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In 2021, 110 farmers in cities within Wood County received a total of $193,237 in 127 farm subsidies, a 64.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $538,229 in 244 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronald P. Slagle | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| David D. Carsey Sr. | $0 | $35,132 | -- |
| James Patten | $0 | $14,249 | -- |
| Charles S. Pearcy III | $67,201 | $10,353 | -84.6% |
| Robin M. Clark | $6,601 | $6,601 | 0% |
| Carleton F. Wooters | $9,978 | $3,109 | -68.8% |
| Charles Jennings Mildren | $3,092 | $3,092 | 0% |
| Frank G. Lane | $11,033 | $2,777 | -74.8% |
| Benjamin Thomas Sims | $7,717 | $2,448 | -68.3% |
| Danny L. Fordyce | $90,327 | $2,216 | -97.5% |
| Daniel R. Stephens | $4,793 | $2,196 | -54.2% |
| Jack E. Mathers | $218 | $2,008 | 821.1% |
| Christiana J. Grow | $23,560 | $1,726 | -92.7% |
| James L. Sharp | $3,640 | $1,685 | -53.7% |
| James J. Barrett | $0 | $1,618 | -- |
| Rebecca J. Gardner | $5,302 | $1,516 | -71.4% |
| James J. Higgins | $8,043 | $1,507 | -81.3% |
| Wesley L. Long | $7,370 | $1,375 | -81.3% |
| Tyler Scott Shelton | $4,671 | $1,319 | -71.8% |
| Gary E. Oates | $3,768 | $1,309 | -65.3% |
| Hayden E. Lancaster | $2,099 | $1,295 | -38.3% |
| Michael L. Florence | $3,252 | $1,122 | -65.5% |
| Teresa Wagoner | $599 | $1,084 | 81% |
| Eric L. Kent | $0 | $1,045 | -- |
| Basil E. Hammond | $3,564 | $1,001 | -71.9% |
| Charles C. Wilson III | $3,561 | $992 | -72.1% |
| James E. Duncan | $4,754 | $985 | -79.3% |
| Steve W. Taylor | $5,955 | $925 | -84.5% |
| Michael G. Sutton | $0 | $885 | -- |
| Mark O. Watkins | $4,609 | $876 | -81% |
| William E. Elliott | $4,279 | $876 | -79.5% |
| Timothy S. Crooks | $4,817 | $873 | -81.9% |
| Gary Lee Florence | $3,697 | $858 | -76.8% |
| Richard Collins | $4,432 | $850 | -80.8% |
| Larry D. Drain | $3,658 | $850 | -76.8% |
| Mark R. Sampson | $495 | $817 | 65.1% |
| Janvier M. Ott | $317 | $815 | 157.1% |
| Robert C. Wigal | $3,267 | $757 | -76.8% |
| Clay L. Cochran | $5,622 | $718 | -87.2% |
| Ronald A. Wilson | $9,911 | $714 | -92.8% |
| Robert A. Delancy | $3,962 | $700 | -82.3% |
| Everette W. Anderson Jr. | $9,076 | $682 | -92.5% |
| Paul M. Dill | $4,660 | $678 | -85.5% |
| Guy Freed | $3,058 | $675 | -77.9% |
| Samual H. Piersol | $2,475 | $662 | -73.3% |
| Timothy Davis | $0 | $660 | -- |
| David M. Henrie | $1,683 | $654 | -61.1% |
| Charles B. Williams Jr. | $3,366 | $643 | -80.9% |
| Verlin C. Camp | $2,874 | $634 | -77.9% |
| Elza B. McPherson | $2,146 | $609 | -71.6% |
| John W. Lemon | $3,181 | $588 | -81.5% |
| Burl D. Balderson | $1,859 | $582 | -68.7% |
| Gary Oates Jr. | $756 | $561 | -25.8% |
| Timothy A. Windland | $0 | $550 | -- |
| Anne Barkley | $521 | $521 | 0% |
| Ralph G. Morris | $3,499 | $502 | -85.7% |
| Robert E. Harris | $2,503 | $492 | -80.3% |
| Michael G. Murphy | $2,035 | $489 | -76% |
| Iris Malcom | $2,152 | $485 | -77.5% |
| Duane R. Hofmann | $2,791 | $481 | -82.8% |
