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In 2021, 71 farmers in cities within Pike County received a total of $299,173 in 99 farm subsidies, a 71.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.1 million in 232 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottoms Nursery, LLC | $23,183 | $58,839 | 153.8% |
| Harvey G. Ward | $5,159 | $31,710 | 514.7% |
| Green Family Farm, Inc. | $4,910 | $24,493 | 398.8% |
| Elnora Courtney Trust | $17,640 | $17,640 | 0% |
| Allen Lee Brock Jr. | $0 | $12,411 | -- |
| Southern States Equities, Inc. | $54,334 | $12,137 | -77.7% |
| William Grady Hammock | $69,559 | $10,378 | -85.1% |
| C. E. Sword Jr. | $49,579 | $9,795 | -80.2% |
| Caldwell Farm & Land, LLC | $50,394 | $8,599 | -82.9% |
| Bettye S. Rumble | $7,451 | $7,451 | 0% |
| Sandra Desalvo | $14,586 | $6,943 | -52.4% |
| Gregg Farms, Inc. | $28,837 | $6,770 | -76.5% |
| William N. Mixon | $16,973 | $6,401 | -62.3% |
| 4R Cattle Company, LLC | $27,687 | $5,516 | -80.1% |
| Beckham Enterprises, LLLP | $11,701 | $5,080 | -56.6% |
| Leiv M Takle | $21,604 | $5,066 | -76.6% |
| Barry F. Alexander | $26,181 | $4,978 | -81% |
| Codi R. Chapman | $16,371 | $4,311 | -73.7% |
| Bart Miller Jr. | $6,615 | $3,996 | -39.6% |
| Frank L. Bahin, JR | $9,829 | $3,620 | -63.2% |
| James T. King | $7,112 | $3,182 | -55.3% |
| Green Valley Farms | $40,964 | $3,145 | -92.3% |
| Steven T. Yerkes | $6,331 | $2,988 | -52.8% |
| Edward English | $13,379 | $2,713 | -79.7% |
| Richard Gardner | $10,960 | $2,036 | -81.4% |
| Pennington Farm | $16,439 | $2,006 | -87.8% |
| Jerry Colwell | $11,867 | $1,910 | -83.9% |
| William R. Ballard | $2,630 | $1,797 | -31.7% |
| L O Maxwell Farms, Inc. | $6,699 | $1,791 | -73.3% |
| John R. Boren | $7,161 | $1,748 | -75.6% |
| Wayne Lohman | $11,876 | $1,732 | -85.4% |
| Michael A. Buford | $6,537 | $1,727 | -73.6% |
| Herbert H. Willis III | $6,281 | $1,703 | -72.9% |
| James T. McCrary | $8,200 | $1,606 | -80.4% |
| Glenn Callaway | $9,256 | $1,326 | -85.7% |
| Johnny G. Bowen | $2,937 | $1,273 | -56.7% |
| Donna M. Lopes | $4,840 | $1,258 | -74% |
| Rodney H. Hilley | $7,065 | $1,229 | -82.6% |
| Raphael E. Brumbeloe | $5,173 | $1,113 | -78.5% |
| Joshua James Davis | $3,762 | $1,093 | -70.9% |
| Christopher Alan Riner | $5,346 | $1,086 | -79.7% |
| Berlin F. Campbell | $7,452 | $1,072 | -85.6% |
| Kenneth Wood | $3,575 | $1,052 | -70.6% |
| Donald B. Connell Jr. | $1,879 | $919 | -51.1% |
| David C. White | $4,037 | $909 | -77.5% |
| Charles R. Cochran | $4,425 | $874 | -80.2% |
| Misty Ann Lamb | $2,398 | $768 | -68% |
| Charles R. Gwyn III | $5,769 | $720 | -87.5% |
| Terry K. Adams | $3,575 | $692 | -80.6% |
| Arthur W. Perkins | $2,585 | $686 | -73.5% |
| Reginald Howard Blount | $4,286 | $662 | -84.6% |
| Pledger D. Reems | $3,297 | $645 | -80.4% |
| John W. Crowder Jr. | $2,481 | $624 | -74.8% |
| Leonard W. Shirley | $3,442 | $572 | -83.4% |
| Fred Dupree | $2,145 | $532 | -75.2% |
| Denise Chambley | $469 | $469 | 0% |
| Lee Anthony Stewart | $9,825 | $450 | -95.4% |
| Robert Eppinger | $1,870 | $384 | -79.5% |
| Linda C. Smith | $2,111 | $355 | -83.2% |
| Jerry N. Lawrence Jr. | $1,389 | $303 | -78.2% |
| Charles J. Gabriel | $607 | $279 | -54% |
| Lisa A. Pierce | $1,675 | $270 | -83.9% |
| Carl Glenn Cochran | $1,929 | $266 | -86.2% |
| Sherylee Blohm | $1,593 | $253 | -84.1% |
| Jeffrey L. Jacobs | $836 | $207 | -75.2% |
| Randy E. Cook | $1,056 | $156 | -85.2% |
| Trisha A. Boyt | $1,232 | $147 | -88.1% |
| William R. Herriage | $568 | $126 | -77.8% |
| Miriam S. Griffin | $517 | $114 | -77.9% |
| Sarah Jane Harkness | $353 | $36 | -89.8% |
| Mark Molyneux | $56 | $35 | -37.5% |
| Eugene H. Garner Jr. | $935 | $0 | -100% |
| Johnna M. Johnson | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Dorsey Tree Farms, LLC | $100,531 | $0 | -100% |
| Melanie McLendon | $891 | $0 | -100% |
| Mid Georgia Nursery, Inc. | $199,499 | $0 | -100% |
| Nelson J. Hollingsworth | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| Leslie Chambers | $3,390 | $0 | -100% |
| Molena Horse & Cattle Company, LLC | $4,455 | $0 | -100% |
| Randy Winters Sr. | $2,640 | $0 | -100% |
| Suzanne Brown Kozee | $1,262 | $0 | -100% |
| Ashley Riner | $2,086 | $0 | -100% |
| Durward L. Smith | $187 | $0 | -100% |
| Roxie D. Daniel | $323 | $0 | -100% |
| Jesse F. Armistead Jr. | $1,760 | $0 | -100% |
| Jones Cattle Company, LLC | $3,300 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,057,144 | $299,173 | -71.7% |
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