Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 240 farmers in cities within Franklin County received a total of $2.9 million in 474 farm subsidies, a 42.5% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $5 million in 751 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.
Farmers and Their Subsidies in Cities Associated with Franklin County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hodges View Farms, L.L.C. | $451,928 | $200,629 | -55.6% |
| Brookshire Farm, LLC | $57,112 | $132,805 | 132.5% |
| Barny Bay Dairy, Inc. | $659,236 | $121,097 | -81.6% |
| Bowmont Dairy Farm, Inc. | $169,991 | $119,222 | -29.9% |
| Susan Henson | $94,308 | $118,401 | 25.5% |
| David T. Matthews Jr. | $146,970 | $91,509 | -37.7% |
| Robert Levi Rutrough | $111,069 | $79,584 | -28.3% |
| Riverbend Dairy, Inc. | $92,542 | $79,553 | -14% |
| Blackwater Bend Dairy Farm, Inc. | $84,983 | $73,575 | -13.4% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $73,401 | -- |
| Emery Joseph Bowman | $106,235 | $69,909 | -34.2% |
| Eastwind Farm, LLC | $96,785 | $67,381 | -30.4% |
| Franklin Clearview Dairy | $84,818 | $66,417 | -21.7% |
| Andrew Bowman | $52,406 | $64,568 | 23.2% |
| Stephen A. Bray | $59,633 | $62,484 | 4.8% |
| Lance Evan Mason | $7,429 | $61,767 | 731.4% |
| Booth Logging | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Underwood Logging, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Select Timber Harvesting, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Whispering Oaks Farm, Inc. | $81,417 | $50,664 | -37.8% |
| Randolph Jamerson | $10,275 | $50,472 | 391.2% |
| Storey Creek Dairy | $164,286 | $46,254 | -71.8% |
| Witcher Farms, Inc. | $88,957 | $45,496 | -48.9% |
| Sunny Meadow Farm, Inc. | $53,176 | $44,886 | -15.6% |
| C. Green Enterprises | $0 | $44,462 | -- |
| Joanna Bowman Shipp | $2,007 | $40,651 | 1,925.5% |
| Donald Wayne Brooks | $27,107 | $36,855 | 36% |
| Abram J. Heffley | $49,997 | $36,240 | -27.5% |
| Rolling Hills Dairy, LLC | $67,107 | $34,300 | -48.9% |
| Sawyer D. Brooks | $0 | $30,917 | -- |
| Nicholas Drew Mitchell | $26,238 | $28,379 | 8.2% |
| Becky P. Flora | $15,703 | $27,328 | 74% |
| George Thomas Amos | $15,758 | $26,497 | 68.1% |
| Randy G. Jamerson | $77,996 | $26,470 | -66.1% |
| H. N. Barnhart Jr. | $258,171 | $25,187 | -90.2% |
| Kidron Lee Bowman | $0 | $25,045 | -- |
| Harris & Harris Farming, LLC | $31,842 | $23,699 | -25.6% |
| Ronald E. Shelton | $63,258 | $21,390 | -66.2% |
| Jessica Miller Hunt | $0 | $19,991 | -- |
| Keri Altice | $21,211 | $19,556 | -7.8% |
| Charles D. Minnix | $59,714 | $19,492 | -67.4% |
| Bowknott Dairy, LLC | $96,365 | $19,491 | -79.8% |
| Roger Tuggle | $30,765 | $17,918 | -41.8% |
| Willow Tree Nursery, Inc. | $0 | $16,402 | -- |
| Dreama Sigmon Smith | $1,315 | $15,059 | 1,045.2% |
| Chester R. Bowman | $0 | $14,981 | -- |
| Jareco Farms C/O James M Cook, LLC | $35,280 | $13,913 | -60.6% |
| Claude Green | $55,794 | $12,779 | -77.1% |
| Woods Farm | $0 | $12,469 | -- |
| Norris Jay Bowman | $29,863 | $12,385 | -58.5% |
| Sagamore Farms, Inc. | $0 | $12,148 | -- |
| Paul R. Jamerson | $16,900 | $11,495 | -32% |
| Verndale Dairy, Inc. | $17,280 | $10,392 | -39.9% |
| David W. Jamerson | $13,623 | $9,713 | -28.7% |
| Alex Hunt | $34,084 | $9,310 | -72.7% |
| Ann L. Bowman | $0 | $9,017 | -- |
| Kidron Bowman | $14,015 | $8,783 | -37.3% |
