Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 99 farmers in cities within Lee County received a total of $1.3 million in 193 farm subsidies, a 59.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3.2 million in 345 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Wayne Buchanan | $96,157 | $179,923 | 87.1% |
| Harrington and Sons Farms, Inc. | $503,011 | $134,075 | -73.3% |
| Spivey Farms, LLC | $69,019 | $111,073 | 60.9% |
| Gary M. Thomas Sr. | $0 | $107,816 | -- |
| Timothy Luke Thomas | $86,953 | $86,054 | -1% |
| Michael L. Gaster | $2,162 | $60,846 | 2,714.3% |
| Jeff C. Harrington | $60,033 | $60,719 | 1.1% |
| Rosser Farms, LLC | $87,268 | $60,157 | -31.1% |
| Dalrymple Farms, LLC | $111,620 | $55,112 | -50.6% |
| Mike R. Harrington | $54,614 | $54,593 | -0% |
| Harrington Brothers Partnership | $0 | $49,069 | -- |
| Phillip L. Garrett | $29,334 | $31,942 | 8.9% |
| Steve Thomas Farms, LLC | $187,386 | $29,215 | -84.4% |
| B & F Farms of NC, LLC | $81,813 | $24,966 | -69.5% |
| Gary Thomas Farms | $0 | $20,093 | -- |
| Grover W. Douglas Jr. | $108,703 | $18,719 | -82.8% |
| Paul Anthony Johnson | $18,234 | $18,190 | -0.2% |
| Gross Farms Enterprises, LLC | $170,257 | $17,109 | -90% |
| Julia Garrett | $29,329 | $15,181 | -48.2% |
| Amos Garrett Management Trustee | $22,622 | $14,259 | -37% |
| Nicholson Farms | $117,531 | $12,348 | -89.5% |
| Tim L. Thomas | $95,314 | $12,291 | -87.1% |
| Ragan Farms, LLC | $44,140 | $11,490 | -74% |
| Jeremy J. Johnson | $70,971 | $10,115 | -85.7% |
| Steven L. McNeill | $22,727 | $7,239 | -68.1% |
| Watsons Nursery | $23,733 | $7,230 | -69.5% |
| John V. Hall | $6,155 | $6,155 | 0% |
| Deirdre Penatzer Bailes | $0 | $6,075 | -- |
| Frederick A. Cameron | $2,006 | $5,485 | 173.4% |
| William E. Dalrymple II | $23,249 | $5,334 | -77.1% |
| Larry Gene Johnson | $7,811 | $5,242 | -32.9% |
| William Craig Buchanan | $11,687 | $4,616 | -60.5% |
| Wayne S. Thomas | $75,355 | $4,135 | -94.5% |
| William Scott Ballard | $3,531 | $4,035 | 14.3% |
| William Gregory Kelly | $5,943 | $3,969 | -33.2% |
| Ammons Farmland, LLC | $9,060 | $3,418 | -62.3% |
| Ernest Dalrymple | $21,188 | $3,348 | -84.2% |
| Timothy Shaw Sloan | $7,634 | $3,331 | -56.4% |
| Paul G Bright Trust | $0 | $2,781 | -- |
| Marvin Mortensen | $3,586 | $2,653 | -26% |
| Christopher M. Gaster | $25,111 | $1,899 | -92.4% |
| Michael Fincher Blakley | $8,974 | $1,873 | -79.1% |
| Steve M. Thomas | $2,561 | $1,853 | -27.6% |
| William E. Cole | $5,423 | $1,728 | -68.1% |
| Mary Ellen C. Foster | $1,296 | $1,633 | 26% |
| Steven M. Cox | $7,447 | $1,535 | -79.4% |
| Ragan Farms | $0 | $1,498 | -- |
| Frank M. Gilliam Jr. | $814 | $1,408 | 73% |
| Robert Willis | $1,292 | $1,292 | 0% |
| Larry Todd Blakley | $4,532 | $1,152 | -74.6% |
| Steven W. Thomas | $297,403 | $947 | -99.7% |
| Blueberry Hill U Pick, LLC | $8,719 | $917 | -89.5% |
| Jerry L. Rosser | $2,964 | $910 | -69.3% |
| Jason R. Stone | $5,359 | $906 | -83.1% |
| Mr. Christopher S. Wood | $0 | $854 | -- |
| Cody Jackson Gross | $70,974 | $834 | -98.8% |
| Gary Kelly | $4,652 | $734 | -84.2% |
| James Samuel Buchanan | $2,647 | $656 | -75.2% |
