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In 2021, 68 farmers in cities within Elliott County received a total of $66,970 in 75 farm subsidies, a 70% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $223,314 in 177 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darren Fannin | $8,948 | $31,196 | 248.6% |
| Austin Dickerson | $14,087 | $2,348 | -83.3% |
| Tim Fannin | $16,416 | $2,073 | -87.4% |
| Kenneth C. Skaggs | $6,865 | $1,893 | -72.4% |
| James Allen Prewitt | $9,246 | $1,354 | -85.4% |
| Danny Lee Howard | $4,499 | $1,058 | -76.5% |
| Derek S. Howard | $3,454 | $1,052 | -69.5% |
| Bobby Greene | $4,657 | $1,012 | -78.3% |
| Steve R. Adkins | $6,811 | $983 | -85.6% |
| Tracy Donald Kitchen | $4,994 | $918 | -81.6% |
| Eugene Winkleman | $8,401 | $872 | -89.6% |
| Billy R. Justice | $6,882 | $869 | -87.4% |
| Roger Anthony Wright | $5,104 | $852 | -83.3% |
| William L. Skaggs | $4,169 | $802 | -80.8% |
| Glenn Lyons | $4,384 | $800 | -81.8% |
| Audrey Stafford | $6,853 | $778 | -88.6% |
| Bryan K. Mayse | $1,969 | $777 | -60.5% |
| William Jason Ison | $4,119 | $772 | -81.3% |
| James H. Ison | $3,212 | $743 | -76.9% |
| Billy C. Prewitt | $715 | $742 | 3.8% |
| David K. Maggard | $4,872 | $730 | -85% |
| Emilee B. Riggsby | $3,069 | $724 | -76.4% |
| Roger K. Mayse | $3,949 | $710 | -82% |
| Georgia Ison | $3,168 | $689 | -78.3% |
| Darrell W. Fannin | $3,531 | $682 | -80.7% |
| Linda Stafford | $2,281 | $536 | -76.5% |
| Frank Gillum | $3,272 | $516 | -84.2% |
| Donnie Howard | $2,524 | $506 | -80% |
| Carl Fannin | $4,263 | $498 | -88.3% |
| Tilden Trent | $3,562 | $492 | -86.2% |
| Brenda Thornberry | $4,633 | $467 | -89.9% |
| Dennis Walter | $2,046 | $408 | -80.1% |
| Mitchell Sturgill | $1,452 | $404 | -72.2% |
| Harold Rhondal Sturgill | $2,421 | $391 | -83.8% |
| John Paul Skaggs | $4,920 | $376 | -92.4% |
| John Dean Whitley | $2,904 | $369 | -87.3% |
| David W. Kirk | $2,711 | $366 | -86.5% |
| Jerry Sturgill | $1,452 | $353 | -75.7% |
| Lovel Ison | $1,474 | $333 | -77.4% |
| Larry E. Fraley | $0 | $330 | -- |
| Kristopher R. Whitt | $2,130 | $311 | -85.4% |
| David Prewitt | $693 | $301 | -56.6% |
| Heather D. Smith | $2,172 | $294 | -86.5% |
| Donnie Barker | $1,133 | $290 | -74.4% |
| Charles Ray Pennington | $1,034 | $284 | -72.5% |
| Steven M. Knipp | $1,144 | $278 | -75.7% |
| Edward G. Fannin | $1,826 | $267 | -85.4% |
| Greg Griffith | $1,294 | $263 | -79.7% |
| David Fox | $1,177 | $246 | -79.1% |
| Junior Randolph | $2,112 | $246 | -88.4% |
| Kenneth Moore | $1,155 | $207 | -82.1% |
| Curtis Stephens | $1,949 | $206 | -89.4% |
| Bridgette Kazee | $495 | $197 | -60.2% |
| Curtis Lyons | $1,769 | $197 | -88.9% |
| Timothy Curtis Sparks Jr. | $1,908 | $187 | -90.2% |
| Krandell Sturgill | $1,397 | $180 | -87.1% |
| Hansford Ferguson | $814 | $163 | -80% |
| Rhonda S. Ramey | $462 | $160 | -65.4% |
| Oran Kevin Wright | $765 | $150 | -80.4% |
| Steve Ison | $919 | $118 | -87.2% |
| Kenneth R. Moore | $231 | $117 | -49.4% |
| Cheryl Clevenger | $473 | $104 | -78% |
| Thurman Hutchinson | $396 | $100 | -74.7% |
| David Sturgill | $337 | $91 | -73% |
| Kim Pennington | $856 | $76 | -91.1% |
| Mark T. Queen | $534 | $76 | -85.8% |
| Phillip Gordon Mayse | $880 | $70 | -92% |
| Briant Barker | $33 | $17 | -48.5% |
| Charles W. Stephens | $942 | $0 | -100% |
| Cynthia Clevenger | $135 | $0 | -100% |
| Janet Weaver | $95 | $0 | -100% |
| Jasper Tyler Armstrong | $1,815 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Dale Ison | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Lyda Skaggs | $4,070 | $0 | -100% |
| Melissa D. Simmons | $1,265 | $0 | -100% |
| Royce Carl Wright | $230 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $223,314 | $66,970 | -70% |
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