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In 2021, 108 farmers in cities within Hancock County received a total of $256,558 in 117 farm subsidies, a 68.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $822,296 in 290 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dale Seals | $48,987 | $60,756 | 24% |
| Roger Louthan | $16,365 | $51,521 | 214.8% |
| Marta Stapleton | $47,417 | $12,746 | -73.1% |
| Carl C. Seal | $0 | $11,418 | -- |
| Gary Hicks | $11,316 | $10,224 | -9.7% |
| Jackson D. Barnard | $60,314 | $8,472 | -86% |
| Charles Isaac Hopkins | $35,695 | $7,682 | -78.5% |
| Roger D. Johnson | $37,735 | $5,323 | -85.9% |
| Kenneth Mabe | $12,496 | $3,314 | -73.5% |
| Jimmy D. Lawson | $17,807 | $3,263 | -81.7% |
| Don Gibson | $12,680 | $3,128 | -75.3% |
| Darryl J. Holt | $20,651 | $3,101 | -85% |
| Douglas H. Ramsey | $17,637 | $2,874 | -83.7% |
| James Heydlauff JR | $5,492 | $2,800 | -49% |
| Jason Sexton | $9,313 | $2,115 | -77.3% |
| Heather Burris | $2,109 | $2,109 | 0% |
| Terry Greene | $10,401 | $2,092 | -79.9% |
| Larry Brogan | $7,348 | $1,764 | -76% |
| Thomas Harrison | $11,171 | $1,758 | -84.3% |
| Mike Antrican | $7,626 | $1,716 | -77.5% |
| Ryan Dalton | $7,770 | $1,608 | -79.3% |
| Chris Price | $5,571 | $1,582 | -71.6% |
| Layman Burke | $3,966 | $1,516 | -61.8% |
| David Ferguson | $4,576 | $1,481 | -67.6% |
| Jeff Ferguson | $4,576 | $1,481 | -67.6% |
| Jim Seals | $9,496 | $1,474 | -84.5% |
| William N. McCoy | $9,585 | $1,469 | -84.7% |
| Gregory R. Mitchell | $8,911 | $1,321 | -85.2% |
| Renee Stewart | $8,237 | $1,294 | -84.3% |
| Colby Skidmore | $6,632 | $1,170 | -82.4% |
| Raymond A. Morris | $8,426 | $1,160 | -86.2% |
| David C. Greene Sr. | $4,785 | $1,144 | -76.1% |
| Donnie P. Seal | $6,002 | $1,134 | -81.1% |
| Rodney B. Greene | $5,060 | $1,114 | -78% |
| Gerald Seal | $6,084 | $1,104 | -81.9% |
| Jordan Southern | $10,189 | $1,094 | -89.3% |
| Joseph Southern | $10,189 | $1,094 | -89.3% |
| Joey Southern | $9,929 | $1,069 | -89.2% |
| Dale E. Seal | $5,467 | $1,023 | -81.3% |
| Norman Seal | $9,606 | $1,005 | -89.5% |
| Burkett Johnson | $4,479 | $948 | -78.8% |
| Jerry A. Johnson | $7,918 | $911 | -88.5% |
| Hyle Ferguson | $3,311 | $910 | -72.5% |
| Gary E. Seal | $19,451 | $900 | -95.4% |
| Timothy Dale Johnson | $4,843 | $900 | -81.4% |
| Harold Dean Ramsey | $4,600 | $838 | -81.8% |
| Gary D. Seal | $3,531 | $820 | -76.8% |
| Travis E. Stewart | $5,464 | $817 | -85% |
| Jerry L. Hopkins | $5,356 | $803 | -85% |
| Jack Mullins | $3,722 | $796 | -78.6% |
| Crittis Rasnic | $5,396 | $795 | -85.3% |
| J. D. Fugate | $3,793 | $772 | -79.6% |
| Scott Greene | $3,030 | $770 | -74.6% |
| Nicholas Brian Greene | $12,666 | $740 | -94.2% |
| Donna Ramsey | $1,749 | $726 | -58.5% |
| E. J. Stanifer | $2,838 | $696 | -75.5% |
| Phil Harrison | $4,907 | $686 | -86% |
