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In 2021, 125 farmers in cities within Gaston County received a total of $1 million in 186 farm subsidies, a 56.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.3 million in 353 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beam Dairy, LLC | $943,027 | $152,319 | -83.8% |
| Eaker Dairy, Inc. | $461,331 | $148,654 | -67.8% |
| John Edley Lattimore | $1,647 | $104,148 | 6,223.5% |
| Mary H. Proctor | $134,467 | $101,620 | -24.4% |
| Forest Pine Resources, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Stowe Timber, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| KB Farms of Arkansas LP | $72,442 | $37,474 | -48.3% |
| EB&R, LLC | $9,126 | $29,653 | 224.9% |
| Eagles Nest Farms of Arkansas LP | $42,815 | $29,204 | -31.8% |
| Richard D. Plonk Jr. | $22,929 | $28,340 | 23.6% |
| Melvin L. Kiser Jr. | $60,915 | $26,719 | -56.1% |
| Ted Stroup | $44,298 | $25,068 | -43.4% |
| Bryant Agent, LLC | $0 | $16,822 | -- |
| Robert William Buckles | $27,298 | $15,904 | -41.7% |
| Richard S. Glover | $29,211 | $14,309 | -51% |
| Tony G. Cooper | $16,033 | $13,259 | -17.3% |
| Adrian Certain | $24,682 | $13,185 | -46.6% |
| Gibbons Farm, LLC | $12,686 | $12,686 | 0% |
| Lorene R. Thom | $11,694 | $11,694 | 0% |
| Steven R. Gunnell | $16,368 | $7,101 | -56.6% |
| William P. Aycock Jr. | $13,597 | $6,705 | -50.7% |
| Carl L. Murphy | $5,892 | $5,892 | 0% |
| Eileen Yeager | $3,737 | $5,707 | 52.7% |
| Richard K. Oates | $5,738 | $5,446 | -5.1% |
| Alice Slater | $4,424 | $4,672 | 5.6% |
| Brent P. Baxter | $13,411 | $4,612 | -65.6% |
| Donald Russell Carpenter Jr. | $6,410 | $4,192 | -34.6% |
| David Charles Stroup | $11,682 | $4,128 | -64.7% |
| Robert B. Carroll | $4,782 | $3,705 | -22.5% |
| Martin C. Bess | $6,437 | $3,261 | -49.3% |
| Rodney Jay Rednour | $13,286 | $3,242 | -75.6% |
| Fred P. Robinson | $5,461 | $3,073 | -43.7% |
| Clifford Wade Ward | $4,975 | $3,045 | -38.8% |
| William H. Jarman Jr. | $0 | $2,843 | -- |
| Joseph H. Henkle | $3,299 | $2,740 | -16.9% |
| Beam & Rhodes Farm, Inc. | $12,477 | $2,375 | -81% |
| Michael Eric Broome | $2,870 | $2,369 | -17.5% |
| Gary M. Duckworth | $13,670 | $2,183 | -84% |
| Steven Christopher Lewis | $1,447 | $1,930 | 33.4% |
| Glenn S. Flowers Jr. | $6,665 | $1,890 | -71.6% |
| David B. Houser | $0 | $1,870 | -- |
| Fred A. Lovelace | $8,744 | $1,719 | -80.3% |
| Larry A. Cloninger | $7,959 | $1,714 | -78.5% |
| Thomas W. Baxter Jr. | $7,592 | $1,698 | -77.6% |
| Lisa Mcneilly Carpenter | $5,569 | $1,682 | -69.8% |
| Harley G. Whiteside | $5,508 | $1,657 | -69.9% |
| Wray a Plonk, LLC | $1,638 | $1,638 | 0% |
| Luke Schmidt | $3,788 | $1,582 | -58.2% |
| Jonathan Huecker | $3,334 | $1,566 | -53% |
| Jordan M. Doctor | $394 | $1,566 | 297.5% |
| Landon L. Doctor | $394 | $1,566 | 297.5% |
| Guy R. Beam III | $6,110 | $1,495 | -75.5% |
| Jason D. Cloninger | $4,863 | $1,384 | -71.5% |
| Kenneth F. Baxter Jr. | $0 | $1,375 | -- |
| Kyle N. Lineberger | $4,188 | $1,350 | -67.8% |
| Diana L. Brooke | $2,362 | $1,327 | -43.8% |
| Danny Paul Howell | $7,111 | $1,321 | -81.4% |
| Charlie M. Killian Jr. | $0 | $1,304 | -- |
| Mary Demorest | $1,853 | $1,168 | -37% |
| Todd Cole | $6,093 | $1,164 | -80.9% |
| Suzanne S. Baxter | $4,382 | $1,114 | -74.6% |
| Carolyn Stubblefield | $2,244 | $921 | -59% |
| Lewis E. Friday II | $4,041 | $822 | -79.7% |
| Nelson R. Jenkins | $4,703 | $778 | -83.5% |
| William P. Bohrer | $1,562 | $759 | -51.4% |
| Patrick D. Dean | $1,978 | $739 | -62.6% |
| Michael L. Ferguson | $3,023 | $732 | -75.8% |
| Dr. Clinton E. Lowry | $2,893 | $654 | -77.4% |
| William Fry | $2,126 | $627 | -70.5% |
| Barbara W. Davis | $1,346 | $614 | -54.4% |
| Robert L. Wallace Sr. | $893 | $610 | -31.7% |
| Edna P. Brendle | $600 | $600 | 0% |
| George L. Ratchford Jr. | $3,157 | $595 | -81.2% |
| Michael D. Hopper | $1,554 | $581 | -62.6% |
| Harold R. Stowe | $2,585 | $571 | -77.9% |
