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In 2021, 85 farmers in cities within Cleveland County received a total of $1.6 million in 98 farm subsidies, a 452% increase from 2020, when the total was just $288,111 in 127 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herbine Poultry Incorporated | $0 | $171,665 | -- |
| Calmer Poultry, LLC | $0 | $146,182 | -- |
| Chad D. Sanders | $0 | $115,426 | -- |
| Ponderosa, LLC | $0 | $94,075 | -- |
| John K. Brown | $0 | $88,932 | -- |
| Swinney Farms, Inc. | $0 | $87,363 | -- |
| Greg Hunthrop Farms, LLC | $0 | $77,076 | -- |
| Circle R QTR Horse & Cattle, LLC | $0 | $71,224 | -- |
| Ronald Scott | $0 | $70,496 | -- |
| Patrick Homestead, Inc. | $0 | $66,193 | -- |
| Ray Bryant Logging | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| T. J. Bryant | $1,100 | $52,875 | 4,706.8% |
| Chris Reed Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Tri-W-Logging Company, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Richard W. Walker | $0 | $35,462 | -- |
| Boyd Family Farms, LLC | $0 | $34,885 | -- |
| Samuel N. Mercer | $8,932 | $29,599 | 231.4% |
| Rodney Curry | $9,603 | $28,550 | 197.3% |
| Gavin Farms, Inc. | $0 | $25,026 | -- |
| Tanya D. Rupe | $0 | $23,512 | -- |
| Donald Mull | $0 | $21,930 | -- |
| Attwood Farms | $7,458 | $21,080 | 182.6% |
| Mack Gavin Farms, Inc. | $0 | $20,112 | -- |
| Angela Darlene Wagnon | $0 | $18,516 | -- |
| JLJD Farms | $0 | $15,730 | -- |
| 6F Farms, LLC | $0 | $15,664 | -- |
| Kenneth M. Puterbaugh | $2,849 | $15,616 | 448.1% |
| Ray C Broughton JR | $0 | $9,562 | -- |
| Tyler Long | $0 | $6,166 | -- |
| John F. Clement | $2,573 | $5,472 | 112.7% |
| Brian Ashcraft | $10,395 | $4,920 | -52.7% |
| Roxanne Bradshaw | $17,953 | $4,583 | -74.5% |
| Randall K. Reed | $26,559 | $3,927 | -85.2% |
| K & B Poultry, Inc. | $0 | $3,463 | -- |
| Johnny V. Johnson | $12,903 | $3,235 | -74.9% |
| Wendol Swinney | $16,633 | $3,233 | -80.6% |
| Cobb Farms, Inc. | $6,368 | $3,207 | -49.6% |
| Betty Ann Cole | $10,815 | $2,176 | -79.9% |
| John E. Ashcraft | $2,475 | $2,175 | -12.1% |
| John A. Rippy | $14,567 | $1,868 | -87.2% |
| Charles T. Rodgers Jr. | $3,729 | $1,805 | -51.6% |
| Jeff Patrick | $11,536 | $1,778 | -84.6% |
| William Rickey Spencer | $3,575 | $1,734 | -51.5% |
| Dean Steelman | $1,687 | $1,687 | 0% |
| Betty L. Scott | $9,562 | $1,530 | -84% |
| James Thomas Wagnon | $8,765 | $1,310 | -85.1% |
| Andrew Davis | $6,352 | $1,297 | -79.6% |
| Dan Morrison | $2,904 | $1,282 | -55.9% |
| Thomas Erick Hayden | $5,234 | $1,197 | -77.1% |
| David Stover | $2,673 | $1,154 | -56.8% |
| Elbert L. Miller | $2,126 | $1,040 | -51.1% |
| Morris Byrd | $4,389 | $985 | -77.6% |
| Russell E. Monk | $4,213 | $922 | -78.1% |
| Samuel Crain | $1,782 | $907 | -49.1% |
| Bryan Swinney | $3,289 | $853 | -74.1% |
| Timothy Mark Young | $2,826 | $838 | -70.3% |
| Kermit L. Puterbaugh | $2,849 | $740 | -74% |
| Elwood Socia | $1,584 | $699 | -55.9% |
| Bruce A. Cox | $3,201 | $673 | -79% |
| Janet C. Post | $2,563 | $658 | -74.3% |
| George A. Boyd | $2,618 | $650 | -75.2% |
| Delain P. Steelman | $2,696 | $574 | -78.7% |
| Randall K. Reed Jr. | $1,551 | $490 | -68.4% |
| John L. McClellan | $996 | $487 | -51.1% |
| Herman W. Peddy | $3,247 | $484 | -85.1% |
| Mark Melhorn | $3,515 | $484 | -86.2% |
| William Taylor | $532 | $462 | -13.2% |
| Jimmy Richardson | $2,494 | $453 | -81.8% |
| Robert F Erstine | $431 | $431 | 0% |
| Calvin Hemphill | $1,708 | $345 | -79.8% |
| Jack H. Rodgers II | $594 | $296 | -50.2% |
| Gennaifer Ashcraft | $627 | $290 | -53.7% |
| Kris a Erstine | $287 | $287 | 0% |
| Julian Jones | $1,560 | $249 | -84% |
| Tyler Ray Long | $528 | $245 | -53.6% |
| Vicki Cox | $649 | $194 | -70.1% |
| Taylor Jordan Hawkins | $462 | $186 | -59.7% |
| Lillian Fleetwood | $363 | $176 | -51.5% |
| Glenda M. Swinney | $482 | $157 | -67.4% |
| Travis A. Norton II | $1,056 | $146 | -86.2% |
| Jason D. Bradley | $1,617 | $129 | -92% |
| Leigha Ramirez | $495 | $121 | -75.6% |
| Tyler Phillips | $616 | $121 | -80.4% |
| Randy Lee Rauls | $165 | $86 | -47.9% |
| Lazy Meadow Farms, Inc. | $1,716 | $49 | -97.1% |
| Mark Matthews | $1,925 | $0 | -100% |
| Bell Family Farm, Inc. | $468 | $0 | -100% |
| Carol Diane Clement | $15,717 | $0 | -100% |
| Heather Diane Long | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Lee Bell | $590 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael N. Clement | $539 | $0 | -100% |
| Nancy Shelby | $1,460 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $288,111 | $1,590,482 | 452% |
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