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In 2021, 63 farmers in cities within Buckingham County received a total of $333,176 in 97 farm subsidies, a 37.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $534,233 in 169 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| England Enterprises, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Dunn Farm Business, LLC | $15,257 | $50,359 | 230.1% |
| George N. Christian | $58,045 | $44,584 | -23.2% |
| Kenneth B. Mount | $115,044 | $35,743 | -68.9% |
| Midkiff Trucking, Inc. | $0 | $25,831 | -- |
| David Ray Lesueur | $6,347 | $21,714 | 242.1% |
| Daniel Richard Myers | $0 | $14,561 | -- |
| Rock Mill Farms, Inc. | $20,265 | $11,213 | -44.7% |
| Maxey Farm, LLC | $1,265 | $8,985 | 610.3% |
| Neubauer Farms, LLC | $5,349 | $8,228 | 53.8% |
| Frankie Large Jr. | $28,522 | $4,861 | -83% |
| Whetstone Farm, LLC | $19,100 | $4,718 | -75.3% |
| KM Beasley JR, LLC | $17,051 | $4,706 | -72.4% |
| Edward A. Hanes | $34,327 | $4,366 | -87.3% |
| Charlton Farms, LLC | $11,647 | $2,995 | -74.3% |
| Patrick Snoddy | $13,921 | $2,525 | -81.9% |
| Joel Kane Steinruck | $10,725 | $2,470 | -77% |
| Gaye R. Large | $11,879 | $2,075 | -82.5% |
| Bobby Allen | $9,445 | $1,644 | -82.6% |
| Larry Bryan | $8,682 | $1,578 | -81.8% |
| Shield Anderson Family Limited Partnership | $0 | $1,554 | -- |
| Harry E. Wise Jr. | $10,462 | $1,552 | -85.2% |
| Jerry E. Ownby | $11,155 | $1,539 | -86.2% |
| Earl E. Absher | $6,751 | $1,365 | -79.8% |
| Timothy P. Farrar | $7,145 | $1,286 | -82% |
| David L. Bryan | $6,941 | $1,153 | -83.4% |
| Jeanne A. Lynch | $5,890 | $1,126 | -80.9% |
| Melton W. Taylor | $3,454 | $982 | -71.6% |
| Scott L. Page | $3,696 | $879 | -76.2% |
| Donna H. Stinson | $3,163 | $870 | -72.5% |
| Christopher C. Davis | $4,092 | $852 | -79.2% |
| Mark K. Jamerson | $5,987 | $809 | -86.5% |
| Eldon W. Dunkum | $4,463 | $798 | -82.1% |
| Clifford F. Dodson Jr. | $5,117 | $792 | -84.5% |
| Thomas I. Hill | $3,013 | $752 | -75% |
| Barry D. Warner | $680 | $734 | 7.9% |
| Brenda H. Absher | $739 | $722 | -2.3% |
| Elsie R. Bryan | $969 | $689 | -28.9% |
| John A. Martin | $2,376 | $666 | -72% |
| Clayton E. Mitchell Jr. | $2,043 | $662 | -67.6% |
| Benjamin F. Gormus | $3,212 | $630 | -80.4% |
| Gloria W. Waycaster | $611 | $611 | 0% |
| William Kyle Bryan | $2,937 | $610 | -79.2% |
| William Ray Hanley Jr. | $4,319 | $607 | -85.9% |
| Raymond B. Allen | $3,304 | $577 | -82.5% |
| Charles E. Allen Jr. | $2,867 | $573 | -80% |
| Don L. Harris | $2,355 | $517 | -78% |
| Walter L. Walker III | $1,364 | $430 | -68.5% |
| Alvin J. Thomas Jr. | $6,150 | $427 | -93.1% |
| Peggy C. Wharam | $351 | $350 | -0.3% |
| A & B Farms PTR | $2,137 | $322 | -84.9% |
| Morningstar Ranch | $1,792 | $284 | -84.2% |
| Elizabeth R. Meador | $220 | $226 | 2.7% |
| Gerald C. Flood | $506 | $225 | -55.5% |
| Lynette Shugar | $869 | $208 | -76.1% |
| Samuel L. Hamlett | $935 | $187 | -80% |
| K M Beasley JR Testamentary Trust | $185 | $185 | 0% |
| Nancy H Hallgring | $1,355 | $138 | -89.8% |
| John T. Booker Jr. | $0 | $112 | -- |
| Evelyn G. Bryant | $242 | $65 | -73.1% |
| Julie Kay Poudrier | $1,583 | $40 | -97.5% |
| Mason F. Harkrader | $4,342 | $32 | -99.3% |
| Ruth A. Tipton | $5,296 | $7 | -99.9% |
| Bobbie H. Waycaster | $30 | $0 | -100% |
| Christopher Steven Dunn | $195 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffrey L. Edge | $1,485 | $0 | -100% |
| Phillip N. Boyer | $1,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Poplar View Farm, LLC | $2,895 | $0 | -100% |
| Shield Anderson Family Limited PA | $6,589 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $534,233 | $333,176 | -37.6% |
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