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In 2021, 63 farmers in cities within Clay County received a total of $1.9 million in 108 farm subsidies, a 42.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3.3 million 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hattaway Farms Partnership | $822,141 | $551,330 | -32.9% |
| Shivers and Williams Farm | $483,329 | $294,737 | -39% |
| D & S Farm | $328,969 | $148,949 | -54.7% |
| White Oak Pastures, Inc. | $474,239 | $143,454 | -69.8% |
| King J. E. Farms | $152,171 | $126,403 | -16.9% |
| David Shivers Farm, LLC | $98,384 | $92,742 | -5.7% |
| William Keith Durham | $176,420 | $77,826 | -55.9% |
| J E King Farms, LLC | $54,733 | $56,346 | 2.9% |
| Graham Timber Company | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Janice Giles | $69,847 | $52,450 | -24.9% |
| John Joseph Durham | $34,440 | $23,256 | -32.5% |
| Steve Shivers | $34,687 | $22,927 | -33.9% |
| 4 G Producers, LLC | $21,944 | $18,257 | -16.8% |
| Thomas Giles | $20,198 | $15,254 | -24.5% |
| John C. Sanders | $15,159 | $14,492 | -4.4% |
| Shirley Durham | $14,247 | $14,247 | 0% |
| Hunter Durham Farms, LLC | $5,139 | $12,720 | 147.5% |
| Rufus Douglas Williams Jr. | $21,070 | $12,477 | -40.8% |
| William Jack Durham | $12,045 | $12,345 | 2.5% |
| C & D Farms | $59,468 | $11,884 | -80% |
| Rock Mine Farms, LLC | $37,740 | $10,653 | -71.8% |
| Jan Gavin Lindsey | $11,893 | $10,538 | -11.4% |
| Charles Walton Killingsworth | $8,018 | $9,011 | 12.4% |
| Jimmie M. Harrell | $7,272 | $6,540 | -10.1% |
| Steve F. Tatum | $0 | $6,344 | -- |
| Patrick Shivers | $8,178 | $5,465 | -33.2% |
| Raddie Grady Miliner | $6,119 | $5,314 | -13.2% |
| Rickey Caleb Stuckey | $16,929 | $4,539 | -73.2% |
| Hoke Lindsey JR Trust | $4,764 | $4,340 | -8.9% |
| Jeanne C Hall Estate | $4,119 | $4,119 | 0% |
| Scattered Acres, LLC | $0 | $4,011 | -- |
| Pine Ridge Farm, Ltd. | $24,708 | $3,856 | -84.4% |
| Raymond H. Morris Jr. | $8,966 | $3,704 | -58.7% |
| Carl J Putnal Residual Trust | $3,126 | $3,126 | 0% |
| Audrey J Putnal Revocable Trust | $3,125 | $3,125 | 0% |
| Karen S. Kinsell | $0 | $3,096 | -- |
| Emily A. Giles | $3,378 | $3,058 | -9.5% |
| Tammy Marie Giles | $3,297 | $3,034 | -8% |
| Walter E. Miliner | $4,873 | $2,305 | -52.7% |
| Amy Kate Williams | $2,245 | $2,153 | -4.1% |
| Christine R. Isler | $2,061 | $2,061 | 0% |
| Kevin Melton | $0 | $1,994 | -- |
| Chester Gavin III | $1,972 | $1,972 | 0% |
| Linda Hall | $0 | $1,390 | -- |
| Shivers Cattle Company, LLC | $3,480 | $1,276 | -63.3% |
| Richard Coates | $0 | $1,230 | -- |
| Catherine Rice | $0 | $1,118 | -- |
| Areana Doughty | $1,166 | $1,011 | -13.3% |
| Betty S. Adams | $837 | $837 | 0% |
| Sonnie Wallace Jr. | $933 | $809 | -13.3% |
| Kathy K. Gray | $802 | $802 | 0% |
| Merilyn P. Crapps | $685 | $685 | 0% |
| Larry Parrish | $991 | $485 | -51.1% |
| Glenda S. Lewis | $1,188 | $480 | -59.6% |
| Fred H. Cleveland | $1,419 | $442 | -68.9% |
| Charles Garrett | $0 | $386 | -- |
| Claude Morris Cook III | $1,844 | $241 | -86.9% |
| Richard Leon Coates Estate | $1,443 | $213 | -85.2% |
| Jeanette P. Spicer | $1,062 | $196 | -81.5% |
| Billy P. Moncrief | $525 | $118 | -77.5% |
| Cleo Young Jr. | $0 | $98 | -- |
| Wilbur Thornton | $0 | $45 | -- |
| Lisa Turnage | $64 | $11 | -82.8% |
| Brian G. Sapp | $43,593 | $0 | -100% |
| Bryan Randall Richardson | $710 | $0 | -100% |
| Hunter Durham | $16,439 | $0 | -100% |
| Iberian Pastures | $41,324 | $0 | -100% |
| Kolomoki Farm, LLC | $46,050 | $0 | -100% |
| David Ross Shivers | $14,453 | $0 | -100% |
| Ethel Ann Osborne | $269 | $0 | -100% |
| Marion B. Lindsey | $3,501 | $0 | -100% |
| Rickey E. Stuckey | $5,124 | $0 | -100% |
| Susie Cook Rhodes | $1,386 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $3,250,701 | $1,871,202 | -42.4% |
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