| Ned Hudson & Sons | $22,101 | $8,312 | -62.4% |
| Stephen Andrew Bray | $0 | $7,981 | -- |
| Lazy Acres Angus, Inc. | $25,024 | $7,958 | -68.2% |
| Berger Dairy, LLC | $19,723 | $7,587 | -61.5% |
| James M. Bennett | $0 | $7,264 | -- |
| Oakes Dairy Farm, LLC | $95,949 | $7,240 | -92.5% |
| Phillip H. Haynes | $29,634 | $6,924 | -76.6% |
| Sunny Dell Farm, Inc. | $0 | $6,375 | -- |
| Don Sink | $6,764 | $6,205 | -8.3% |
| Hunter Freeland | $3,844 | $5,549 | 44.4% |
| Judy R. Clingenpeel | $22,681 | $5,529 | -75.6% |
| Daniel Lee Austin | $5,913 | $5,211 | -11.9% |
| Ray Arthur Kinsey Jr. | $21,205 | $5,137 | -75.8% |
| Alvin J. Austin | $14,246 | $4,956 | -65.2% |
| Levi Bowman | $8,599 | $4,908 | -42.9% |
| Cline E. Brubaker | $6,052 | $4,866 | -19.6% |
| Pigg River-Black Angus, LLC | $30,188 | $4,675 | -84.5% |
| Bryan David Matthews | $7,618 | $4,573 | -40% |
| Cahas Farms, LLC | $6,750 | $4,414 | -34.6% |
| Jack A. Bowman | $4,920 | $4,400 | -10.6% |
| Lynn R. Flora | $17,834 | $4,339 | -75.7% |
| Michael Chase Scott | $19,784 | $4,309 | -78.2% |
| Donavon Mark Delozier | $0 | $4,243 | -- |
| Michael D. Brubaker | $5,506 | $4,030 | -26.8% |
| Billy Kingery Jr. | $4,115 | $3,936 | -4.3% |
| Robert W. Adkins | $15,719 | $3,763 | -76.1% |
| Gerst Holding, LLC | $3,734 | $3,734 | 0% |
| David C. Mitchell | $11,929 | $3,722 | -68.8% |
| Brian Kevin Rutrough | $4,401 | $3,692 | -16.1% |
| William R. Amos | $19,074 | $3,432 | -82% |
| John T. Hudson | $4,148 | $3,195 | -23% |
| M. D. Laprade Jr. | $3,726 | $3,180 | -14.7% |
| Elliott E. Scott | $28,239 | $3,165 | -88.8% |
| David G. Robertson | $15,937 | $2,974 | -81.3% |
| Leon Michael Chesnutt | $715 | $2,861 | 300.1% |
| Gary L. Reynolds | $57,653 | $2,795 | -95.2% |
| Sharon F. Angell | $34,162 | $2,620 | -92.3% |
| Douglas E. Manning | $13,338 | $2,584 | -80.6% |
| David Kenneth Prillaman | $4,296 | $2,569 | -40.2% |
| Judy P. Tench | $8,084 | $2,551 | -68.4% |
| Hoha Dairy Farm | $9,054 | $2,529 | -72.1% |
| Chris Wayne Poland | $0 | $2,503 | -- |
| Dwayne Edward Manning | $12,548 | $2,461 | -80.4% |
| Stephen W. Henson Jr. | $4,127 | $2,444 | -40.8% |
| Robin B. Powell | $6,752 | $2,304 | -65.9% |
| Russell G. Perdue | $8,977 | $2,299 | -74.4% |
| Joyce Keatts Ingram | $5,822 | $2,278 | -60.9% |
| Wendell Brooks | $2,625 | $2,206 | -16% |
| Dale S. Pugh | $0 | $1,870 | -- |
| Ralph Dwayne Hale Jr. | $9,119 | $1,800 | -80.3% |
| James Randolph Smith | $9,313 | $1,680 | -82% |
| Phillip Ryan Haynes | $6,397 | $1,679 | -73.8% |
| James M. Campbell | $6,076 | $1,671 | -72.5% |
| Terry M. Oakes | $3,216 | $1,662 | -48.3% |
| James H. Durham | $1,452 | $1,630 | 12.3% |
| Katlin E. Meadors | $0 | $1,598 | -- |
| James A. Lawrence | $6,159 | $1,536 | -75.1% |
| James L. Gardner Jr. | $6,512 | $1,520 | -76.7% |
| Stewart L. Adkins | $2,708 | $1,513 | -44.1% |
| E. J. Mitchell | $2,722 | $1,503 | -44.8% |
| Lindsey Perdue | $0 | $1,486 | -- |
| Buren Elmo Mack | $4,009 | $1,483 | -63% |
| Carl E. Lester | $0 | $1,463 | -- |
| Preston O. Belcher | $5,036 | $1,461 | -71% |
| Danny L. Jamison | $6,296 | $1,424 | -77.4% |
| Blane D. Martin | $1,470 | $1,413 | -3.9% |
| Vernon Taylor Walker | $5,283 | $1,413 | -73.3% |
| Lynda E. Wilson | $5,834 | $1,396 | -76.1% |
| Michael B. Hylton | $2,805 | $1,380 | -50.8% |
| Corey Harrison | $7,595 | $1,368 | -82% |
| Ethan R. Cundiff | $1,892 | $1,340 | -29.2% |