| Ann P. McCracken | $648 | $648 | 0% |
| Bobby T. Cameron | $3,773 | $634 | -83.2% |
| Jeanne J. Buie | $620 | $620 | 0% |
| Lynda F. Turbeville | $527 | $527 | 0% |
| John Russell Holt | $2,883 | $516 | -82.1% |
| John Seth Holt | $2,398 | $514 | -78.6% |
| John H. Gross | $133,900 | $500 | -99.6% |
| Thomas Kent Yarborough | $607 | $486 | -19.9% |
| Lonnie Howell Freeman | $2,040 | $464 | -77.3% |
| Cameron Family, LLC | $432 | $432 | 0% |
| Carolyn Kelly Buchanan | $420 | $420 | 0% |
| Floyd Lynn Poe Jr. | $1,782 | $414 | -76.8% |
| Robert Herman Spivey | $3,465 | $411 | -88.1% |
| Wilkins, Corp. | $0 | $403 | -- |
| James M. McCormick | $2,237 | $399 | -82.2% |
| Jeanne Seymour Hunter | $0 | $374 | -- |
| Wallie J Tyler | $759 | $374 | -50.7% |
| Richard R. Matthews | $1,683 | $346 | -79.4% |
| Alan R. Cox | $671 | $344 | -48.7% |
| James Larry Craig | $1,951 | $332 | -83% |
| Randy G. McLeod | $1,628 | $326 | -80% |
| John H. Tally Jr. | $1,342 | $312 | -76.8% |
| Herbert Gunter | $220 | $255 | 15.9% |
| Ivy Foster McNeill | $0 | $201 | -- |
| John A. Sharpe | $320 | $186 | -41.9% |
| Margie P. Woolard | $7,164 | $172 | -97.6% |
| Claudia A. Austin | $605 | $166 | -72.6% |
| Kenneth P. Perry | $164 | $164 | 0% |
| William Dickson | $282 | $160 | -43.3% |
| Brandon Oxendine | $1,375 | $156 | -88.7% |
| Paul Douglas Bullard | $1,848 | $147 | -92% |
| Carol S. Schock | $0 | $104 | -- |
| Shirley R. Patterson | $49 | $98 | 100% |
| Sam C. Harrington | $204 | $97 | -52.5% |
| William W. Stephens | $473 | $81 | -82.9% |
| Edward S. Thomas | $447 | $76 | -83% |
| Gwendolyn C. Matthews | $68 | $68 | 0% |
| Laurence M. Romero | $49 | $49 | 0% |
| Randy Rosser | $0 | $35 | -- |
| Joseph Fancher | $335 | $12 | -96.4% |
| Brian Cameron | $1,258 | $2 | -99.8% |
| Bertie Lee Butler | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Bobby Gene Goins | $935 | $0 | -100% |
| Chris Wood | $3,124 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel Uthof | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Doyle Jerome Cox | $3,080 | $0 | -100% |
| Evie B. Wright | $205 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary M. Thomas | $307,627 | $0 | -100% |
| Grover William Douglas III | $6,455 | $0 | -100% |
| Ivey Foster McNeill | $645 | $0 | -100% |
| Jacob Farrell Newton | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Jane Rosser Soule | $609 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeanne Seymour Logue-Hunter | $374 | $0 | -100% |
| John A. Thomas | $189 | $0 | -100% |
| John H. Rice Jr. | $253 | $0 | -100% |
| Kent Yarborough | $179 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry David Kelly | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Laurel H. Cameron Jr. | $958 | $0 | -100% |
| Luther Frank Comer III | $1,485 | $0 | -100% |
| Martha Rosser Sapp | $609 | $0 | -100% |
| Nancy O. Upchurch | $844 | $0 | -100% |
| Patricia C. Slaughter | $793 | $0 | -100% |
| Ryan L. Mabry | $116 | $0 | -100% |
| Tommy Harrington | $602 | $0 | -100% |
| Wayne Decklever | $1,217 | $0 | -100% |
| William H. Godfrey | $1,320 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $3,233,135 | $1,305,055 | -59.6% |
Alerts Sign-up