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In 2021, 70 farmers in cities within Upson County received a total of $620,357 in 90 farm subsidies, a 35.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $963,940 in 199 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haygood Dairy Farm, LLC | $99,597 | $113,578 | 14% |
| John H. Johnson | $0 | $111,407 | -- |
| SSS Farms | $64,900 | $82,712 | 27.4% |
| Paul J. Wallace | $0 | $54,436 | -- |
| Janie Evans | $0 | $52,219 | -- |
| James E. Craft Jr. | $11,044 | $44,542 | 303.3% |
| Russell Blackston | $0 | $26,983 | -- |
| Timothy R Huff | $0 | $16,740 | -- |
| Terry J. Hollis | $3,124 | $14,447 | 362.5% |
| Danny Bentley | $4,563 | $10,102 | 121.4% |
| Felton Reeves | $2,676 | $8,097 | 202.6% |
| Ken Wilson | $0 | $6,866 | -- |
| Lee Woodall | $9,145 | $5,887 | -35.6% |
| Kevin Brown | $23,144 | $4,878 | -78.9% |
| Jackie E. Faulkner | $16,182 | $4,243 | -73.8% |
| Benjamin D. Bridges | $17,400 | $3,838 | -77.9% |
| Stephen F. Brown | $14,059 | $3,831 | -72.8% |
| Hugh Edwin Thompson Jr. | $13,895 | $3,680 | -73.5% |
| Christopher N. Callahan | $8,940 | $3,389 | -62.1% |
| B & B Farm Services, LLC | $13,738 | $3,104 | -77.4% |
| Steven J. Harper | $15,767 | $2,871 | -81.8% |
| Joseph A. Porter | $18,021 | $2,842 | -84.2% |
| Rocky D. Strickland | $274,110 | $2,611 | -99% |
| Mark Wesley Gassett | $20,413 | $2,441 | -88% |
| Roberts Brothers Farm Enterprises, LLC | $9,111 | $2,250 | -75.3% |
| James Meeks | $11,311 | $2,193 | -80.6% |
| Gold Rock Farms, LLC | $10,395 | $2,072 | -80.1% |
| Samuel W. Smith III | $7,896 | $1,716 | -78.3% |
| Delray Cattle Company, LLC | $12,998 | $1,468 | -88.7% |
| Justin Frank Savage | $7,315 | $1,345 | -81.6% |
| Aubrey Ivey | $2,871 | $1,330 | -53.7% |
| Roswell Aydlotte | $5,506 | $1,313 | -76.2% |
| Larry Ward | $8,658 | $1,306 | -84.9% |
| John D. Ruffin | $5,718 | $1,034 | -81.9% |
| James C. Harper | $5,290 | $1,024 | -80.6% |
| John W. Heard | $6,531 | $981 | -85% |
| Josh H. Hardy | $4,534 | $979 | -78.4% |
| James L. Day | $5,075 | $840 | -83.4% |
| Donna K. Strom | $1,609 | $829 | -48.5% |
| Hazel Young | $5,152 | $786 | -84.7% |
| Leonard Anthony | $5,978 | $754 | -87.4% |
| Sidney L Beach and Arthur J Beach Cattle Ranch Enterprises D | $7,987 | $738 | -90.8% |
| Robert Fallin | $4,757 | $712 | -85% |
| Complete Circle Farm, LLC | $5,018 | $696 | -86.1% |
| Derward W Fuller | $2,541 | $694 | -72.7% |
| Thomas Johnston | $4,156 | $665 | -84% |
| Cynthia N. Douglas | $1,302 | $636 | -51.2% |
| Marty Fordham | $2,963 | $617 | -79.2% |
| Ann M. Olive | $6,490 | $540 | -91.7% |
| Grady T. Rogers | $2,085 | $536 | -74.3% |
| Donna Jean McCard | $792 | $505 | -36.2% |
| Kenneth L. McDaniel | $0 | $440 | -- |
| Cattle Rock Angus Farms, Inc. | $957 | $437 | -54.3% |
| Bruce W. Watson | $1,969 | $416 | -78.9% |
| Charles David Short | $413 | $413 | 0% |
| Stephen L. Short | $413 | $413 | 0% |
| James Presley | $1,180 | $402 | -65.9% |
| Jeremy Basilici | $1,980 | $394 | -80.1% |
| William Johnston | $790 | $387 | -51% |
| Brian Johnston | $2,845 | $384 | -86.5% |
| Archie J. Raines | $2,522 | $345 | -86.3% |
| Thomas R. Andrews | $9,703 | $334 | -96.6% |
| Darrell C. Hudson | $1,930 | $273 | -85.9% |
| Ernie Joe Williams | $1,056 | $256 | -75.8% |
| Rodney N. Wainwright | $898 | $247 | -72.5% |
| Warrington Farm, LLC | $1,287 | $242 | -81.2% |
| Timothy Clint Boyt | $1,078 | $204 | -81.1% |
| CCK Farms, LLC | $714 | $195 | -72.7% |
| Tommy A. Daniel | $1,256 | $152 | -87.9% |
| Paul Boettcher | $473 | $120 | -74.6% |
| John Roberson Floyd Jr. | $243 | $0 | -100% |
| Roger Gordon Brooke | $2,970 | $0 | -100% |
| Boyt Farm | $941 | $0 | -100% |
| Boyt's Hay Service | $13,158 | $0 | -100% |
| Fussell Tree Farms, LLLP | $4,318 | $0 | -100% |
| Harold Fallin | $1,985 | $0 | -100% |
| Trustin Brazer | $2,172 | $0 | -100% |
| Rocky Hills Farm, Inc. | $7,960 | $0 | -100% |
| Southern Nursery Products, Inc. | $113,972 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $963,940 | $620,357 | -35.6% |
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