| Mearl T Witcher SR | $1,811 | $1,335 | -26.3% |
| Dixie Brown | $3,303 | $1,327 | -59.8% |
| Darryl J. Campbell | $7,532 | $1,315 | -82.5% |
| Charles Edwards III | $3,119 | $1,306 | -58.1% |
| Ricky A. Green | $6,919 | $1,305 | -81.1% |
| Cassandra G. Campbell | $1,565 | $1,286 | -17.8% |
| Mark E. Grindstaff | $4,753 | $1,269 | -73.3% |
| Andy W. Grindstaff | $4,837 | $1,259 | -74% |
| Brian Christopher Bradner | $1,158 | $1,257 | 8.5% |
| Johnny A. Woody | $7,241 | $1,156 | -84% |
| Harold Tweedie | $11,125 | $1,154 | -89.6% |
| Gail D. Smithers | $5,358 | $1,128 | -78.9% |
| Mearl Travis Witcher II | $3,850 | $1,111 | -71.1% |
| Arthur Witcher | $1,472 | $1,082 | -26.5% |
| J. G. Shively | $6,487 | $1,058 | -83.7% |
| Janie Rebecca Adkins | $3,307 | $1,033 | -68.8% |
| Calvin L. Clayborne | $4,081 | $982 | -75.9% |
| Herbert W. Jones | $4,015 | $976 | -75.7% |
| Albert W. Preston | $947 | $888 | -6.2% |
| Patricia Auwarter | $435 | $880 | 102.3% |
| Anthony L. Smith | $3,839 | $878 | -77.1% |
| Leon W. Ingram | $3,183 | $873 | -72.6% |
| Winfred Dale Peters Jr. | $3,987 | $866 | -78.3% |
| Glen Poindexter | $3,825 | $859 | -77.5% |
| Leland Mitchell | $3,238 | $854 | -73.6% |
| Thomas L. Cummings | $4,553 | $831 | -81.7% |
| James A. Boyd | $4,197 | $831 | -80.2% |
| Gary E. Bowman | $0 | $825 | -- |
| Connell a Mcenhimer | $1,196 | $820 | -31.4% |
| Joseph D. David | $4,268 | $816 | -80.9% |
| James W. Lynch | $4,650 | $799 | -82.8% |
| Don Brooks | $5,232 | $758 | -85.5% |
| Allen Wells | $3,773 | $745 | -80.3% |
| Marque Pendleton | $4,211 | $744 | -82.3% |
| Nickolas Luke Hatcher | $3,763 | $736 | -80.4% |
| M. T. Mitchell | $958 | $726 | -24.2% |
| Robert T. Hudson | $3,450 | $726 | -79% |
| Craig Clifford Sloan | $1,554 | $715 | -54% |
| Chris A. Weaver | $2,948 | $689 | -76.6% |
| Donald N. Woody | $985 | $679 | -31.1% |
| Terry L. Jamison | $3,951 | $664 | -83.2% |
| Cale M. Oakes | $2,725 | $664 | -75.6% |
| Dana I. Lydon | $1,923 | $634 | -67% |
| Jeffrey D. Holland | $654 | $631 | -3.5% |
| Dennis W. Keatts | $698 | $628 | -10% |
| Melba Seneff | $275 | $615 | 123.6% |
| Cindy P. Holland | $1,617 | $614 | -62% |
| Andrew Joseph Adkins | $3,486 | $585 | -83.2% |
| Paul Ferguson | $2,162 | $582 | -73.1% |
| Deer Creek Farm | $945 | $582 | -38.4% |
| William Edward Maxwell | $4,193 | $576 | -86.3% |
| Calvin B. Gregory | $3,130 | $575 | -81.6% |
| Tony D. Hatchett | $4,633 | $571 | -87.7% |
| Ronald L. David | $2,343 | $570 | -75.7% |
| John V. Sullivan | $2,623 | $568 | -78.3% |
| Luke E. Jefferson | $3,951 | $554 | -86% |
| Chris Green | $2,739 | $539 | -80.3% |
| Franklin H. Belcher | $652 | $535 | -17.9% |
| Otis Belcher | $652 | $535 | -17.9% |
| Jonathan Smith | $2,814 | $533 | -81.1% |
| Maurice E. Smith | $3,192 | $522 | -83.6% |
| Robert Arthur | $3,247 | $522 | -83.9% |
| Joseph Dalton Hunt | $1,892 | $513 | -72.9% |
| Marie Ann Hatchett | $1,382 | $512 | -63% |
| Oscar Wayne Pagans | $660 | $504 | -23.6% |
| June H. Palmer | $1,353 | $502 | -62.9% |
| Michael D. Adkins | $3,626 | $502 | -86.2% |
| Ronnie Stump | $2,142 | $500 | -76.7% |
| Benjamin Charles Smith | $2,413 | $484 | -79.9% |
| Kenneth C. Sink | $2,544 | $468 | -81.6% |
| William L. Quinn | $2,342 | $453 | -80.7% |
| Ricky Adkins | $2,676 | $447 | -83.3% |
| Pamela B. Hall | $2,102 | $429 | -79.6% |
| Mike W. Wray | $2,249 | $397 | -82.3% |
