Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 129 farmers in cities within Walker County received a total of $650,731 in 174 farm subsidies, a 57.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.5 million in 421 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles O. Franks Jr. | $3,382 | $72,932 | 2,056.5% |
| Kimelan L Millican II | $178,952 | $54,594 | -69.5% |
| Long Hollow Dairy Farm, LLC | $46,848 | $36,957 | -21.1% |
| Jerry W. Hamilton | $1,270 | $34,022 | 2,578.9% |
| Mack Morrison Jr. | $4,768 | $32,055 | 572.3% |
| Scoggins Farms, Inc. | $48,277 | $31,546 | -34.7% |
| Harold C. Jones | $8,634 | $28,478 | 229.8% |
| Kimelan L Millican III | $111,534 | $24,322 | -78.2% |
| Stanley Matthews | $10,164 | $20,328 | 100% |
| Allen E. Ridley | $25,937 | $20,062 | -22.7% |
| Selstad Bypass Trust | $27,873 | $18,713 | -32.9% |
| Leonidas D. Miller | $12,169 | $16,089 | 32.2% |
| Sara Louise Jones | $0 | $12,773 | -- |
| Walter H. Levie Jr. | $8,165 | $8,916 | 9.2% |
| Kensington Farm Association L P | $22,061 | $8,746 | -60.4% |
| Chase Nelson Sheram | $9,038 | $8,168 | -9.6% |
| Betty J. Shook | $25,106 | $7,486 | -70.2% |
| Nicholas Clarkson Bayne | $24,040 | $7,402 | -69.2% |
| Tori Phillips | $6,581 | $6,933 | 5.3% |
| Billy Joe Jackson | $3,704 | $6,495 | 75.4% |
| Huntland Enterprise LP | $25,816 | $5,932 | -77% |
| Shaw W. Abney | $26,637 | $5,822 | -78.1% |
| Ernest Eugene Garrett | $3,926 | $5,548 | 41.3% |
| John R. Howard Jr. | $33,837 | $5,503 | -83.7% |
| Cross Farm | $27,268 | $5,270 | -80.7% |
| Alisa F. Bickett | $30,828 | $5,160 | -83.3% |
| John D. Romans | $29,228 | $4,958 | -83% |
| William Earl Rector Jr. | $27,601 | $4,830 | -82.5% |
| Joshua Lee Stander | $0 | $4,425 | -- |
| Christopher J. Mitchell | $16,145 | $4,157 | -74.3% |
| William R. Steele | $18,658 | $4,015 | -78.5% |
| John A. Watson Jr. | $8,068 | $3,744 | -53.6% |
| Double D Farms, LLC | $1,065 | $3,638 | 241.6% |
| Donald Edward Crouch | $2,640 | $3,580 | 35.6% |
| Wesley D. Butler | $21,942 | $3,561 | -83.8% |
| Steve Bromme | $3,560 | $3,560 | 0% |
| Charles N. Shaw | $13,884 | $3,433 | -75.3% |
| Jerry A. Brooks Jr. | $12,287 | $3,417 | -72.2% |
| Jeffrey A. Goodson | $18,244 | $3,398 | -81.4% |
| Robert T. Hucke | $21,158 | $3,346 | -84.2% |
| Robert E. Smalley | $14,284 | $3,340 | -76.6% |
| Brian P. Hart | $13,721 | $3,284 | -76.1% |
| Polly A. Pickard | $17,172 | $3,084 | -82% |
| William Jackson Millard III | $21,402 | $2,876 | -86.6% |
| Michael A. Hicks | $12,789 | $2,699 | -78.9% |
| Charles F. Gilbreath | $7,270 | $2,672 | -63.2% |
| Karless a Hays JR | $4,407 | $2,592 | -41.2% |
| Michael Kisner | $9,234 | $2,450 | -73.5% |
| Sandra Martin | $9,902 | $2,415 | -75.6% |
| James P. Burton | $11,718 | $2,334 | -80.1% |
