | -76.9% |
| Allen Chaney | $9,306 | $2,114 | -77.3% |
| Adam Summers | $6,935 | $2,098 | -69.7% |
| Jonathan Fredrick Dagley | $10,973 | $1,914 | -82.6% |
| Brandon Wayne Lester | $10,557 | $1,816 | -82.8% |
| David K. Starr | $7,083 | $1,648 | -76.7% |
| Ronnie Diden | $6,347 | $1,534 | -75.8% |
| Matthew T. Sexton | $7,071 | $1,512 | -78.6% |
| Ronnie Strickland | $11,698 | $1,476 | -87.4% |
| Clayton Beaty | $5,464 | $1,329 | -75.7% |
| Timothy Wayne Ruppe | $6,623 | $1,248 | -81.2% |
| Etta Cromwell | $4,857 | $1,150 | -76.3% |
| Andrew C. Starr III | $5,840 | $1,135 | -80.6% |
| Garland R. Heidel | $4,998 | $1,083 | -78.3% |
| Alan Dyer | $3,641 | $1,060 | -70.9% |
| Rolland Headrick | $4,759 | $1,000 | -79% |
| James Widdoss | $4,370 | $894 | -79.5% |
| Kenneth W. Fulfer | $0 | $867 | -- |
| Thomas Young | $3,806 | $860 | -77.4% |
| James B. Souther | $5,021 | $858 | -82.9% |
| John Branstetter | $3,619 | $804 | -77.8% |
| Wade S. Bingham | $3,036 | $789 | -74% |
| Lacy Creed Seay | $3,531 | $694 | -80.3% |
| Stanley Smith | $7,898 | $672 | -91.5% |
| Charles C. Bullen | $3,834 | $654 | -82.9% |
| Lisa Curtis | $990 | $553 | -44.1% |
| Tracey Eugene Beach | $2,178 | $552 | -74.7% |
| Lisa F. Smith | $1,991 | $552 | -72.3% |
| Rufus Maden | $2,470 | $541 | -78.1% |
| Chad O. Collins | $2,393 | $484 | -79.8% |
| Harvey Keith Shannon | $1,826 | $427 | -76.6% |
| C. A. Kelly II | $3,395 | $426 | -87.5% |
| Bryan Cross | $1,727 | $422 | -75.6% |
| Mitchell R. Heidel | $0 | $411 | -- |
| James L. Heidel | $1,377 | $405 | -70.6% |
| Leslie Arron Webb | $2,497 | $402 | -83.9% |
| Danny Redmon | $1,705 | $374 | -78.1% |
| Reggie D. Headrick | $2,151 | $374 | -82.6% |
| Ronald Isham | $2,681 | $363 | -86.5% |
| Frank Kistulinec | $1,971 | $342 | -82.6% |
| Edward R. Johnson | $1,557 | $326 | -79.1% |
| Leroy E. Cromwell | $1,386 | $314 | -77.3% |
| Scott D. Hines | $1,836 | $293 | -84% |
| Adam Cromwell | $1,331 | $287 | -78.4% |
| Larry Paul Smarsh | $1,331 | $287 | -78.4% |
| James Timothy Willis | $605 | $265 | -56.2% |
| Joseph Wayne Reynolds | $935 | $261 | -72.1% |
| Darren S. Kelly | $1,093 | $232 | -78.8% |
| Joe Kelly | $1,454 | $224 | -84.6% |
| Joseph F. Boudreaux | $748 | $180 | -75.9% |
| Michael Glen Miller | $267 | $171 | -36% |
| Thurman Shannon | $638 | $167 | -73.8% |
| Kimberly Phillips | $605 | $142 | -76.5% |
| Brandon Hancock | $1,575 | $110 | -93% |
| Charles Edward Hutson II | $440 | $94 | -78.6% |
| W. D. Podewils | $940 | $92 | -90.2% |
| David E. Freytag | $385 | $86 | -77.7% |
| Stephanie D. Larue | $566 | $86 | -84.8% |
| Ruth T. Garrett | $219 | $57 | -74% |
| Benjamin J. Buchanan | $220 | $0 | -100% |
| Keith Allen | $731 | $0 | -100% |
| William A. Clark | $408 | $0 | -100% |
| Bobby Wright | $1,445 | $0 | -100% |
| Dennis Shannon | $3,961 | $0 | -100% |
| Scott Allen MacNeal | $6,367 | $0 | -100% |
| James Timothy Willis | $3,070 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael R. Dyer | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Tina M. Blakney | $19 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $237,771 | $234,626 | -1.3% |
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