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In 2021, 78 farmers in cities within Roane County received a total of $200,844 in 86 farm subsidies, a 41.9% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $345,546 in 188 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Timber, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| James D. Ashley | $8,254 | $26,772 | 224.4% |
| Phillips Logging | $0 | $24,818 | -- |
| Robert Ashley | $4,955 | $22,920 | 362.6% |
| Jerry E. Saunders Jr. | $50,005 | $10,616 | -78.8% |
| James H. Marshall | $15,908 | $9,125 | -42.6% |
| Orland K. Greenleaf | $16,355 | $3,435 | -79% |
| Ray Atkinson | $9,944 | $2,835 | -71.5% |
| David D. Bush | $9,240 | $2,738 | -70.4% |
| James H. Westfall | $11,996 | $2,350 | -80.4% |
| Howard E. Parsons | $8,514 | $1,766 | -79.3% |
| Duane Whiting | $11,339 | $1,756 | -84.5% |
| Jimmie D. Clowser | $2,750 | $1,558 | -43.3% |
| Kent E. McClung | $6,523 | $1,431 | -78.1% |
| Freddie Bush | $7,514 | $1,362 | -81.9% |
| Kenneth Bush | $7,349 | $1,234 | -83.2% |
| Benjamin Cummings | $5,624 | $1,207 | -78.5% |
| Gregory O. Sutphin | $5,581 | $1,187 | -78.7% |
| Benjamin R. Hays | $8,116 | $1,139 | -86% |
| Andrea Hays | $1,507 | $1,103 | -26.8% |
| Edward N. Greathouse | $3,333 | $1,102 | -66.9% |
| James L. Minney | $4,961 | $1,087 | -78.1% |
| Nicolas Earl Vineyard | $4,899 | $1,080 | -78% |
| Paul Burdette Jr. | $5,889 | $966 | -83.6% |
| Chad Ward | $3,946 | $889 | -77.5% |
| Clayton Cox | $3,938 | $888 | -77.5% |
| James H. Hill | $3,465 | $875 | -74.7% |
| Scott Lee Matheney | $3,894 | $866 | -77.8% |
| Dawnna L Romine | $2,651 | $822 | -69% |
| Greg Sutphin II | $3,311 | $807 | -75.6% |
| John P. Minney | $4,285 | $804 | -81.2% |
| Henry W. Longfellow | $3,586 | $782 | -78.2% |
| Harley H. Jarvis Jr. | $0 | $770 | -- |
| Randy O. Romine | $3,080 | $738 | -76% |
| Clarence R. Boggs | $5,714 | $716 | -87.5% |
| John Ashley Workman | $3,399 | $685 | -79.8% |
| Jackie Canterbury | $0 | $660 | -- |
| Stanley D. Moore | $3,344 | $656 | -80.4% |
| Brent C. Nettles II | $4,097 | $654 | -84% |
| James B. Marshall | $12,198 | $649 | -94.7% |
| Michael James Kelly | $3,003 | $634 | -78.9% |
| Andrew J. Corkrean | $2,904 | $633 | -78.2% |
| Jackie A. Engle | $2,725 | $562 | -79.4% |
| Katelyn T. Kelley | $2,090 | $559 | -73.3% |
| Dewayne Hall | $2,664 | $535 | -79.9% |
| Fred Depue | $1,397 | $505 | -63.9% |
| Terry Samples | $1,639 | $504 | -69.2% |
| Curry A. Marshall | $2,123 | $484 | -77.2% |
| Lisa Bumgarner | $2,192 | $466 | -78.7% |
| Arnold Bush | $3,104 | $453 | -85.4% |
| Debra Elkins | $1,716 | $427 | -75.1% |
| Charles D. Starcher | $1,639 | $401 | -75.5% |
| Sandra K. Stricklin | $1,609 | $396 | -75.4% |
| Donald Romine | $1,529 | $395 | -74.2% |
| John Stevens | $1,683 | $387 | -77% |
| Kent Prouse | $792 | $382 | -51.8% |
| Douglas K West | $1,639 | $350 | -78.6% |
| Sherrie Tyree | $1,760 | $335 | -81% |
| Russell S. Schoolcraft Jr. | $2,124 | $315 | -85.2% |
| Danny L. Gandee | $1,376 | $306 | -77.8% |
| Jeannetta Harper | $1,309 | $294 | -77.5% |
| Rob Miller | $1,386 | $287 | -79.3% |
| Sharon Christ | $218 | $255 | 17% |
| Christopher Dever | $4,777 | $249 | -94.8% |
| Allison Spaur | $1,318 | $229 | -82.6% |
| Larry T. Cole | $1,001 | $211 | -78.9% |
| Dean Starcher | $880 | $187 | -78.8% |
| Joy Proctor | $1,538 | $180 | -88.3% |
| Ronnie E. Casto | $681 | $176 | -74.2% |
| Stephen Scott Stockner | $825 | $172 | -79.2% |
| Stanley A. Moore | $825 | $166 | -79.9% |
| Orville Reynolds | $916 | $152 | -83.4% |
| Woodrow Humphreys | $506 | $137 | -72.9% |
| Aaron Grant Simon | $797 | $129 | -83.8% |
| Brent Watson | $264 | $107 | -59.5% |
| Justin W. Ellison | $0 | $78 | -- |
| Ben L. Cummings | $264 | $76 | -71.2% |
| Thomas Turkus | $409 | $7 | -98.3% |
| David R. Perkins | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Donald Delton Jones | $891 | $0 | -100% |
| Ian K. Fields | $165 | $0 | -100% |
| Russell J. Moore Jr. | $532 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward A. May | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward W. Ashley | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency FLP | $2,900 | $0 | -100% |
| Freida Wood | $32 | $0 | -100% |
| Janet Prine | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Jim Lupardus | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| Keith A. Kerby | $605 | $0 | -100% |
| Kimberly A. Harlow | $1,309 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Bossert | $5,571 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy George Callow | $1,210 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $345,546 | $200,844 | -41.9% |
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