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In 2021, 83 farmers in cities within Nicholas County received a total of $735,280 in 89 farm subsidies, a 10.1% increase from 2020, when the total was $667,766 in 164 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Hand Tradition, Ltd. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Spencer Lumber, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Lone Wolfe Natural Resource Services, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Markham Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| CLH Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| High Country Services, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| KC Timber Management, LLC | $0 | $46,420 | -- |
| James E Dobson | $0 | $32,540 | -- |
| Michael Murphy Trucking, LLC | $0 | $31,574 | -- |
| Lace Trucking, LLC | $0 | $29,772 | -- |
| Donald Ward | $0 | $28,348 | -- |
| William Bess JR | $0 | $26,219 | -- |
| DTJ Contracting, LLC | $0 | $25,031 | -- |
| Bradford Farms, Inc. | $0 | $24,366 | -- |
| Coffman Logging, LLC | $0 | $22,209 | -- |
| Kenneth Eric Boggs | $168,197 | $20,888 | -87.6% |
| Morning Wood Logging, LLC | $0 | $16,964 | -- |
| FLH Trucking, LLC | $0 | $14,453 | -- |
| Brian Sparks | $64,074 | $14,094 | -78% |
| Bruce Roberts | $118,616 | $9,585 | -91.9% |
| Cody Trucking, Inc. | $0 | $9,018 | -- |
| Double a Cattle Ranch, LLC | $30,810 | $7,552 | -75.5% |
| Lenwood Roberts | $43,995 | $5,538 | -87.4% |
| John Rader | $12,672 | $3,714 | -70.7% |
| Brian McClung | $12,850 | $2,922 | -77.3% |
| Bret Singleton | $8,052 | $2,688 | -66.6% |
| Benjamin L. Mullens | $12,698 | $2,525 | -80.1% |
| David A. Smith | $2,135 | $2,135 | 0% |
| Brandon S. Keiper | $9,647 | $1,978 | -79.5% |
| Kenneth Eric Boggs | $0 | $1,916 | -- |
| Joshua L. Bailes | $10,201 | $1,852 | -81.8% |
| Carl Johnson | $7,073 | $1,840 | -74% |
| Nicky Workman | $10,787 | $1,819 | -83.1% |
| Larry T. Hammons | $10,575 | $1,643 | -84.5% |
| Randy Tucker | $6,340 | $1,564 | -75.3% |
| Art Yagel | $0 | $1,562 | -- |
| Jacob O'Dell | $7,828 | $1,460 | -81.3% |
| Tim Bailes | $6,688 | $1,391 | -79.2% |
| Derek Butler | $4,220 | $1,299 | -69.2% |
| Thomas W. Turpin II | $13,750 | $1,166 | -91.5% |
| Beverly S. Meadows | $5,519 | $1,134 | -79.5% |
| Jerry R. Brake | $8,616 | $1,110 | -87.1% |
| Casey Foster | $2,805 | $880 | -68.6% |
| Patricia Cox | $821 | $821 | 0% |
| Jeff W. Vance | $3,135 | $800 | -74.5% |
| James David Brown | $3,234 | $777 | -76% |
| Brian McKinney | $4,207 | $687 | -83.7% |
| Larry A. Crawford | $4,086 | $687 | -83.2% |
| John Russell Beam | $2,283 | $650 | -71.5% |
| Thomas Bruce Nichols | $3,832 | $639 | -83.3% |
| Jerry Neil Litton Jr. | $4,319 | $614 | -85.8% |
| James L. Marsh | $2,145 | $606 | -71.7% |
| Charlotte Adalene Myers | $2,189 | $586 | -73.2% |
| Danny Lee Foster | $2,255 | $559 | -75.2% |
| Lionel Gale Stover | $2,244 | $526 | -76.6% |
| Roy Keith Groves | $4,282 | $474 | -88.9% |
| Heather Groves | $2,611 | $462 | -82.3% |
| Steven Miller | $1,804 | $461 | -74.4% |
| Willard M. Meadows | $1,969 | $454 | -76.9% |
| Bruce L. Vance | $1,650 | $454 | -72.5% |
| Jason S. Brown | $2,534 | $446 | -82.4% |
| Roger E. Hypes | $1,309 | $422 | -67.8% |
| Merle Hartley | $3,878 | $420 | -89.2% |
| Kenneth W. Stowers | $1,936 | $419 | -78.4% |
| Shirley Johnson | $1,848 | $389 | -79% |
| Bryan B. Bail | $1,496 | $374 | -75% |
| Jerry Neil Litton Sr. | $1,694 | $370 | -78.2% |
| Jeffrey Querrey | $3,899 | $348 | -91.1% |
| Jimmy L. Roberts | $1,320 | $339 | -74.3% |
| Peggy A. Williams | $1,056 | $306 | -71% |
| Steven Sigman | $1,218 | $289 | -76.3% |
| Barry Mesecher | $968 | $276 | -71.5% |
| Mikel Grose | $2,012 | $276 | -86.3% |
| Richard S. Keene | $1,221 | $262 | -78.5% |
| Terry Lewis | $1,100 | $261 | -76.3% |
| Aaron Patrick Childers | $935 | $214 | -77.1% |
| Jesse James Overbaugh | $781 | $210 | -73.1% |
| Larry Bradford | $3,662 | $187 | -94.9% |
| Charles Brown | $836 | $176 | -78.9% |
| Wayne W. Groves | $759 | $163 | -78.5% |
| David Bailes | $759 | $163 | -78.5% |
| Jennings D. Bail | $976 | $160 | -83.6% |
| Dale Bail | $539 | $134 | -75.1% |
| Neil Andrew Romano | $294 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel Quinton Burkholder | $220 | $0 | -100% |
| Annette Jarvis | $80 | $0 | -100% |
| Becky Church | $997 | $0 | -100% |
| Dinah Catherine Deal | $3,710 | $0 | -100% |
| Joe Grose | $405 | $0 | -100% |
| WLC Farms, LLC | $110 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $667,766 | $735,280 | 10.1% |
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