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In 2021, 58 farmers in cities within Murray County received a total of $314,679 in 76 farm subsidies, a 56.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $728,932 in 144 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Kendrick | $0 | $79,970 | -- |
| Calvin Burger | $0 | $46,890 | -- |
| Michael Timothy Waters | $0 | $20,939 | -- |
| Lents Farms | $51,525 | $17,108 | -66.8% |
| Maynard Young | $41,483 | $11,860 | -71.4% |
| Randall Kendrick | $11,693 | $11,399 | -2.5% |
| George Washington Tallent | $18,258 | $10,382 | -43.1% |
| DPL Farm, Inc. | $0 | $10,079 | -- |
| Pleasant Valley Poultry | $0 | $9,190 | -- |
| Pleasant Valley Farm | $36,938 | $8,262 | -77.6% |
| James Burnett | $7,986 | $7,497 | -6.1% |
| Joseph E. Young | $34,539 | $4,642 | -86.6% |
| Cameron Chase Springfield | $23,352 | $4,315 | -81.5% |
| James Roy Southerland | $5,456 | $4,111 | -24.7% |
| Benjamin Charles Petty | $3,728 | $4,017 | 7.8% |
| Jeff Hensley | $20,378 | $3,876 | -81% |
| Andrew Marion Middleton | $8,387 | $3,812 | -54.5% |
| Anthony Scott Causby | $4,557 | $3,642 | -20.1% |
| Wayne Martin | $3,014 | $3,591 | 19.1% |
| William C. Winkler | $13,816 | $3,439 | -75.1% |
| Jason Reed | $7,788 | $3,280 | -57.9% |
| Linda Loughridge | $11,531 | $2,896 | -74.9% |
| Johnny Gallman | $16,701 | $2,863 | -82.9% |
| Bryon K. Sosebee | $5,918 | $2,757 | -53.4% |
| Davis & Davis | $6,435 | $2,329 | -63.8% |
| Olen Joe Tankersley | $13,343 | $2,175 | -83.7% |
| Ivan Franklin III | $13,237 | $1,972 | -85.1% |
| Neil Keener | $27,155 | $1,722 | -93.7% |
| Barron T. Reed | $4,602 | $1,698 | -63.1% |
| Steven Craig Brock | $7,854 | $1,605 | -79.6% |
| Donald Bartley | $10,003 | $1,592 | -84.1% |
| Arthur Calvin Smith Jr. | $2,761 | $1,460 | -47.1% |
| Susan Davenport | $2,135 | $1,436 | -32.7% |
| Clarinda Ridley | $6,248 | $1,424 | -77.2% |
| Keiff M Ellis | $4,739 | $1,242 | -73.8% |
| Seth Jeremiah Davis | $1,188 | $1,188 | 0% |
| Bradley Raymond Ridley | $6,361 | $1,106 | -82.6% |
| Marvin A. Crumbley | $5,058 | $1,105 | -78.2% |
| Terry Lynn Henry | $2,079 | $1,087 | -47.7% |
| Spence Farms, LLC | $6,035 | $1,027 | -83% |
| Aaron Hix | $4,202 | $979 | -76.7% |
| Gregory James Long | $5,326 | $942 | -82.3% |
| Billy R. Childers | $3,696 | $864 | -76.6% |
| Nathan Ray Lents | $1,584 | $828 | -47.7% |
| Josh Etheridge | $3,845 | $811 | -78.9% |
| Mitchell C. Leonard | $3,777 | $762 | -79.8% |
| Freddy Holcomb | $1,089 | $635 | -41.7% |
| Charles M. Crow | $3,212 | $634 | -80.3% |
| James Matthew Harris | $2,603 | $566 | -78.3% |
| William H. D. White | $2,945 | $491 | -83.3% |
| Rick Goley | $2,145 | $431 | -79.9% |
| Barbara Jackson | $792 | $394 | -50.3% |
| John Bruce Alton | $1,318 | $308 | -76.6% |
| Harold C. Hensley | $2,561 | $284 | -88.9% |
| Matt Jordan | $5,327 | $239 | -95.5% |
| Matthew Sanford | $630 | $214 | -66% |
| Scott Arvin Bishop | $804 | $207 | -74.3% |
| Larry B. Young | $3,093 | $105 | -96.6% |
| Amber Nicole Martin | $3,581 | $0 | -100% |
| Candace Martin | $6,553 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles G. Campbell | $573 | $0 | -100% |
| Craighton Leon Roper | $3,581 | $0 | -100% |
| Crystal Amber Loughridge | $7,318 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel Eugene Martin | $11,317 | $0 | -100% |
| David D. Ridley | $605 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Spence | $4,386 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenny Corbin | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Native Forest Nursery, LLC | $193,533 | $0 | -100% |
| Randall F. Porter | $1,815 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $728,932 | $314,679 | -56.8% |
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