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In 2021, 130 farmers in cities within Botetourt County received a total of $695,477 in 180 farm subsidies, a 62.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.9 million in 335 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cave Hill Dairy Farm | $102,032 | $72,195 | -29.2% |
| Jason A. Martin | $63,481 | $52,881 | -16.7% |
| Eddie Dooley, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| K Dudley Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Flowing Spring Farm | $67,339 | $43,427 | -35.5% |
| Ikenberry Family, LLC | $0 | $40,537 | -- |
| Environmental Logging & Forestry Management, LLC | $0 | $39,357 | -- |
| E H Stevens Farm | $118,167 | $29,005 | -75.5% |
| Steven D. Thomas | $0 | $27,617 | -- |
| Warren L Stevens and Son, Inc. | $52,841 | $18,121 | -65.7% |
| John L Etzler, Inc. | $115,349 | $18,104 | -84.3% |
| Bryant Orchards, Inc. | $109,201 | $18,074 | -83.4% |
| Super M Farms, LLC | $47,957 | $16,067 | -66.5% |
| Richard A. Divers | $15,221 | $15,883 | 4.3% |
| G & L Farms, LLC | $41,532 | $14,980 | -63.9% |
| Cecil G. Neil | $0 | $13,096 | -- |
| 4 M Cattle Company, LLC | $83,707 | $11,160 | -86.7% |
| David Ray Kincaid | $9,391 | $9,853 | 4.9% |
| Beaver Dam Farms, Inc. | $23,841 | $9,635 | -59.6% |
| Michael L. Seibel | $32,768 | $8,639 | -73.6% |
| Diane Poole | $870 | $7,757 | 791.6% |
| Martin Farm, LLC | $46,110 | $6,365 | -86.2% |
| Highland Grove Farm | $0 | $4,675 | -- |
| Hayley Wentzel Ronk | $0 | $4,115 | -- |
| James E. Beamer Jr. | $4,014 | $4,014 | 0% |
| James W. Johnson | $18,125 | $3,970 | -78.1% |
| Harry B. Markham III | $17,655 | $3,487 | -80.2% |
| The Estate of Madeline M Theimer | $14,658 | $3,379 | -76.9% |
| Kathryn L. Bush | $0 | $2,970 | -- |
| James Robert Snavely | $18,844 | $2,850 | -84.9% |
| Carl C. Cahoon | $14,004 | $2,790 | -80.1% |
| John W. Rader Sr. | $11,931 | $2,676 | -77.6% |
| James E. Huffman | $13,636 | $2,365 | -82.7% |
| Q Cattle Company, LLC | $0 | $2,365 | -- |
| John Willis Lewis | $7,526 | $2,258 | -70% |
| William Scott Fisher | $12,987 | $2,153 | -83.4% |
| Jerry L. Schall | $3,614 | $2,105 | -41.8% |
| Thomas Luke Williamson | $7,666 | $2,094 | -72.7% |
| Percy Norwood Bolton Jr. | $0 | $2,090 | -- |
| Lanetta T. Ware | $7,931 | $2,056 | -74.1% |
| Keller W. Poole Jr. | $4,942 | $1,903 | -61.5% |
| Jonathan Floyd Underwood | $10,832 | $1,846 | -83% |
| Barry L. Holland | $0 | $1,815 | -- |
| William H. Stinnett | $10,519 | $1,812 | -82.8% |
| Alan W. Lee | $8,164 | $1,789 | -78.1% |
| John M. Fowler | $9,319 | $1,784 | -80.9% |
| Michael E. Cahoon | $6,775 | $1,734 | -74.4% |
| Matthew A. Manbeck | $0 | $1,604 | -- |
| Steven L. Kidd | $5,833 | $1,513 | -74.1% |
| David K. Rader | $8,211 | $1,430 | -82.6% |
| Luther W. Compton | $7,616 | $1,412 | -81.5% |
| Carl Powers | $8,466 | $1,376 | -83.7% |
| C & J Farm | $0 | $1,375 | -- |
| Jeffrey D. Hill | $6,314 | $1,328 | -79% |
| Thomas H. Hearn | $6,080 | $1,299 | -78.6% |
| Brian K. Walker | $4,103 | $1,166 | -71.6% |
| Randy M. Price | $0 | $1,155 | -- |
| Quinn Linkenauger | $28,072 | $1,126 | -96% |
| Leon P. Woods | $7,539 | $1,117 | -85.2% |
| Norman O. Woods | $7,539 | $1,108 | -85.3% |
| John C. Theimer | $4,125 | $1,011 | -75.5% |
| Thomas A. Wilbon III | $4,950 | $988 | -80% |
| Francis Farms, LLC | $7,316 | $986 | -86.5% |
| Frank Leonard | $3,938 | $985 | -75% |
| Andrew Malcolm Cahoon | $5,693 | $930 | -83.7% |
| Eloise F. Maloney | $925 | $925 | 0% |
| Anita J. Firebaugh | $5,245 | $893 | -83% |
