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In 2021, 74 farmers in cities within Bedford County received a total of $454,891 in 125 farm subsidies, a 39.9% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $756,574 in 225 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Braxton Jr. | $61,503 | $84,190 | 36.9% |
| Hatcher Logging of VA, Corp. | $3,159 | $53,792 | 1,602.8% |
| James River Timber, Inc. | $0 | $33,064 | -- |
| Doris H. Grove Revocable Trust | $29,130 | $26,526 | -8.9% |
| Edward M. Sims Jr. | $40,541 | $21,191 | -47.7% |
| Virginia H. Stevens | $35,289 | $17,380 | -50.7% |
| Walter E. Davis | $18,360 | $16,336 | -11% |
| Joshua Webster | $7,141 | $14,412 | 101.8% |
| John Thomas Divers Jr. | $54,148 | $13,421 | -75.2% |
| Byron Braxston Massie II | $13,158 | $12,520 | -4.8% |
| Mike Seckman | $46,288 | $11,111 | -76% |
| Hilton S. Dooley | $50,104 | $10,265 | -79.5% |
| Brian Hufhand | $13,451 | $9,890 | -26.5% |
| James R. Benton Jr. | $24,384 | $7,781 | -68.1% |
| Stephen G. Jones | $18,277 | $7,487 | -59% |
| Harold M. Brown | $25,897 | $6,673 | -74.2% |
| Jeter Eugene Cobb | $5,585 | $6,656 | 19.2% |
| Alfred W. Brandt III | $3,417 | $6,413 | 87.7% |
| JCF Holdings, LLC | $3,744 | $5,890 | 57.3% |
| Nelson F. Brown | $13,102 | $4,728 | -63.9% |
| Daniel J. White | $12,573 | $4,568 | -63.7% |
| Joshua Carl Sims | $751 | $4,545 | 505.2% |
| Robert E. Burks | $24,154 | $4,351 | -82% |
| James H. Goff Jr. | $12,232 | $4,280 | -65% |
| David D. Elder | $21,183 | $4,203 | -80.2% |
| Luke Tanner | $0 | $4,169 | -- |
| Inez S Parks | $4,244 | $4,144 | -2.4% |
| Peter Parziale | $12,760 | $3,745 | -70.7% |
| Cinnamon Amos Dooley | $0 | $3,715 | -- |
| Tomlinson Farm, LLC | $10,278 | $3,059 | -70.2% |
| William Sanderson III | $0 | $2,970 | -- |
| Rainfrost Nursery, Inc. | $19,539 | $2,929 | -85% |
| Jeremy David Carroll | $14,046 | $2,756 | -80.4% |
| David L. Wilson | $7,773 | $2,512 | -67.7% |
| Eldon E. Tanner Jr. | $10,661 | $2,306 | -78.4% |
| Russell Farms, Inc. | $5,380 | $2,199 | -59.1% |
| Richard G. Carter | $6,600 | $2,080 | -68.5% |
| Cody Robert Sargent | $5,016 | $1,935 | -61.4% |
| Tracy Kitchen Harris | $0 | $1,716 | -- |
| William W. Sanderson Jr. | $0 | $1,705 | -- |
| Cecil B. Arthur | $5,578 | $1,669 | -70.1% |
| Melvin L. Nowlin | $3,146 | $1,615 | -48.7% |
| Perrowmont Farm, Inc. | $3,531 | $1,464 | -58.5% |
| Ryan Dooley | $6,975 | $1,382 | -80.2% |
| DJ & RP White, LLC | $6,894 | $1,190 | -82.7% |
| Vivian Pogue | $1,304 | $984 | -24.5% |
| Joel Lewis Arthur | $3,465 | $949 | -72.6% |
| Brent Phillips | $4,334 | $942 | -78.3% |
| Steve K. Abbott | $829 | $829 | 0% |
| Daniel L. Edwards | $822 | $822 | 0% |
| Willow Creek Farms, LLC | $2,753 | $807 | -70.7% |
| Christopher M. Stuckey | $2,325 | $803 | -65.5% |
| Dustin Goff | $5,051 | $801 | -84.1% |
| Jeffery W. Key | $1,631 | $738 | -54.8% |
| Christopher Mark Dooley | $4,721 | $666 | -85.9% |
| Eric Steven Miller | $2,123 | $630 | -70.3% |
| Brian L. Baker | $2,108 | $534 | -74.7% |
| James S. Dixon | $2,797 | $530 | -81.1% |
| Mark L. Watson | $0 | $499 | -- |
| Sam H. Parsons | $3,752 | $436 | -88.4% |
| Brian F. Yutzy | $2,321 | $415 | -82.1% |
| Dennis J. Turpin | $1,524 | $380 | -75.1% |
| Arthur C. Reed Jr. | $1,269 | $335 | -73.6% |
| Poffarosa, Inc. | $0 | $248 | -- |
| Wade Legacy, LLC | $498 | $232 | -53.4% |
| E. L. Falls | $0 | $228 | -- |
| Mary Lavinia Pascale | $218 | $218 | 0% |
| Wayne Davis | $1,245 | $217 | -82.6% |
| Lorrie K. Mitchell | $831 | $180 | -78.3% |
| Scott F. Werthman | $173 | $173 | 0% |
| David W. Hill | $506 | $138 | -72.7% |
| Christine Phillips | $471 | $114 | -75.8% |
| Michael Reynolds | $59 | $59 | 0% |
| Darrell B. Jeter | $171 | $51 | -70.2% |
| Byron Massie | $157 | $0 | -100% |
| James Childress Jr. | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeanine G. Hatcher | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Rachel Marie Palma | $6,916 | $0 | -100% |
| William Cocke | $2,915 | $0 | -100% |
| Chris Cocke | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Great Day Gardens, LLC | $5,647 | $0 | -100% |
| James R. Walk | $1,196 | $0 | -100% |
| Jimmy D. Neighbors | $1,273 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald K. Parker | $221 | $0 | -100% |
| Stacey M. Craft | $2,442 | $0 | -100% |
| Terry P. Dobyns | $12,736 | $0 | -100% |
| Wiley Alton Moore Estate | $10,187 | $0 | -100% |
| William H. Alvis Jr. | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Webster Brothers | $1,576 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $756,574 | $454,891 | -39.9% |
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