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In 2021, 107 farmers in cities within Amherst County received a total of $237,763 in 110 farm subsidies, a 78.3% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.1 million in 268 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| BRR, LLC | $156,077 | $38,139 | -75.6% |
| TC Logging, LLC | $0 | $24,201 | -- |
| William A. Tucker | $82,974 | $18,421 | -77.8% |
| Franklin B. Walton | $106,597 | $14,922 | -86% |
| Bennett P. Walton | $51,289 | $9,104 | -82.2% |
| James L. Sligh | $40,900 | $6,188 | -84.9% |
| Scott Adams | $26,777 | $5,692 | -78.7% |
| Scott L. Massie | $22,814 | $5,410 | -76.3% |
| Benjamin D. Tucker | $24,982 | $5,051 | -79.8% |
| Raymond A. Martin Jr. | $23,202 | $4,563 | -80.3% |
| Timothy James Campbell | $14,527 | $4,191 | -71.2% |
| Thomas Jacob Campbell | $4,949 | $3,724 | -24.8% |
| James R. Martin Jr. | $18,878 | $3,670 | -80.6% |
| Raymond A. Martin Sr. | $22,019 | $3,530 | -84% |
| Robert F. Fitzgerald | $19,417 | $3,383 | -82.6% |
| Pleasant View Farms, LLC | $18,859 | $3,242 | -82.8% |
| Cary Fitzgerald | $6,072 | $3,094 | -49% |
| Edgar Arnold Fitzgerald | $6,435 | $3,088 | -52% |
| Ronnie Wright | $9,301 | $2,470 | -73.4% |
| Gregory A. Mays | $17,456 | $2,332 | -86.6% |
| Steve Coffey | $10,537 | $1,984 | -81.2% |
| Joseph A. Tomlin Jr. | $10,428 | $1,959 | -81.2% |
| William S. Brockman | $15,259 | $1,952 | -87.2% |
| Margaret H Masencup | $8,470 | $1,932 | -77.2% |
| Edward P. Campbell | $9,152 | $1,912 | -79.1% |
| Ralph B. Sale | $6,992 | $1,808 | -74.1% |
| Kenneth W. Bowling | $7,711 | $1,802 | -76.6% |
| Leroy Martin | $8,371 | $1,764 | -78.9% |
| Billy W. Jennings Sr. | $9,240 | $1,724 | -81.3% |
| Paul I. Wailes IV | $6,414 | $1,706 | -73.4% |
| Jason Eggleston | $488 | $1,695 | 247.3% |
| Wesley Lewis Wright | $5,016 | $1,666 | -66.8% |
| Donald L. Brown | $11,507 | $1,603 | -86.1% |
| James C. Martin Sr. | $6,710 | $1,558 | -76.8% |
| D. F. Cash | $3,531 | $1,541 | -56.4% |
| Calvin Bailey | $8,383 | $1,529 | -81.8% |
| Wayne and Barbara Bailey Farm, LLC | $8,475 | $1,529 | -82% |
| William Boyd Carter | $7,414 | $1,513 | -79.6% |
| Thomas E. Johnson | $5,904 | $1,498 | -74.6% |
| James R. Shrader | $7,591 | $1,426 | -81.2% |
| Jerry Campbell | $5,137 | $1,362 | -73.5% |
| Terry Tomlin | $7,129 | $1,319 | -81.5% |
| Carlyle L. Mays | $13,699 | $1,244 | -90.9% |
| Horace N. Knight III | $5,223 | $1,242 | -76.2% |
| Gregory Parr | $6,431 | $1,218 | -81.1% |
| Edward T. Campbell | $6,675 | $1,158 | -82.7% |
| William R. Harvey | $5,104 | $1,132 | -77.8% |
| 2 Witches Vineyard, Inc. | $0 | $1,070 | -- |
| Clyde Wise Jr. | $5,574 | $1,068 | -80.8% |
| H. J. Childress | $5,752 | $993 | -82.7% |
| Roy M. Cash | $3,674 | $985 | -73.2% |
| Michael E. Reynolds | $8,422 | $975 | -88.4% |
| Melvin Ray Marshall | $6,446 | $952 | -85.2% |
| John H. Sparrow Jr. | $0 | $935 | -- |
