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In 2021, 52 farmers in cities within Gadsden County received a total of $1 million in 69 farm subsidies, a 63.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.8 million in 109 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| S K Enterprises of North Florida, Inc. | $820,619 | $148,131 | -81.9% |
| Vanlandingham Farms, Inc. | $692,958 | $109,118 | -84.3% |
| High Hope Farms, LLC | $675,351 | $107,394 | -84.1% |
| Harvey R. Sweeney | $0 | $80,930 | -- |
| Roger Allen Scott | $0 | $79,110 | -- |
| William P. Spear | $0 | $72,895 | -- |
| Dawn Renee Williams | $0 | $72,375 | -- |
| Roberta S. Barr | $0 | $32,616 | -- |
| Lyman Stewart Suber | $0 | $31,163 | -- |
| State Line Farms, Inc. | $17,457 | $30,422 | 74.3% |
| Jerry C. Locke | $0 | $27,167 | -- |
| Stacey Michelle Rasky | $363 | $23,817 | 6,461.2% |
| Eugene J. Thomas | $31,847 | $23,721 | -25.5% |
| George E. Johnson | $0 | $19,088 | -- |
| David R. Goethe | $16,195 | $18,321 | 13.1% |
| Henry G. Grant | $1,210 | $16,825 | 1,290.5% |
| G Herb Sheheane | $14,890 | $16,704 | 12.2% |
| Walter L. McPherson | $0 | $13,833 | -- |
| William Johnson | $12,127 | $11,010 | -9.2% |
| Robert Jackson | $0 | $10,862 | -- |
| Chris Robison | $16,760 | $8,380 | -50% |
| Monzell Davis | $12,269 | $8,350 | -31.9% |
| James Harold Thompson | $8,908 | $8,092 | -9.2% |
| Linda H. Polk | $0 | $8,021 | -- |
| John Drude | $11,320 | $6,360 | -43.8% |
| Johnny Cannon | $34,751 | $4,965 | -85.7% |
| Miller L. Butler | $6,728 | $4,937 | -26.6% |
| Rudolph Byrd | $12,570 | $4,162 | -66.9% |
| Dorothy H. C. Brittin | $845 | $3,883 | 359.5% |
| Hugh J. Stephens Jr. | $0 | $3,825 | -- |
| Crisanto Arellano | $2,063 | $3,738 | 81.2% |
| Rodney S. Moore | $3,582 | $3,192 | -10.9% |
| Calvin B. Cooksey | $8,729 | $2,633 | -69.8% |
| David Sterling Cox | $6,225 | $2,430 | -61% |
| Zaccaria Sperry | $0 | $2,131 | -- |
| Providence Farm of North Florida, LLC | $4,026 | $2,075 | -48.5% |
| Douglas Croley | $4,078 | $1,948 | -52.2% |
| Lottie Kinnett Trust | $0 | $1,440 | -- |
| Loretta B. Kingry | $4,136 | $1,427 | -65.5% |
| Shirley Pounsberry | $2,094 | $984 | -53% |
| Jack Marcus Wainwright Jr. | $1,683 | $968 | -42.5% |
| Arduster House JR | $1,551 | $910 | -41.3% |
| William L. Parramore | $1,617 | $842 | -47.9% |
| Vernon Neal Blount | $1,331 | $724 | -45.6% |
| Mark Anthony Clark | $1,644 | $698 | -57.5% |
| Gerard H. Moore | $2,695 | $652 | -75.8% |
| Walter Maxwell | $0 | $345 | -- |
| Ronnie Jackson | $878 | $230 | -73.8% |
| Glenda Joyce Herndon | $210 | $210 | 0% |
| Mary Carol Ward | $0 | $204 | -- |
| Mary Love Rich | $0 | $44 | -- |
| Charles Livingston Sr. | $14,659 | $26 | -99.8% |
| Johnnie Blue | $6,985 | $0 | -100% |
| Jonathan L. Green | $3,421 | $0 | -100% |
| La Don Moneyham | $506 | $0 | -100% |
| William M. Bridges | $3,653 | $0 | -100% |
| Hackney Nursery | $60,000 | $0 | -100% |
| Cituk Veteran Legacy Trust | $1,082 | $0 | -100% |
| Eulace Bryan Baxley | $7,492 | $0 | -100% |
| Justice Farm | $5,170 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Strange | $2,300 | $0 | -100% |
| May Nursery, Inc. | $250,000 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Drew Miller | $3,355 | $0 | -100% |
| Palmetto Island Oyster Company, LLC | $2,831 | $0 | -100% |
| Billy Keyser | $269 | $0 | -100% |
| Full Earth Farm, LLC | $10,692 | $0 | -100% |
| Handsome Harvest Farm, LLC | $5,966 | $0 | -100% |
| Kelvin Cannon | $8,339 | $0 | -100% |
| Orvane D Jackson | $493 | $0 | -100% |
| T L Maxwell Company, Inc. | $1,114 | $0 | -100% |
| W. C. Wiggins | $1,430 | $0 | -100% |
| William F. Ventry | $8,051 | $0 | -100% |
| William M. Vanlandingham | $7,313 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,838,831 | $1,034,328 | -63.6% |
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