| Roger Dale Morrison | $12,919 | $2,312 | -82.1% |
| Taylor Kirk Davidson | $10,973 | $2,312 | -78.9% |
| Mason J. Price | $11,653 | $2,189 | -81.2% |
| Tommy M. Shattuck | $12,489 | $2,174 | -82.6% |
| Steve J. Chapman | $15,825 | $2,098 | -86.7% |
| William F. Guthrie | $13,408 | $2,053 | -84.7% |
| Lloyd Mcdonald Nelms | $9,314 | $2,053 | -78% |
| Austin Chase Horne | $10,997 | $1,984 | -82% |
| Martin Davis House Foundation | $3,574 | $1,787 | -50% |
| Phillip Lee Shattuck | $9,944 | $1,777 | -82.1% |
| Robert A. Hill | $6,713 | $1,777 | -73.5% |
| Lanny C. Benson | $8,744 | $1,755 | -79.9% |
| William Ross Loughridge | $10,062 | $1,639 | -83.7% |
| Edward Kent Benson | $5,611 | $1,570 | -72% |
| Cedars Farm | $8,291 | $1,552 | -81.3% |
| Eddie Wilson | $8,716 | $1,501 | -82.8% |
| Jimmie Rennia Abercrombie | $9,372 | $1,466 | -84.4% |
| James W. McCarty | $8,147 | $1,414 | -82.6% |
| Mitchell Kingsley | $5,467 | $1,363 | -75.1% |
| Andrew Jack Thomas | $9,720 | $1,363 | -86% |
| Karen L. Bradley | $7,485 | $1,346 | -82% |
| Beth Bruce Kelley | $6,691 | $1,328 | -80.2% |
| Eddie Richard Byrd | $6,313 | $1,320 | -79.1% |
| Anthony Ty Bearden | $11,350 | $1,311 | -88.4% |
| Thomas F. Hise | $7,752 | $1,225 | -84.2% |
| Dannis E. Hood | $1,204 | $1,204 | 0% |
| Mary Ann Jordan | $5,232 | $1,156 | -77.9% |
| Ronald S. Hise | $8,447 | $1,138 | -86.5% |
| Jeff Thomas Cross | $5,631 | $1,121 | -80.1% |
| Timothy H. Dean | $8,481 | $1,093 | -87.1% |
| Ricky Hansen | $4,962 | $1,087 | -78.1% |
| Justin Rodney Marsh | $2,046 | $1,054 | -48.5% |
| Robert Hill II | $3,553 | $1,052 | -70.4% |
| Timothy Jasen Crump | $6,574 | $1,049 | -84% |
| James David Montgomery Jr. | $696 | $1,044 | 50% |
| Joseph Wilbanks Jr. | $9,448 | $968 | -89.8% |
| Kenneth E. Johnson Jr. | $3,011 | $966 | -67.9% |
| Michael W. Pinion | $3,319 | $949 | -71.4% |
| Charles M. Graham | $7,171 | $932 | -87% |
| Gary Dennis Barrett | $2,973 | $932 | -68.7% |
| William D. Alexander | $5,543 | $932 | -83.2% |
| Joe E. Roberson | $3,869 | $882 | -77.2% |
| Billy Mullinax | $6,162 | $880 | -85.7% |
| Brody Ridley | $3,025 | $862 | -71.5% |
| Darren Gian Strickland | $4,128 | $845 | -79.5% |
| David L. McWilliams | $19,381 | $829 | -95.7% |
| Richard V. Chandler | $4,625 | $776 | -83.2% |
| Samuel Arthur Bowman | $2,098 | $776 | -63% |
| James M. Blevins | $3,960 | $776 | -80.4% |
| Dean Aten | $2,411 | $773 | -67.9% |
| Vicki F. Guth | $0 | $771 | -- |
| Brannon Cole Chastain | $4,140 | $717 | -82.7% |
| Stephen Allen Jones | $3,990 | $666 | -83.3% |
| Gregory B. Wood | $3,263 | $622 | -80.9% |
| Joey L. Thornton | $4,203 | $621 | -85.2% |
| James R. Pope | $552 | $552 | 0% |
| Martin L. Hamilton | $1,023 | $535 | -47.7% |