| Kenneth E. Morris | $2,607 | $367 | -85.9% |
| Robert F. Jones | $1,397 | $349 | -75% |
| L. van Flora | $1,131 | $345 | -69.5% |
| Hershel David Midkiff | $858 | $336 | -60.8% |
| Don W. Palmer | $858 | $336 | -60.8% |
| Duane W. Hale | $0 | $335 | -- |
| Charles S. Hunt | $323 | $323 | 0% |
| Mark Hatcher | $1,367 | $318 | -76.7% |
| Ferrum College | $2,067 | $306 | -85.2% |
| Samuel Turner | $375 | $306 | -18.4% |
| Wallace R. Parker | $1,144 | $302 | -73.6% |
| Tom Riddle | $1,596 | $301 | -81.1% |
| Jimmy Ferguson | $1,717 | $284 | -83.5% |
| Melvin Clark | $1,034 | $267 | -74.2% |
| Davis Mcclain Torrence | $1,495 | $260 | -82.6% |
| Lewis Saul | $1,588 | $254 | -84% |
| Amelia Pickeral | $1,246 | $250 | -79.9% |
| David Jones | $1,716 | $226 | -86.8% |
| Robie L. Tuck | $1,779 | $214 | -88% |
| Chuck Conrad Nichols | $2,635 | $204 | -92.3% |
| Robert L. Mack | $225 | $196 | -12.9% |
| William Benny Gibson | $163 | $163 | 0% |
| Nicole A. Marts | $0 | $158 | -- |
| Kenneth J. Rego | $792 | $151 | -80.9% |
| Scottie Lee Walker | $704 | $138 | -80.4% |
| Linda Mack | $333 | $132 | -60.4% |
| Mozele Alice Witcher | $0 | $121 | -- |
| Edward C Park III | $116 | $116 | 0% |
| Carlton W. Brubaker | $111 | $111 | 0% |
| Nancy W. Martin | $120 | $83 | -30.8% |
| Charlie Mitchell | $83 | $83 | 0% |
| Frank W. Scearce Jr. | $2,028 | $78 | -96.2% |
| Kenneth L. Morrison | $231 | $72 | -68.8% |
| Karen Dawn Lawrence | $51 | $51 | 0% |
| Betty M. Thorp | $35 | $35 | 0% |
| Summer D. Pate | $1,120 | $34 | -97% |
| Connie Jefferson | $16 | $16 | 0% |
| Terry L. Mitchell | $1,053 | $7 | -99.3% |
| Marvin & Lois Bowman Family LP | $41,787 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael F. Kavanaugh | $1,609 | $0 | -100% |
| Patrick Clingenpeel | $139 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald B. Hanawalt | $811 | $0 | -100% |
| Shawn Montgomery | $277 | $0 | -100% |
| Allan Ingram | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Norris Bowman | $555 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert D. Smith | $936 | $0 | -100% |
| William Goff | $1,058 | $0 | -100% |
| James R. James | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Betty M. Jones | $179 | $0 | -100% |
| Bowstring Holsteins, LLC | $61,315 | $0 | -100% |
| Brooks Farm | $98,386 | $0 | -100% |
| Caleb Flora | $322 | $0 | -100% |
| Christopher Craig Sumner | $2,233 | $0 | -100% |
| Christopher Henry Jamison | $2,978 | $0 | -100% |
| Darryl L. Anderson | $2,992 | $0 | -100% |
| David A. Persson | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Dillon W. Clements | $1,237 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $23,472 | $0 | -100% |
| Jacqueline F. Chesnutt | $1,638 | $0 | -100% |
| Jacqueline Wade | $179 | $0 | -100% |
| James Dunn Jr. | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Letha A. McAlexander | $24 | $0 | -100% |
| Marshall Meadows | $220 | $0 | -100% |
| Phillip Swaine | $3,575 | $0 | -100% |
| Ralph M. Mason | $935 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Gillespie | $565 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert L. Pagans | $3,470 | $0 | -100% |
| Scott H. Weaver | $3,240 | $0 | -100% |
| Tony R. Dillon | $605 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas C. Robertson | $2,743 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $5,002,688 | $2,878,499 | -42.5% |
Alerts Sign-up