| Wade Alan Darnold | $1,815 | $481 | -73.5% |
| Tyler Montana Jackson | $2,508 | $472 | -81.2% |
| Donald D. Fleming | $2,855 | $454 | -84.1% |
| David W. Pahl | $3,474 | $447 | -87.1% |
| Charles Pickering | $732 | $442 | -39.6% |
| Suzanne B. Dietz | $1,650 | $442 | -73.2% |
| Jason Wood | $0 | $440 | -- |
| Kenneth H. Williams | $2,200 | $434 | -80.3% |
| Robert W. Cook | $1,848 | $432 | -76.6% |
| Justin R. Hoover | $1,089 | $423 | -61.2% |
| Lowell H. Camp | $1,573 | $416 | -73.6% |
| Charles W. Martin Jr. | $1,540 | $415 | -73.1% |
| Russel H. Taylor Jr. | $1,848 | $391 | -78.8% |
| Chrissy Dawn Summers | $1,503 | $384 | -74.5% |
| Bryan Scott Lemley | $0 | $374 | -- |
| Brent Wayne Parsons | $1,568 | $362 | -76.9% |
| William T. Dowler | $2,041 | $358 | -82.5% |
| Elizabeth A. Pfaff | $0 | $354 | -- |
| Michael A. Young | $350 | $350 | 0% |
| Felicia D. Lewis | $840 | $322 | -61.7% |
| Elizabeth Ann Knotts | $231 | $318 | 37.7% |
| Ronald L. Camp | $1,429 | $314 | -78% |
| Calvin R. Malcom | $1,027 | $292 | -71.6% |
| John Stephen Miller | $1,312 | $284 | -78.4% |
| Robert E. Monroe | $1,133 | $280 | -75.3% |
| Robert L. Hofmann | $1,188 | $270 | -77.3% |
| Afton Hill Farm | $746 | $269 | -63.9% |
| Larry Blair | $836 | $252 | -69.9% |
| Russell W. Wilson | $880 | $242 | -72.5% |
| Mark A. Melrose | $1,122 | $236 | -79% |
| Chad Duvall | $0 | $232 | -- |
| Rennes G Weimer | $1,452 | $217 | -85.1% |
| Cecil Joy | $1,205 | $211 | -82.5% |
| Delores A. Gessel | $1,001 | $211 | -78.9% |
| James J. Rico | $185 | $202 | 9.2% |
| Rocky A. Peck | $913 | $190 | -79.2% |
| Michael D. Anthony | $1,713 | $187 | -89.1% |
| Clarence Leasure | $330 | $172 | -47.9% |
| Elmer H. Parker Jr. | $671 | $166 | -75.3% |
| James R. Wigal | $814 | $163 | -80% |
| Robert Stephen Wigal | $1,271 | $160 | -87.4% |
| Jason Scott Koon | $3,072 | $153 | -95% |
| Adam C. Kinzy | $659 | $138 | -79.1% |
| Ted V. Dille | $439 | $134 | -69.5% |
| Barry L. Yoho | $605 | $121 | -80% |
| Georgie A. Harris | $1,184 | $107 | -91% |
| Lidia Skinner | $522 | $66 | -87.4% |
| Joseph L. Florence | $530 | $58 | -89.1% |
| Roger A. Carr | $264 | $58 | -78% |
| Robert K. Tebay | $138 | $44 | -68.1% |
| Craig Marshall | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Bryan S. Lemley | $2,145 | $0 | -100% |
| Debra Turner | $145 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency | $2,798 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary L. Alton | $585 | $0 | -100% |
| Terry Lynn Bock | $277 | $0 | -100% |
| Scots Landscape Nurseries, Inc. | $53,051 | $0 | -100% |
| William G Dequasie | $3,864 | $0 | -100% |
| Douglas H. Clevenger | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph Rector | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Franklin Butcher | $21,410 | $0 | -100% |
| Jack M. Angel | $7,182 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Smith | $10,072 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $538,229 | $193,237 | -64.1% |
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