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In 2021, 61 farmers in cities within Craig County received a total of $185,173 in 82 farm subsidies, a 53.9% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $401,897 in 166 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B & B Logging, LLC | $0 | $28,081 | -- |
| Kenneth R. Dudding | $0 | $23,031 | -- |
| Richard Cornwall Peverall JR | $14,908 | $16,259 | 9.1% |
| Kristen Elizabeth Mattox | $0 | $10,575 | -- |
| Jeannie Layton-Dudding | $5,139 | $8,658 | 68.5% |
| Keffer Dairy, LLC | $13,128 | $8,363 | -36.3% |
| Steven A. Wright | $0 | $7,838 | -- |
| George C. Snead Jr. | $19,066 | $5,770 | -69.7% |
| Graylen L Alley | $19,085 | $5,502 | -71.2% |
| James William Cockrell | $7,955 | $5,334 | -32.9% |
| Robert L. Keffer | $32,172 | $5,152 | -84% |
| Noel M. Huffman | $25,563 | $3,522 | -86.2% |
| Alan R. Lugar | $14,014 | $3,467 | -75.3% |
| Andrew Lance Hutton | $17,591 | $3,301 | -81.2% |
| William Oscar Huffman | $12,369 | $2,877 | -76.7% |
| James C. Crawford | $3,990 | $2,856 | -28.4% |
| Danny M. McPherson | $8,646 | $2,567 | -70.3% |
| Lewis W. Farrier III | $11,495 | $2,528 | -78% |
| Donald W. Jones | $11,985 | $2,298 | -80.8% |
| Little Mountain Farms | $7,401 | $2,155 | -70.9% |
| Dennis D. Williams | $10,739 | $1,972 | -81.6% |
| Lewis S. Pauley | $9,042 | $1,859 | -79.4% |
| Benji D. Smith | $11,475 | $1,698 | -85.2% |
| Bruce E. Huffman | $0 | $1,595 | -- |
| Harold Wayne Mattox | $6,070 | $1,540 | -74.6% |
| Barnes & Hester | $6,400 | $1,461 | -77.2% |
| Wallace Farm, LLC | $5,720 | $1,433 | -74.9% |
| Carl David Bailey | $9,458 | $1,388 | -85.3% |
| James R. Stephens | $5,995 | $1,311 | -78.1% |
| Claude E. Caldwell | $6,149 | $1,305 | -78.8% |
| Russell Edwin Mattox | $5,984 | $1,261 | -78.9% |
| Samuel Ryan Alley | $4,118 | $1,168 | -71.6% |
| John A. Hunter | $5,642 | $1,164 | -79.4% |
| Loretta W. Kessinger | $6,550 | $1,087 | -83.4% |
| William M. Sowers | $4,818 | $1,024 | -78.7% |
| Virginia S. Koger | $2,688 | $982 | -63.5% |
| John M. Crawford | $4,594 | $923 | -79.9% |
| Donnie E. Fisher | $4,488 | $917 | -79.6% |
| Orman E. Mattox | $3,366 | $895 | -73.4% |
| Ralph M. Bradley | $4,971 | $875 | -82.4% |
| Philip S. Keffer | $5,182 | $842 | -83.8% |
| Ronald Harlow Niday | $4,445 | $809 | -81.8% |
| Steven Allen Carper Jr. | $3,780 | $741 | -80.4% |
| Life of Leisure, LLC | $3,410 | $734 | -78.5% |
| James L. Crawford | $528 | $644 | 22% |
| Daniel W. Givens | $2,761 | $581 | -79% |
| Michael W. Bradley | $2,177 | $513 | -76.4% |
| Anna F. Smith | $0 | $486 | -- |
| Jerry W. Bell Jr. | $4,501 | $460 | -89.8% |
| Cold Creek Cattle & Hay, LLC | $1,452 | $449 | -69.1% |
| Carroll J. Winstead | $5,016 | $399 | -92% |
| Wade L. Dudding | $1,837 | $388 | -78.9% |
| Michael Randy Dudding | $2,561 | $378 | -85.2% |
| Fisher Farm, LLC | $1,960 | $348 | -82.2% |
| Leonard R. Smith | $1,584 | $340 | -78.5% |
| Joel M. Johnston | $1,364 | $284 | -79.2% |
| John L. Looney | $0 | $275 | -- |
| Edmond Chris Strange | $0 | $214 | -- |
| Jerry D. Crawford | $1,443 | $197 | -86.3% |
| Lynne Summey Strange | $0 | $73 | -- |
| Sue S. Bostic | $325 | $26 | -92% |
| Carter Fleming | $7,008 | $0 | -100% |
| Donna K Deplazes | $1,262 | $0 | -100% |
| Elizabeth L. Spellman | $1,843 | $0 | -100% |
| Jessica B. Williams | $220 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph P Waldin | $1,282 | $0 | -100% |
| Lake L Huffman III | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Sarah Smith Farrell | $988 | $0 | -100% |
| Tracy R. Frist | $1,369 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $401,897 | $185,173 | -53.9% |
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