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In 2021, 82 farmers in cities within Nassau County received a total of $264,412 in 105 farm subsidies, a 63.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $729,813 in 195 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Haddock Logging | $0 | $47,418 | -- |
| Hoot OWL Honey Bee, LLC | $91,298 | $26,043 | -71.5% |
| Zenous R Geiger JR | $108,204 | $25,169 | -76.7% |
| Easton Mel Farms, Inc. | $85,240 | $14,625 | -82.8% |
| Jennifer Bennett | $17,010 | $13,826 | -18.7% |
| Karen L. Howell | $11,703 | $11,703 | 0% |
| Morgret Family Trust - Carole | $0 | $6,753 | -- |
| Morgret Family Trust | $1,408 | $6,381 | 353.2% |
| Clyde J. Mizell | $25,168 | $6,290 | -75% |
| George Wayne Ross | $10,731 | $5,683 | -47% |
| Gernie C Geiger | $16,286 | $5,110 | -68.6% |
| Maurice G. Higginbotham | $23,514 | $5,109 | -78.3% |
| Don L. Hyatt Jr. | $22,772 | $4,806 | -78.9% |
| Floyd R. Guynn | $18,898 | $4,461 | -76.4% |
| M L Gustafson Monaghan Family Trust | $6,904 | $4,459 | -35.4% |
| Douglas J. Hodges Jr. | $13,743 | $4,155 | -69.8% |
| Tammy J. Davis | $10,717 | $3,983 | -62.8% |
| Carolyn Childress | $8,586 | $3,715 | -56.7% |
| Curtiss G Quarrier JR | $16,328 | $3,564 | -78.2% |
| James C. Robinson Jr. | $7,089 | $3,033 | -57.2% |
| Becky Spangler | $6,949 | $2,654 | -61.8% |
| Bobby W. Childress | $7,879 | $2,637 | -66.5% |
| Shady Grove Dairy Farm, Inc. | $16,256 | $2,516 | -84.5% |
| Ray Conner | $7,320 | $2,452 | -66.5% |
| Jeffrey Linder | $3,203 | $2,269 | -29.2% |
| Linda W. Harrell | $135 | $2,127 | 1,475.6% |
| Tanner Farm, Corp. | $8,954 | $2,119 | -76.3% |
| Chad Gatlin | $9,702 | $1,941 | -80% |
| Francis M. Layden Jr. | $7,029 | $1,909 | -72.8% |
| Charles Henry Vanzant | $6,369 | $1,858 | -70.8% |
| Edward Lionel Daigle | $0 | $1,767 | -- |
| Carol M. Ford | $1,604 | $1,604 | 0% |
| Cecil R. Holloway Jr. | $8,689 | $1,588 | -81.7% |
| Chad Conner | $6,877 | $1,434 | -79.1% |
| Beaver Creek Farms | $6,820 | $1,365 | -80% |
| Margaret I. Jones | $0 | $1,315 | -- |
| Carlton Whitty | $4,829 | $1,276 | -73.6% |
| J. M. Coleman | $5,159 | $1,184 | -77% |
| Sabrina K. Crosby | $4,653 | $1,170 | -74.9% |
| LCDR Chester Heard | $1,167 | $1,167 | 0% |
| Kyle B. Dailey | $0 | $1,138 | -- |
| Thomas C. Hemmingway | $5,004 | $1,129 | -77.4% |
| Shelton Guynn | $3,696 | $982 | -73.4% |
| Richard E. Camp | $3,907 | $961 | -75.4% |
| Marty Lynn Johnson | $956 | $956 | 0% |
| Millvill, Inc. | $2,079 | $923 | -55.6% |
| D & J Farms | $1,283 | $892 | -30.5% |
| Crawfish Creek Farms, LLC | $441 | $868 | 96.8% |
| Seketa Culver | $0 | $864 | -- |
| Charles Johns | $2,178 | $832 | -61.8% |
| James G. Cunningham | $3,696 | $809 | -78.1% |
| Russell L. Johnson | $3,617 | $799 | -77.9% |
| Ray Forehand | $1,772 | $637 | -64.1% |
| Andrew C. Griffin | $2,604 | $623 | -76.1% |
| T. H. Braddock Jr. | $1,353 | $613 | -54.7% |
| Francis M. Griffin Jr. | $2,571 | $606 | -76.4% |
| James D. Barton | $1,104 | $552 | -50% |
| Dustin Holloway | $2,376 | $507 | -78.7% |
| Teas ETC., Inc. | $500 | $500 | 0% |
| Bruce J. Dailey | $672 | $466 | -30.7% |
| William Paul Harrell Jr. | $659 | $442 | -32.9% |
| Eddie L. Conner | $1,642 | $422 | -74.3% |
| Ricky Hodges | $2,527 | $422 | -83.3% |
| Talisa Sweat | $1,602 | $415 | -74.1% |
| Richard W Church | $1,485 | $402 | -72.9% |
| Ronald Wayne Conner | $891 | $343 | -61.5% |
| Nancy Jill Hall | $1,384 | $342 | -75.3% |
| Daniel L. Campbell | $493 | $335 | -32% |
| Cheryl Kuppler | $1,427 | $332 | -76.7% |
| Catherine M. Hires | $325 | $325 | 0% |
| Oliver Franklin Keen | $646 | $323 | -50% |
| Dwain Stewart | $598 | $264 | -55.9% |
| Anne B. Kavanaugh | $1,119 | $264 | -76.4% |
| Teresa Farms, LLC | $1,518 | $260 | -82.9% |
| James E. Carter | $1,448 | $242 | -83.3% |
| Frances O'Steen | $312 | $192 | -38.5% |
| Claudette P. Drummond | $1,533 | $180 | -88.3% |
| Robert D. Bell | $49 | $174 | 255.1% |
| Joshua Lee McCullough | $693 | $149 | -78.5% |
| Kendrick A. Farmer | $660 | $142 | -78.5% |
| Jerilyn J Church Fam Trustee | $125 | $75 | -40% |
| Nelda R. Thigpen | $146 | $72 | -50.7% |
| Dorothy D. Higginbotham | $9,625 | $0 | -100% |
| Hodges Cattle, LLC | $2,453 | $0 | -100% |
| Ji W Rhee | $5,696 | $0 | -100% |
| Lee's Tomato & Produce Farm | $1,310 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert A. Elliott | $1,760 | $0 | -100% |
| Deborah Polito | $1,273 | $0 | -100% |
| Winifred H. Stephenson | $69 | $0 | -100% |
| Miriam M. Bryant | $501 | $0 | -100% |
| Rancho Arroyo Seco, LLC | $28,604 | $0 | -100% |
| Glenn Geiger | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald D. Geiger | $1,265 | $0 | -100% |
| Cody E. Lee | $5,787 | $0 | -100% |
| Lisa Boyd Delmanzano | $31 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $729,813 | $264,412 | -63.8% |
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