Roanoke Sun

Farms in Alleghany County received $2,356 in taxpayer-funded subsidies in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Of the seven subsidies provided, the largest was for William R. Thompson, which received $786 for the claim of "Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 3 - Livestock and Poultry".

The smallest subsidy provided to a Alleghany County farmer was $60 to William R. Thompson.

There was the same amount of subsidies than the year before, and the total value of the subsidies fell by $7,724.

Kimberly Amadeo of The Balance said farmer subsidies "help high-income corporations, not poor rural farmers. Most of the money goes toward large agribusinesses."

USDA data analyzed by the Cato Institute found that "farmers (on net) have derived almost 40% of their income directly from the U.S. government” in recent years.

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	$ Received	Reason for Subsidy	Total Received in Subsidies by Farmer ($)
William R. Thompson	$786	Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 3 - Livestock and Poultry	$994
Glen A. Bryant	$461	Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 3 - Livestock and Poultry	$1,138
Glen A. Bryant	$387	Price Loss Coverage Program	$1,138
Glen A. Bryant	$290	Price Loss Coverage Program	$1,138
Kimberley A. Wilhelm	$224	Price Loss Coverage Program	$224
William R. Thompson	$148	Price Loss Coverage Program	$994
William R. Thompson	$60	Price Loss Coverage Program	$994