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In 2021, 58 farmers in cities within Franklin County received a total of $459,370 in 63 farm subsidies, an 87.5% increase from 2020, when the total was $245,061 in 109 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| M & B Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| M & M Farms of Bude, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Kettley Trucking, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Mcdaniel Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Smith Brothers Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Norman Logging, LLC | $0 | $42,300 | -- |
| Mullins Logging, Inc. | $0 | $41,297 | -- |
| Smoke's JCS Trucking, LLC | $0 | $28,042 | -- |
| Kirk Williamson | $16,060 | $13,797 | -14.1% |
| Seale Farm, LLC | $45,086 | $13,011 | -71.1% |
| Stephen Allen McManus | $13,867 | $7,064 | -49.1% |
| Day's Trucking | $0 | $6,760 | -- |
| Herbert Steve Sullivan | $12,865 | $6,698 | -47.9% |
| Arliss Ike Williamson Jr. | $38,960 | $3,911 | -90% |
| Jamie Seale Jap Farms | $7,249 | $3,539 | -51.2% |
| Homochitto River Park, Inc. | $3,185 | $2,366 | -25.7% |
| William S. Mullins | $10,637 | $2,244 | -78.9% |
| Joseph Ray Emfinger Jr. | $7,715 | $1,674 | -78.3% |
| Mark T. Doss | $0 | $1,650 | -- |
| William Lydell Rand | $3,107 | $1,279 | -58.8% |
| Gary Walton Bennett | $4,653 | $1,166 | -74.9% |
| Karen Walley Clements | $4,939 | $1,160 | -76.5% |
| Beverly King Hill | $0 | $1,079 | -- |
| Robert E. Kimbrough | $1,075 | $1,075 | 0% |
| Billy Gene Martin Jr. | $5,302 | $1,051 | -80.2% |
| Tim M. Hill II | $2,616 | $960 | -63.3% |
| Lyda Grace Mullins Cummins | $978 | $895 | -8.5% |
| Larneal Turner | $1,914 | $816 | -57.4% |
| Grady Malcolm Hall | $4,364 | $767 | -82.4% |
| William Percy Dickey Jr. | $3,135 | $696 | -77.8% |
| Julie Mckinney Thomas | $679 | $679 | 0% |
| Antounda Martin | $1,485 | $674 | -54.6% |
| Lenox E. Wactor | $2,954 | $658 | -77.7% |
| James Eugene Burris | $2,772 | $640 | -76.9% |
| Linda Genette Hunt | $3,967 | $622 | -84.3% |
| Joseph Bryan Cooper | $3,204 | $575 | -82.1% |
| Mildred Louise Prather | $2,277 | $480 | -78.9% |
| Lester Oliver Hill | $5,207 | $462 | -91.1% |
| Twin Creek Farm, LLC | $1,804 | $426 | -76.4% |
| Michael Woodrow Priest | $3,129 | $363 | -88.4% |
| Joseph Lamar Clanton | $1,290 | $362 | -71.9% |
| Robert Louis Landers | $726 | $361 | -50.3% |
| Robert Lane Landers | $1,826 | $351 | -80.8% |
| Matthew Hunter Wilson | $1,221 | $336 | -72.5% |
| Joel Anthony Tillman | $814 | $306 | -62.4% |
| Olivia Marie Clanton | $1,040 | $293 | -71.8% |
| David Wesley Washington | $1,694 | $284 | -83.2% |
| Melvin Leroy Ezell | $1,456 | $284 | -80.5% |
| Lawrence Foley | $1,155 | $271 | -76.5% |
| Wallace A. Willard | $419 | $268 | -36% |
| David Ryan Clanton | $1,139 | $259 | -77.3% |
| Stephanie F. Martin | $10,513 | $210 | -98% |
| Gregory Patrice Doss | $1,100 | $177 | -83.9% |
| Samantha Mccardle Weeks | $803 | $169 | -79% |
| Michael Patrick Greene | $517 | $114 | -77.9% |
| David Lamar Clanton | $816 | $69 | -91.5% |
| Linfield Lenox Oglesby Jr. | $96 | $4 | -95.8% |
| Allan Semmes Ross Jr. | $128 | $1 | -99.2% |
| Dixie Herring Clay | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| John Robert Delaney | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Earlyn M Mullins | $978 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $245,061 | $459,370 | 87.5% |
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