| Charles D. Sellers | $560 | $560 | 0% |
| Brian Patrick Bolick | $2,537 | $545 | -78.5% |
| Jack Theron Leonhardt | $4,558 | $530 | -88.4% |
| William W. Flowers | $3,707 | $502 | -86.5% |
| Billy D. Warlick | $373 | $497 | 33.2% |
| Paul N. Ratchford Jr. | $2,393 | $492 | -79.4% |
| Cornelious Bell | $455 | $444 | -2.4% |
| Ferebee P. Stevenson | $0 | $436 | -- |
| Kristi L. Schmidt | $1,132 | $429 | -62.1% |
| Donald Doctor | $421 | $421 | 0% |
| Andrew D. Harris Jr. | $2,496 | $414 | -83.4% |
| Edwin Dean Crocker | $1,441 | $404 | -72% |
| Perry E. Conley | $4,009 | $391 | -90.2% |
| Brian L. Weyeneth | $1,641 | $390 | -76.2% |
| Jack L. Harrelson Jr. | $373 | $373 | 0% |
| Rebecca S. Gates | $426 | $358 | -16% |
| Dorothy A. Bowen | $3,172 | $353 | -88.9% |
| Corey Rhett Beam | $936 | $351 | -62.5% |
| Michael A. Small | $0 | $342 | -- |
| Joyce D. Harkey | $0 | $332 | -- |
| Brian Scott Hall | $2,816 | $328 | -88.4% |
| Joe Bill Lineberger Jr. | $1,293 | $289 | -77.6% |
| Pamela S. Kowalewski | $275 | $275 | 0% |
| Scott R. Simpson | $275 | $275 | 0% |
| Robert G. Cloninger III | $627 | $266 | -57.6% |
| Jill H. Bissette | $357 | $240 | -32.8% |
| Kurt A. Lupton | $394 | $231 | -41.4% |
| Mark R. Penegar | $0 | $218 | -- |
| Terry G. Taylor | $2,568 | $211 | -91.8% |
| Allen Hoyle | $8,206 | $206 | -97.5% |
| Roberta Lou Kent Gunter | $523 | $201 | -61.6% |
| Brent L. Scism | $462 | $200 | -56.7% |
| Shane Godfrey | $735 | $183 | -75.1% |
| Margaret S. Stroupe | $176 | $176 | 0% |
| John F. Friday | $528 | $159 | -69.9% |
| Christine L. Hawk | $0 | $157 | -- |
| Charles F. Royster | $143 | $143 | 0% |
| Jimmie S. Toney | $2,380 | $140 | -94.1% |
| Stuart A. Beam | $181 | $138 | -23.8% |
| Amy Jean Wilson Covington | $272 | $136 | -50% |
| Allen E. Friday | $462 | $135 | -70.8% |
| Camden M. Jackson | $639 | $118 | -81.5% |
| Charles Anthony Jones | $473 | $112 | -76.3% |
| Henry and Patsy Pigg Irrevocable Trust | $0 | $110 | -- |
| Betty T. Briley | $101 | $109 | 7.9% |
| Friday Bros Farm | $341 | $100 | -70.7% |
| Stanley L. Green | $56 | $50 | -10.7% |
| Larry F. Earl | $297 | $38 | -87.2% |
| Olin David Carpenter | $2,384 | $21 | -99.1% |
| Robert Kelly Martin | $0 | $1 | -- |
| Christine L. Steiner | $157 | $0 | -100% |
| Dalton C. Mauney | $1,098 | $0 | -100% |
| Lester D. Costner | $224 | $0 | -100% |
| Arnold E. Greene | $211 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles K. Conner | $116 | $0 | -100% |
| Claude C Beam, LLC | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Eakers Nursery, LLC | $19,550 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary S. Taylor | $66 | $0 | -100% |
| Michele Bingham | $363 | $0 | -100% |
| Ricky Allen Walker | $412 | $0 | -100% |
| Tammy B. Knowles | $397 | $0 | -100% |
| Teddi B. Stepp | $344 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas Chad Williamson | $165 | $0 | -100% |
| Travis Baxter | $2,267 | $0 | -100% |
| Wayne Allen Godfrey | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| Rodger Lefler | $284 | $0 | -100% |
| Commodity Credit Corporation/FSA | $3,782 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $5,625 | $0 | -100% |
| Plonk Farm | $5,030 | $0 | -100% |
| The Piedmont Homestead, LLC | $1,415 | $0 | -100% |
| Be Still Farms, LLC | $500 | $0 | -100% |
| Carolyn H. Adams | $231 | $0 | -100% |
| E B & R Buckles Farm | $40,946 | $0 | -100% |
| James Grady Adams | $165 | $0 | -100% |
| Joy W. Sparrow | $657 | $0 | -100% |
| Lynda W. Hancock | $145 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas H. Meek Jr. | $270 | $0 | -100% |
| Walter Stevenson | $436 | $0 | -100% |
| Henry and Patsy Pigg Irrevocable | $315 | $0 | -100% |
| Brenda B. Thomas | $106 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary N. Allen | $1,760 | $0 | -100% |
| James J. Teague | $193 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,331,465 | $1,022,312 | -56.2% |
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