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In 2021, 111 farmers in cities within Polk County received a total of $351,498 in 136 farm subsidies, a 62.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $927,353 in 283 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael G. Womack | $79,207 | $39,848 | -49.7% |
| Louie Chad Carlton | $0 | $39,372 | -- |
| Brandon A. Woods | $24,680 | $34,334 | 39.1% |
| WW Agent, LLC | $118,734 | $31,713 | -73.3% |
| Sorrells Farm, LLC | $0 | $18,894 | -- |
| Charles W. Mercer Jr. | $45,918 | $14,426 | -68.6% |
| Lovell Farms | $58,739 | $14,398 | -75.5% |
| Wayne Summerville | $0 | $13,301 | -- |
| Brandon Scott Ellis | $3,254 | $10,556 | 224.4% |
| Mamie Gail West | $13,725 | $6,503 | -52.6% |
| Melissa J. Wright | $0 | $5,693 | -- |
| Steven E. Wray | $17,213 | $4,564 | -73.5% |
| Sleeping R Ranch, LLC | $16,338 | $4,312 | -73.6% |
| Jimmy O. Payne | $31,023 | $4,274 | -86.2% |
| William E. Nutt Sr. | $15,461 | $3,898 | -74.8% |
| Michael F. Brownlow | $28,639 | $3,678 | -87.2% |
| Chad Lee King | $11,486 | $3,260 | -71.6% |
| William J. Casey | $6,072 | $3,174 | -47.7% |
| Gregory J. Casey | $19,436 | $3,140 | -83.8% |
| Danny R. Strickland | $5,742 | $3,002 | -47.7% |
| Johnny G. Garrett | $7,832 | $2,829 | -63.9% |
| Fredrick K. Casey | $29,671 | $2,656 | -91% |
| Timothy Craig Willis | $15,026 | $2,622 | -82.6% |
| Dan C. Stewart | $6,401 | $2,614 | -59.2% |
| Joseph V. Rother | $9,504 | $2,553 | -73.1% |
| Drew M. Smith | $0 | $2,528 | -- |
| Ronny L. Taff | $10,340 | $2,432 | -76.5% |
| Corbin Bryce Sisson | $9,619 | $2,280 | -76.3% |
| Kirk G. Mooney | $7,734 | $2,174 | -71.9% |
| Larry W. Haney | $11,662 | $2,139 | -81.7% |
| Nathan T. Hice | $7,755 | $1,984 | -74.4% |
| Donny D. Howard | $6,358 | $1,915 | -69.9% |
| Frank C. Fann | $6,867 | $1,898 | -72.4% |
| Nora Jewell Cook | $23,862 | $1,794 | -92.5% |
| Angela H. Kitchens | $8,800 | $1,725 | -80.4% |
| Danny F. Adams | $5,027 | $1,708 | -66% |
| Jonathan L. Earwood | $7,292 | $1,708 | -76.6% |
| Michael E. Goss | $8,399 | $1,674 | -80.1% |
| Greer N. Hooper Jr. | $0 | $1,650 | -- |
| Ricky Len Sorrells | $12,142 | $1,622 | -86.6% |
| David S. Plemons | $6,512 | $1,535 | -76.4% |
| E. G. Sorrells | $9,689 | $1,458 | -85% |
| Bryan David Babcock | $5,828 | $1,397 | -76% |
| Janet Patricia Folsom | $8,412 | $1,311 | -84.4% |
| Faynell P Floyd | $5,981 | $1,276 | -78.7% |
| Sharon Rakestraw Morgan | $5,377 | $1,259 | -76.6% |
| William Eugene Waits | $6,517 | $1,258 | -80.7% |
| Carla Lee Redding | $10,471 | $1,190 | -88.6% |
| Charles Gregory Mitchell | $6,097 | $1,184 | -80.6% |
| Jerry Wayne Parris | $5,189 | $1,173 | -77.4% |
| Kenna R. Baker | $2,572 | $1,157 | -55% |
| Kyle Watters | $4,081 | $1,156 | -71.7% |
| Clyde W. Lewis | $4,378 | $1,138 | -74% |
| Leonard C. Draper | $3,476 | $1,137 | -67.3% |
| Cohen W. Turner | $2,079 | $1,087 | -47.7% |
| Keith J. Wright | $3,654 | $1,052 | -71.2% |
| Ronnie E. Wood | $3,903 | $1,018 | -73.9% |
| Adriana Fincher | $3,410 | $1,017 | -70.2% |
| Reyes J. Valdez | $2,673 | $966 | -63.9% |
| Guy J. Rutland Jr. | $1,773 | $959 | -45.9% |
| Jose L. Nevarez Jr. | $3,069 | $914 | -70.2% |
