Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 49 farmers in cities within Meriwether County received a total of $482,750 in 59 farm subsidies, a 49.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $957,755 in 148 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Busciglio Farms, LLC | $125,728 | $127,794 | 1.6% |
| Flint Forest Products | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Rocky Mount Timber, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| James Arnold Murphy | $47,546 | $47,847 | 0.6% |
| Jeff Mccoy Construction and Grading, LLC | $0 | $39,061 | -- |
| Ranch LLC, P C | $23,071 | $23,071 | 0% |
| Paul Cattle Company, LLC | $136,876 | $21,944 | -84% |
| David A. Lindsey | $28,386 | $21,794 | -23.2% |
| David Ward | $11,142 | $12,421 | 11.5% |
| Timothy C. Rawlins | $63,272 | $9,934 | -84.3% |
| Justin E. Collins | $52,859 | $6,714 | -87.3% |
| Pinky G. Elliott | $6,552 | $6,053 | -7.6% |
| David Lingefelt | $37,904 | $5,876 | -84.5% |
| James E. Collins Jr. | $24,169 | $5,298 | -78.1% |
| Jerry Banks | $10,395 | $3,958 | -61.9% |
| James R. Moreland | $28,301 | $3,830 | -86.5% |
| G. F. Farms, LLC | $30,006 | $3,384 | -88.7% |
| Robert Wright | $22,975 | $3,093 | -86.5% |
| Nina H. Lemmon | $10,803 | $3,091 | -71.4% |
| Sabrina B. Cuddington | $10,739 | $2,606 | -75.7% |
| Angela Hand | $9,835 | $2,067 | -79% |
| Henry Gary Jones | $4,785 | $1,999 | -58.2% |
| Cathy J. McGee | $5,862 | $1,953 | -66.7% |
| Darrell McCoy | $10,939 | $1,922 | -82.4% |
| Joshua E. Wyatt | $15,076 | $1,873 | -87.6% |
| Henry C. Mitcham III | $7,637 | $1,760 | -77% |
| Christopher V. May | $11,936 | $1,716 | -85.6% |
| Jeanie K. Gay | $0 | $1,632 | -- |
| Floyd Strickland | $6,648 | $1,575 | -76.3% |
| Charles Edward Ryan Fuller | $3,135 | $1,366 | -56.4% |
| Josh A. Lott | $8,776 | $1,221 | -86.1% |
| Debbie N. Grimes | $1,077 | $1,077 | 0% |
| Thomas Todd | $6,242 | $1,032 | -83.5% |
| Ronald Robinson | $6,292 | $931 | -85.2% |
| Latartas Germon Mckee | $6,720 | $902 | -86.6% |
| Kenneth H. Jones | $3,319 | $796 | -76% |
| Nancy A. Wiles | $1,314 | $787 | -40.1% |
| Lanny Rampley | $5,786 | $701 | -87.9% |
| Jeffrey Scogin | $2,784 | $577 | -79.3% |
| Tyler Brown | $2,919 | $535 | -81.7% |
| Arlene Blalock | $990 | $518 | -47.7% |
| Jeff McCoy | $1,602 | $518 | -67.7% |
| Willie Grady Dean | $3,370 | $448 | -86.7% |
| Richard Smith | $3,141 | $381 | -87.9% |
| Edea Caldwell | $378 | $378 | 0% |
| Florence Byrd | $1,215 | $208 | -82.9% |
| Ralph Henry | $860 | $163 | -81% |
| Hope C. Grubbs | $3,735 | $138 | -96.3% |
| Aimee D. Costales | $109 | $57 | -47.7% |
| A G Estes, Inc. | $4,035 | $0 | -100% |
| Christopher Waters | $2,750 | $0 | -100% |
| Pat Evers | $92 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert W. Cheatham Jr. | $1,322 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronnie Nicholas Smith | $1,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Andrea Harding | $400 | $0 | -100% |
| Bryan Ellis | $3,587 | $0 | -100% |
| Christopher Waters | $8,250 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Todd | $169 | $0 | -100% |
| Nature's Tree Farm, Inc. | $91,407 | $0 | -100% |
| Row by Rowe Organic Farm, LLC | $17,409 | $0 | -100% |
| James A. Sibley | $1,067 | $0 | -100% |
| Thunderwood Farms, LLC | $18,961 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $957,755 | $482,750 | -49.6% |
Alerts Sign-up