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In 2021, 54 farmers in cities within Claiborne County received a total of $673,969 in 71 farm subsidies, a 36.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.1 million in 120 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayou Pierre Farms | $559,079 | $286,442 | -48.8% |
| David Allen Doyle | $134,356 | $85,497 | -36.4% |
| Ellis Trucking | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| JWB Logging Company, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Doyle Planting Company, Inc. | $67,527 | $45,825 | -32.1% |
| B. E. Trucking | $0 | $36,358 | -- |
| Moore Farming Company, LLC | $53,772 | $27,524 | -48.8% |
| Still Water Farms, LLC | $0 | $11,539 | -- |
| Eddie J. Lipscomb | $61,003 | $11,269 | -81.5% |
| Hermitage II, LLC | $5,904 | $5,904 | 0% |
| Richard S. Parker Jr. | $8,771 | $5,290 | -39.7% |
| CDGP Properties, LLC | $5,876 | $4,800 | -18.3% |
| Mott R. Headley Jr. | $20,049 | $4,448 | -77.8% |
| John W Noble Farms Partnership | $8,758 | $3,773 | -56.9% |
| Guthrie Land Company, LLC | $3,468 | $3,468 | 0% |
| David L. Dowell | $17,096 | $2,917 | -82.9% |
| Waterloo Farms, Inc. | $15,918 | $2,899 | -81.8% |
| Oaklawn Farms, Inc. | $5,756 | $2,744 | -52.3% |
| Ronnie L. Moore | $10,917 | $2,285 | -79.1% |
| Roland H. Mikell | $2,376 | $2,254 | -5.1% |
| Bryan K. Eggleston | $8,902 | $1,999 | -77.5% |
| Shelton Headley | $10,285 | $1,855 | -82% |
| Bobby L. Phillips | $9,262 | $1,631 | -82.4% |
| John D. Selden | $1,123 | $1,387 | 23.5% |
| Johnny S. Jenkins | $4,589 | $1,297 | -71.7% |
| Jimmy M. Hynum | $1,274 | $1,274 | 0% |
| Meredith B. Hynum | $1,274 | $1,274 | 0% |
| Charles E. Marshall | $3,883 | $1,108 | -71.5% |
| Charles D. Shorts | $4,103 | $1,100 | -73.2% |
| Betsy L. Lipscomb | $2,374 | $965 | -59.4% |
| Sylvester Warner | $1,716 | $836 | -51.3% |
| Clifton A. Covington | $4,018 | $789 | -80.4% |
| One Up, LLC | $4,616 | $768 | -83.4% |
| Winfred Lee Hynum | $637 | $637 | 0% |
| Eddie D. Dorsey | $2,112 | $636 | -69.9% |
| John C. Campbell | $1,056 | $542 | -48.7% |
| Linda Walker | $502 | $502 | 0% |
| John Amos Johnson Jr. | $3,376 | $470 | -86.1% |
| Willie Parker | $891 | $444 | -50.2% |
| Joyce Young | $1,379 | $401 | -70.9% |
| Lydell J. Page Jr. | $1,763 | $380 | -78.4% |
| Albert Butler | $2,121 | $308 | -85.5% |
| Tommie McDonald | $660 | $294 | -55.5% |
| Harold Dungan Jr. | $4,856 | $282 | -94.2% |
| John W Noble | $282 | $282 | 0% |
| Rachel S. Ward | $627 | $276 | -56% |
| Silbert L. Wilson | $627 | $246 | -60.8% |
| Darion Fells | $693 | $229 | -67% |
| Jerry L. Messer Jr. | $521 | $214 | -58.9% |
| Rashod Lavonte Smith | $737 | $168 | -77.2% |
| Robert Coleman | $572 | $124 | -78.3% |
| Otis J. Harris | $231 | $121 | -47.6% |
| Lillie G. Cassell | $445 | $88 | -80.2% |
| Harold Wilson | $264 | $56 | -78.8% |
| Hiram J. Wells IV | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerland J Curry SR | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael E. Carr | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,063,442 | $673,969 | -36.6% |
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