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In 2021, 93 farmers in cities within Lancaster County received a total of $650,751 in 113 farm subsidies, a 49.5% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.3 million in 257 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Kenneth Owens Jr. | $0 | $85,063 | -- |
| Brice Milton Hunter | $193,903 | $76,731 | -60.4% |
| Mckittrick Timber, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Dana R. Braswell | $0 | $37,415 | -- |
| Joe M. Ardrey | $214,164 | $35,338 | -83.5% |
| Harold F. Gardner | $21,446 | $35,168 | 64% |
| Russell O. Joyner | $12,743 | $34,240 | 168.7% |
| Travis L. Coates | $0 | $32,140 | -- |
| James B. Young Jr. | $0 | $31,120 | -- |
| David L. Gainer | $0 | $29,441 | -- |
| William E. Faulkenberry | $2,242 | $20,359 | 808.1% |
| David Reece Kirk | $111,441 | $19,747 | -82.3% |
| Anissa W. Reynolds | $0 | $15,483 | -- |
| Devin D. Mungo | $106,211 | $14,677 | -86.2% |
| Richard J. Hunter | $38,365 | $7,902 | -79.4% |
| Kyle Hunter | $39,032 | $7,642 | -80.4% |
| Small's Automotive Recovery and Transport | $0 | $6,356 | -- |
| John T. Bowers Jr. | $34,305 | $6,255 | -81.8% |
| Tracy L. Bush | $6,481 | $5,282 | -18.5% |
| Carlos Sanchez | $0 | $4,963 | -- |
| Marion F. Sistare | $47,601 | $4,949 | -89.6% |
| Brady Karson Kirk | $20,252 | $4,742 | -76.6% |
| Kenneth W. Beckham | $25,567 | $3,848 | -84.9% |
| B & B Farms | $14,531 | $3,845 | -73.5% |
| Croxton Farms | $28,162 | $3,651 | -87% |
| Brandon S. Percival | $13,424 | $2,994 | -77.7% |
| Mungo Brothers Farms, LLP | $22,527 | $2,986 | -86.7% |
| Malcolm G. Vincent | $15,477 | $2,815 | -81.8% |
| Christopher Glen Chick | $18,440 | $2,777 | -84.9% |
| Jessie James Knight Jr. | $9,598 | $2,302 | -76% |
| Kenneth Dan McKittrick Jr. | $10,246 | $2,022 | -80.3% |
| Robert P. Baker Jr. | $14,751 | $2,021 | -86.3% |
| Carolina Cajun Meats, LLC | $3,552 | $1,953 | -45% |
| Dylan Kirk Joyner | $6,632 | $1,870 | -71.8% |
| Michael L. Steele | $7,857 | $1,848 | -76.5% |
| Charles R. Joyner Jr. | $6,457 | $1,623 | -74.9% |
| Donald V. Stanley Trust | $1,597 | $1,597 | 0% |
| David G. Knight Jr. | $1,186 | $1,551 | 30.8% |
| Kenneth Brent Williams | $9,800 | $1,518 | -84.5% |
| Rex E. Catoe | $6,765 | $1,486 | -78% |
| Terry Hammond | $4,634 | $1,443 | -68.9% |
| Harold M. Funderburk | $9,738 | $1,422 | -85.4% |
| Michael B. Criminger | $852 | $1,412 | 65.7% |
| Cathy V. Taylor | $4,728 | $1,405 | -70.3% |
| Elvin Daniel Wright | $12,331 | $1,400 | -88.6% |
| Minor Lindsey Love | $4,840 | $1,384 | -71.4% |
| Thomas Edward Bailey | $608 | $1,243 | 104.4% |
| Jimmy R. Baker | $6,404 | $1,233 | -80.7% |
| Jackie Rice | $1,220 | $1,220 | 0% |
| Horace H. Porter | $15,889 | $1,216 | -92.3% |
| Robbie J. Peagler | $5,695 | $1,163 | -79.6% |
| George W. Craig | $6,650 | $1,151 | -82.7% |
| Joseph Paul Roberts | $4,793 | $1,115 | -76.7% |
| John F. Hayes | $1,109 | $1,109 | 0% |
| Kirk Coleman Klaas | $8,039 | $1,076 | -86.6% |
| Christian Guadalupe Recendiz | $7,272 | $1,049 | -85.6% |
| Gary Sowell | $5,291 | $1,033 | -80.5% |
| James C. Stevenson | $6,352 | $1,008 | -84.1% |
| Archie Lane Starnes | $6,022 | $946 | -84.3% |
| Reece S. Kirk | $10,373 | $941 | -90.9% |
| Jacob C. Starnes | $5,131 | $925 | -82% |
| James M. Short Jr. | $902 | $902 | 0% |
| Corey Gardner | $4,977 | $895 | -82% |
| Scottie Reynolds | $6,939 | $779 | -88.8% |
| Gary Marvin Debruhl | $2,761 | $778 | -71.8% |
| Danny Neal Ackerman | $3,451 | $770 | -77.7% |
| William B. Choate | $4,698 | $756 | -83.9% |
| Mark Oran Baker | $4,545 | $746 | -83.6% |
| Dorothy W. Baker | $8,567 | $738 | -91.4% |
| Michael N. Bailey | $6,269 | $706 | -88.7% |
| Polly E. Fanning | $687 | $687 | 0% |
| George T. Phillips | $3,063 | $678 | -77.9% |
| John Seebach | $2,189 | $677 | -69.1% |
| Anna Belle McKerracher | $655 | $655 | 0% |
| Lamar M. Bethea Jr. | $4,949 | $616 | -87.6% |
| Eric L. Horton | $3,968 | $613 | -84.6% |
| Robert F. Boone | $3,423 | $585 | -82.9% |
| Jackson Cauthen | $2,499 | $508 | -79.7% |
| Jack F. Carnes | $2,769 | $498 | -82% |
| John a Cnesich | $2,736 | $465 | -83% |
| Mary Ruth Short | $426 | $426 | 0% |
| Cathy H. Hucks | $417 | $416 | -0.2% |
| Jeffrey N. Hilliard | $5,139 | $334 | -93.5% |
| David A. Hawfield | $1,762 | $208 | -88.2% |
| Roy A. Still | $563 | $199 | -64.7% |
| Ronnie J. Ingram | $1,222 | $197 | -83.9% |
| Allen Neil Robinson | $330 | $121 | -63.3% |
| Walter H. Steele | $977 | $110 | -88.7% |
| Pamela Owens Jordan | $351 | $68 | -80.6% |
| Michael Glenn Sanders | $1,737 | $60 | -96.5% |
| Brenda S. McDonnell | $40 | $40 | 0% |
| Gary Horton | $43 | $20 | -53.5% |
| Ina B. Horton | $199 | $11 | -94.5% |
| Condor L. Bowers | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| James E. Adams Jr. | $473 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Truesdale | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas L. Roberts | $326 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph Scott Croxton | $466 | $0 | -100% |
| Kimberlyn S. Seegars | $2,255 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Bush | $1,595 | $0 | -100% |
| H & S Estates, LLC | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| John E. Wall | $162 | $0 | -100% |
| Johnny Alan Aldridge | $1,650 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard A. Whitaker | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert L. Gillette | $674 | $0 | -100% |
| Sidney Stewart | $1,866 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,289,186 | $650,751 | -49.5% |
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