| Clarence Ferguson | $2,761 | $651 | -76.4% |
| Freddie Mullins | $3,962 | $648 | -83.6% |
| Larry E. Dean | $2,805 | $633 | -77.4% |
| Michael Collins | $4,110 | $599 | -85.4% |
| David T. Jones | $3,983 | $592 | -85.1% |
| Kenneth Johnson | $4,259 | $592 | -86.1% |
| Stephen Lee Lewis | $1,738 | $588 | -66.2% |
| Everett Ramsey | $4,653 | $578 | -87.6% |
| Ronald J. Pareti | $1,760 | $563 | -68% |
| Robbie J. Stewart | $2,360 | $560 | -76.3% |
| Jerry Hopkins | $3,753 | $557 | -85.2% |
| Bobby D. Johnson | $2,728 | $543 | -80.1% |
| Shelburn E. Horton | $3,094 | $543 | -82.4% |
| Dennis Lamb | $2,264 | $542 | -76.1% |
| Anthony Ferguson | $2,167 | $540 | -75.1% |
| Patty Johnson | $2,475 | $538 | -78.3% |
| Lowell Roger Purkey | $3,609 | $532 | -85.3% |
| Jerry Jones Jr. | $3,701 | $529 | -85.7% |
| William Kibert | $2,537 | $481 | -81% |
| Kathy M. Johnson | $2,900 | $467 | -83.9% |
| Kenny Lamb | $1,932 | $460 | -76.2% |
| Jerry L. Brooks Jr. | $12,258 | $458 | -96.3% |
| Amanda D. Helton | $1,969 | $436 | -77.9% |
| Richard Drinnon | $19,598 | $430 | -97.8% |
| Billy McMurry | $2,112 | $391 | -81.5% |
| Bruce Parkey | $1,441 | $388 | -73.1% |
| Dayton Sutton | $1,452 | $338 | -76.7% |
| Roy G. Robertson III | $1,750 | $328 | -81.3% |
| Joshua Smith | $2,103 | $315 | -85% |
| Ronald Ramsey | $2,003 | $308 | -84.6% |
| Daniel Johnson | $1,651 | $305 | -81.5% |
| Lorna J. Gagnon | $4,830 | $284 | -94.1% |
| Kenneth D. Shockley | $1,847 | $280 | -84.8% |
| Allen Dale Davis | $1,924 | $273 | -85.8% |
| Patrick Seal | $726 | $262 | -63.9% |
| Devin Johnson | $2,706 | $242 | -91.1% |
| Glenda Lemons | $1,487 | $239 | -83.9% |
| Harold J. Johnson | $1,422 | $239 | -83.2% |
| Nancy P. Goode | $1,001 | $232 | -76.8% |
| Michael Ramsey | $638 | $231 | -63.8% |
| James T. Coffey | $2,896 | $224 | -92.3% |
| Jessie Royston | $2,804 | $206 | -92.7% |
| Grady Royston | $704 | $204 | -71% |
| Carlos M. Welch Jr. | $880 | $187 | -78.8% |
| Gary M. Dossett | $385 | $168 | -56.4% |
| Darrel M. Hatfield | $726 | $146 | -79.9% |
| Nathan Hopkins | $751 | $120 | -84% |
| James Lenard Dalton | $554 | $114 | -79.4% |
| Howard E. Perry | $330 | $94 | -71.5% |
| Lester C. Johnson | $24 | $24 | 0% |
| Katrina Mahan | $15 | $15 | 0% |
| Charles Martin | $56 | $0 | -100% |
| Circle V Farms, Inc. | $2,657 | $0 | -100% |
| Danny G. Jones | $1,595 | $0 | -100% |
| Geoff Serata | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Hugh Kyle Royston | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Jimmy Dalton | $238 | $0 | -100% |
| Keith E. Cowan | $1,265 | $0 | -100% |
| L. C. Ferguson | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert C. Rothman | $41,680 | $0 | -100% |
| Scotty Nichols | $1,451 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $822,296 | $256,558 | -68.8% |
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