| William E. Taylor | $3,236 | $868 | -73.2% |
| Samuel C. Foster | $3,344 | $830 | -75.2% |
| Samuel Mark Duvall | $2,544 | $823 | -67.6% |
| Raymond T. Snyder | $5,941 | $813 | -86.3% |
| Gary Wayne Guilliams | $3,618 | $797 | -78% |
| Gerald W. Breeden | $3,653 | $795 | -78.2% |
| David C. Witt | $5,295 | $740 | -86% |
| C & W Farms, LLC | $584 | $740 | 26.7% |
| David M. Fowler | $4,482 | $730 | -83.7% |
| Penny Ann Cochran | $3,268 | $730 | -77.7% |
| Emily Beavers Zollman | $1,947 | $687 | -64.7% |
| Penn Farm, LLC | $4,862 | $681 | -86% |
| Joshua E. Hammond | $4,232 | $671 | -84.1% |
| Robert L. Hubbard | $5,023 | $658 | -86.9% |
| Allan C. Shay | $2,864 | $656 | -77.1% |
| Arthur Price Simpson | $2,629 | $617 | -76.5% |
| Bobbie W. Bowman | $1,230 | $615 | -50% |
| Danny Lee Simmons | $3,483 | $602 | -82.7% |
| William F. Chambers | $2,728 | $584 | -78.6% |
| Jeffrey Todd Smith | $1,584 | $574 | -63.8% |
| Barry G. Edwards | $2,284 | $561 | -75.4% |
| Jeffrey A. Wood | $2,431 | $550 | -77.4% |
| Eric K. Layman | $19,271 | $532 | -97.2% |
| Charlie L. Gills | $2,842 | $529 | -81.4% |
| Tommy L. Moore | $527 | $527 | 0% |
| Claude Lynn Camper | $2,951 | $501 | -83% |
| Melinda Gayle Powers | $3,046 | $470 | -84.6% |
| Hayley Amanda Wentzel | $0 | $465 | -- |
| William M. Firebaugh | $2,296 | $456 | -80.1% |
| Kenneth G. Hale | $1,892 | $453 | -76.1% |
| John P. Hammond | $2,801 | $446 | -84.1% |
| Matthew L. Peery | $0 | $440 | -- |
| Harry L. Montgomery | $2,013 | $432 | -78.5% |
| Brian Dale Lester | $2,529 | $431 | -83% |
| Michael R. Walker | $1,969 | $424 | -78.5% |
| Joshua D. Golla | $2,603 | $422 | -83.8% |
| David W. Tribbett | $1,606 | $394 | -75.5% |
| Scott B. Ward | $387 | $387 | 0% |
| Carl Saunders | $1,661 | $380 | -77.1% |
| Allen Lowell Hubbard | $1,809 | $360 | -80.1% |
| Dana William Hill | $1,639 | $350 | -78.6% |
| Richard E. Caldwell | $2,469 | $339 | -86.3% |
| Dorsey Jay Poling | $1,374 | $337 | -75.5% |
| Ryan Alexander Smith | $2,729 | $336 | -87.7% |
| James E. Hancock | $1,938 | $329 | -83% |
| James Lee Manspile | $2,516 | $328 | -87% |
| Richard V. Simpson | $1,034 | $325 | -68.6% |
| John Joseph Borer | $1,429 | $305 | -78.7% |
| Rhonda Tyree Wray | $633 | $293 | -53.7% |
| Donald J. Race | $278 | $278 | 0% |
| Alphin Acres, LLC | $472 | $236 | -50% |
| Michael Earl Cahoon Jr. | $1,001 | $211 | -78.9% |
| Charles Bradley Isbel | $825 | $208 | -74.8% |
| Robert H. Myers | $185 | $185 | 0% |
| Sunny Side Ranch, LLC. | $1,061 | $168 | -84.2% |
| Gregory D. Pillis | $120 | $120 | 0% |
| Charles M. Leonard Jr. | $0 | $110 | -- |
| Bradley Wayne Ronk | $616 | $86 | -86% |
| Keith J. Williams | $242 | $73 | -69.8% |
| Ronald W. Calhoun | $853 | $69 | -91.9% |
| Ned B. Jeter II | $171 | $51 | -70.2% |
| Charles E. Alphin | $143 | $42 | -70.6% |
| Cahoon Bros | $0 | $2 | -- |
| Donald Lee Wray Jr. | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles K. Camper II | $3,245 | $0 | -100% |
| Travis L. Holland | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Allen Properties, LLC | $775 | $0 | -100% |
| Steele Cattle Services, LLC | $446,130 | $0 | -100% |
| Barbara M. McNamara | $926 | $0 | -100% |
| Clayton M. Baker | $7,111 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry W. Dancy | $2,388 | $0 | -100% |
| Madeline M. Theimer | $2,292 | $0 | -100% |
| David L. Frantz | $473 | $0 | -100% |
| Nancy J. Marshall | $617 | $0 | -100% |
| Steven L. Brickey | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,863,989 | $695,477 | -62.7% |
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