| Ernest L. Moody | $5,274 | $897 | -83% |
| J. C. Elliott | $5,123 | $880 | -82.8% |
| James E. Hood | $3,190 | $862 | -73% |
| Joshua Lance Wilson | $4,011 | $851 | -78.8% |
| Robert Larry Cannon | $3,036 | $811 | -73.3% |
| Vernon Gene Free | $2,563 | $794 | -69% |
| Paul Walter Chaffin | $5,554 | $742 | -86.6% |
| Robert D. McDowell | $4,119 | $673 | -83.7% |
| Darrell W. Puckett | $1,899 | $673 | -64.6% |
| Gregory Neal Roberson | $3,352 | $673 | -79.9% |
| Barry N. Rice | $2,046 | $638 | -68.8% |
| Wendell M. Rice | $2,046 | $638 | -68.8% |
| William Paul Beck Jr. | $2,657 | $638 | -76% |
| James G. Swafford | $1,628 | $621 | -61.9% |
| Richard Glenn Vinson | $1,683 | $535 | -68.2% |
| Bennett S. Jacobs | $2,670 | $535 | -80% |
| Dusty Crile | $1,980 | $518 | -73.8% |
| Stevie Lamar Waddell | $1,693 | $518 | -69.4% |
| Kenneth Alan Sargent Jr. | $1,371 | $514 | -62.5% |
| Vickie D. Haney | $924 | $483 | -47.7% |
| Randy L. Grogan | $1,230 | $483 | -60.7% |
| Rickie D Waters | $708 | $475 | -32.9% |
| Duane G West JR | $6,490 | $472 | -92.7% |
| George Steven Rice | $1,518 | $448 | -70.5% |
| Samuel V. Ingram | $1,518 | $448 | -70.5% |
| Jerry D. Hartline | $2,827 | $447 | -84.2% |
| Billy Joe Lewis | $435 | $435 | 0% |
| Franklin Todd Lewis | $435 | $435 | 0% |
| Joshua Scott Fenley | $1,705 | $431 | -74.7% |
| Keith Alan Plunk | $1,089 | $416 | -61.8% |
| Robert E. Furr II | $1,331 | $380 | -71.5% |
| Franklin Wade Agan | $1,100 | $345 | -68.6% |
| John Russell Kirkpatrick Sr. | $1,177 | $328 | -72.1% |
| Brandon Fennell | $1,647 | $328 | -80.1% |
| Morgan Dunn | $1,735 | $328 | -81.1% |
| Micah Cole Green | $1,254 | $310 | -75.3% |
| James Ricky Floyd Jr. | $765 | $293 | -61.7% |
| Earl D. Brumbelow | $913 | $276 | -69.8% |
| Scottie Rampley | $792 | $242 | -69.4% |
| Edwin D. Owens | $1,448 | $207 | -85.7% |
| Andrew Thomas Stinson | $1,331 | $206 | -84.5% |
| Patty P. Martin | $535 | $166 | -69% |
| Donald K. Westlake | $737 | $155 | -79% |
| Michael Garrett | $0 | $114 | -- |
| Douglas H. Wright | $0 | $95 | -- |
| Joan C. Mitchell | $0 | $73 | -- |
| Breanna Lyn Schnitger | $250 | $69 | -72.4% |
| Jane Warner | $196 | $65 | -66.8% |
| Margaret O. Casey | $173 | $40 | -76.9% |
| Ray A. Lewis | $0 | $7 | -- |
| Cedar Valley Land & Cattle Company, LLC | $5,775 | $0 | -100% |
| Curtis R. Taylor | $287 | $0 | -100% |
| David B. Hooper | $416 | $0 | -100% |
| George Earwood | $1,320 | $0 | -100% |
| Melinda Ewers King | $322 | $0 | -100% |
| Sandra Hardison | $1,485 | $0 | -100% |
| Susan C. Cobb | $1,518 | $0 | -100% |
| Terry A. Fowler | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| David Jackson | $4,287 | $0 | -100% |
| Emily Kaitlyn Pike | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary Holley | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Joan R. Casey | $5,161 | $0 | -100% |
| John E. Coman | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert L. Carlton | $14,107 | $0 | -100% |
| Sharon Moore Simon | $4,283 | $0 | -100% |
| Steve Fred Holder | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $927,353 | $351,498 | -62.1% |
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