| Woodrow S. Wilson III | $865 | $865 | 0% |
| David Seay | $5,232 | $814 | -84.4% |
| Harold D. Maberry | $2,816 | $799 | -71.6% |
| Thomas L. Cash | $4,555 | $797 | -82.5% |
| Wayne R. Patteson | $4,350 | $796 | -81.7% |
| Clifford Mummau | $5,770 | $752 | -87% |
| Fay A. Mays | $1,716 | $743 | -56.7% |
| Mary C. Mays | $3,465 | $723 | -79.1% |
| Gregory K. Martin | $3,651 | $705 | -80.7% |
| Vincenzo Vitale | $5,580 | $679 | -87.8% |
| Samantha Maddox | $4,042 | $668 | -83.5% |
| Kimberly Price | $2,777 | $663 | -76.1% |
| Linnell Nappier | $4,096 | $657 | -84% |
| Ernest D. Austin Jr. | $4,143 | $630 | -84.8% |
| Connie Ellison | $564 | $564 | 0% |
| Edward Garnett | $564 | $564 | 0% |
| Billy Kruschwitz | $2,821 | $560 | -80.1% |
| Brian Wilson Jennings | $3,308 | $539 | -83.7% |
| Deborah Massie | $2,927 | $537 | -81.7% |
| Percy S. Nappier | $3,057 | $533 | -82.6% |
| Ellen Craig | $2,474 | $498 | -79.9% |
| Helen C. Floyd | $2,772 | $496 | -82.1% |
| Nelson E. Jones | $3,440 | $460 | -86.6% |
| Donald Lewis Johnson | $2,618 | $451 | -82.8% |
| Keith B. Falls | $2,629 | $447 | -83% |
| Randall L. Fauber | $1,947 | $443 | -77.2% |
| William Lee Crawford | $2,354 | $440 | -81.3% |
| William H. Tucker | $1,914 | $426 | -77.7% |
| Michael L. Martin | $1,474 | $422 | -71.4% |
| Marian C. Wood | $2,976 | $397 | -86.7% |
| John J Petchul | $2,634 | $370 | -86% |
| C & L Cattle | $2,289 | $363 | -84.1% |
| James W. Nappier | $1,738 | $346 | -80.1% |
| Steve Kidd | $1,688 | $346 | -79.5% |
| Leonard B. Hartless | $2,331 | $332 | -85.8% |
| Ivan L. Johnson | $2,430 | $332 | -86.3% |
| Edna C. Brightwell | $1,608 | $314 | -80.5% |
| Reginald Christian Sr. | $1,716 | $314 | -81.7% |
| Charles R. Burks Jr. | $1,045 | $294 | -71.9% |
| Art Engels | $1,240 | $280 | -77.4% |
| Jeff Furrow | $1,026 | $280 | -72.7% |
| Michael D. Hartless | $1,243 | $280 | -77.5% |
| John Newton Gordon III | $902 | $276 | -69.4% |
| Thomas E. Gowen | $3,344 | $266 | -92% |
| Franklin L. Dyson | $1,321 | $244 | -81.5% |
| Donald T. Wood | $759 | $194 | -74.4% |
| Preston E. Mays Jr. | $1,160 | $149 | -87.2% |
| George L. Craig III | $272 | $136 | -50% |
| Dianne Branch | $222 | $111 | -50% |
| Janice D Cofflin | $97 | $97 | 0% |
| John Mays | $81 | $81 | 0% |
| Jason Lee Alexander | $54 | $72 | 33.3% |
| Walter Sturmfels | $655 | $49 | -92.5% |
| Brandon Stuart Cash | $3,300 | $0 | -100% |
| Fred Thomas Hunnicutt Jr. | $220 | $0 | -100% |
| George Howell Watts Jr. | $1,430 | $0 | -100% |
| Ian M. Gordon | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Jennifer R. Marshall | $2,475 | $0 | -100% |
| Scott M. Wagner | $43,414 | $0 | -100% |
| Telia M Kinnier | $1,566 | $0 | -100% |
| Badri Prasad Sitoula | $12,157 | $0 | -100% |
| Earl Clarkson | $124 | $0 | -100% |
| George W. Sparrow Jr. | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,097,967 | $237,763 | -78.3% |
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