| Dena Christine Barrett | $1,843 | $530 | -71.2% |
| Harry Krippes | $2,414 | $518 | -78.5% |
| Roy O. Carter | $2,827 | $500 | -82.3% |
| Cindy L. Bradshaw | $1,596 | $490 | -69.3% |
| Joan C. Brown | $0 | $486 | -- |
| Guy Moore | $1,584 | $483 | -69.5% |
| Larry R. Garner | $1,368 | $448 | -67.3% |
| Daniel K. Wigal | $3,415 | $431 | -87.4% |
| Jo Ann H. Bell | $1,919 | $431 | -77.5% |
| David Gaither Living Trust | $1,770 | $414 | -76.6% |
| James R. Painter | $1,934 | $397 | -79.5% |
| Michael E. Lanier | $2,126 | $380 | -82.1% |
| Terry E. Bradley | $693 | $362 | -47.8% |
| Dalton Canner Green | $1,927 | $328 | -83% |
| Larry Kyle Melton | $495 | $259 | -47.7% |
| Chris Henderson | $1,586 | $207 | -86.9% |
| Donald Wayne Shelby | $396 | $207 | -47.7% |
| Bissell Farms, Inc. | $781 | $207 | -73.5% |
| Robert B. Benson | $0 | $138 | -- |
| Chad Eugene Lanier | $165 | $86 | -47.9% |
| Phillip W. Cantrell | $3,990 | $72 | -98.2% |
| Steve L. Lewis | $452 | $68 | -85% |
| Arthur Burl Cross Jr. | $3,850 | $0 | -100% |
| Burl Cross | $2,298 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles Brock III | $4,695 | $0 | -100% |
| James R. Haun | $1,143 | $0 | -100% |
| Jean E. Jones | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| John H. Durham | $999 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph E. Brown | $3,035 | $0 | -100% |
| Kevin E. Huff | $446 | $0 | -100% |
| Lee R. Cross Jr. | $5,487 | $0 | -100% |
| Leroy Matthews | $5,423 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark S. Shook | $2,593 | $0 | -100% |
| Randy Guthrie | $1,293 | $0 | -100% |
| Ray H. Kingsley | $2,802 | $0 | -100% |
| Stephen A. Jones | $3,167 | $0 | -100% |
| Steven Cagle | $3,115 | $0 | -100% |
| Susan Buckner Darling | $200 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas R. Henderson Jr. | $819 | $0 | -100% |
| William C. Bruning | $2,623 | $0 | -100% |
| William T. Millican | $997 | $0 | -100% |
| Clarence Alexander | $1,320 | $0 | -100% |
| Dwight Starnes | $1,392 | $0 | -100% |
| Edwin Leon Lewis | $968 | $0 | -100% |
| James Edward Trammell | $1,231 | $0 | -100% |
| James M. Agnew Jr. | $1,350 | $0 | -100% |
| James Steven Bayne | $4,845 | $0 | -100% |
| John Hornik | $951 | $0 | -100% |
| Julian Edward Mitchell | $3,077 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael O. Bunn | $590 | $0 | -100% |
| Rodney P. Edwards | $994 | $0 | -100% |
| Lonnie B. Ellison | $745 | $0 | -100% |
| Randall Dewayne Chandler | $274 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard L. Austin Jr. | $6,236 | $0 | -100% |
| Susan S. Galyon | $5,454 | $0 | -100% |
| Kathryn P. Green | $4,510 | $0 | -100% |
| Tom Kelly | $491 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,533,309 | $650,731 | -57.6% |
Alerts Sign-up