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In 2021, 141 farmers in cities within Armstrong County received a total of $4 million in 407 farm subsidies, a 42.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $6.9 million in 443 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens Bank | $792,936 | $338,286 | -57.3% |
| Robert Hollingsworth | $149,395 | $177,540 | 18.8% |
| Myers Cattle | $228,054 | $174,951 | -23.3% |
| Wes Stockett | $372,191 | $141,841 | -61.9% |
| Thompson Land & Cattle JV | $273,047 | $132,787 | -51.4% |
| Bryan Bichsel | $338,674 | $129,108 | -61.9% |
| Skarke Family Farms JV | $72,865 | $123,559 | 69.6% |
| John K. Ballard | $236,531 | $120,213 | -49.2% |
| Less & Dean Whitaker Farms, Inc. | $107,853 | $115,240 | 6.8% |
| Bagwell Land & Cattle, LLC | $138,636 | $114,659 | -17.3% |
| Wencer Bronniman | $150,363 | $111,930 | -25.6% |
| Mike Ollinger | $147,487 | $105,646 | -28.4% |
| Jack D. Fields | $309,122 | $94,858 | -69.3% |
| Andy Conrad | $322,297 | $91,272 | -71.7% |
| James Reno Osborn | $112,004 | $86,887 | -22.4% |
| Jimmy Uptergrove Jr. | $201,379 | $74,697 | -62.9% |
| Jim Cabbell | $47,782 | $72,280 | 51.3% |
| Patty Cabbell | $47,781 | $72,280 | 51.3% |
| Rimside Agent, Inc. | $49,314 | $69,933 | 41.8% |
| Joe Watkins | $111,089 | $67,105 | -39.6% |
| Tjay and Kendra Sherrill Farms JV | $33,965 | $55,892 | 64.6% |
| Steve Mathews | $59,855 | $55,732 | -6.9% |
| Joan Marie Conrad | $25,604 | $51,432 | 100.9% |
| Raymond G. Conrad | $25,604 | $50,809 | 98.4% |
| Leslie J. Redwine | $77,392 | $49,968 | -35.4% |
| James R. Burrell | $93,183 | $46,881 | -49.7% |
| Vicki Leanne Burrell | $93,185 | $46,876 | -49.7% |
| Dee Thomas Bichsel | $81,011 | $40,637 | -49.8% |
| Kenneth Detten | $105,778 | $40,404 | -61.8% |
| Rick Jones | $47,465 | $39,690 | -16.4% |
| Charles Gillispie | $33,051 | $39,160 | 18.5% |
| Brett Maxfield | $101,203 | $39,068 | -61.4% |
| Lewis Whitaker | $78,788 | $38,190 | -51.5% |
| Bichsel Farms | $77,318 | $35,514 | -54.1% |
| Hunter M. Bevill | $80,867 | $33,627 | -58.4% |
| Scott Pepper | $130,486 | $32,581 | -75% |
| Ronnie L. Heck | $54,156 | $32,546 | -39.9% |
| Dustin Shane Sanders | $71,772 | $32,514 | -54.7% |
| Gary Gunter | $15,421 | $32,046 | 107.8% |
| Chris A. Melson | $137,415 | $29,114 | -78.8% |
| Lewis Lee Whitaker | $87,875 | $26,807 | -69.5% |
| Clint Cornell | $19,844 | $26,454 | 33.3% |
| Amigos Cattle Company, LLC | $26,588 | $23,720 | -10.8% |
| Shirley June Butler | $32,972 | $23,122 | -29.9% |
| Hugh Reed | $26,201 | $20,854 | -20.4% |
| Amanda Burrell | $39,357 | $20,734 | -47.3% |
| MVR -Rim Ranch, LLC | $20,099 | $20,099 | 0% |
| Jean Hollingsworth | $13,949 | $19,945 | 43% |
| Buckle Cattle Company | $25,435 | $19,162 | -24.7% |
| Carolyn Myers Irrev Trust | $7,077 | $18,435 | 160.5% |
| Carolyn M. Myers | $7,077 | $18,434 | 160.5% |
| Broken KC Cattle Company | $73,358 | $17,722 | -75.8% |
| Upshaw Farm & Ranch, Inc. | $14,006 | $17,479 | 24.8% |
| Joyce Skarke | $16,059 | $16,960 | 5.6% |
| Jackson Glenn Carter | $28,257 | $16,780 | -40.6% |
| Nace Baggerman | $17,553 | $16,268 | -7.3% |
| Larry Alford | $69,287 | $15,948 | -77% |
| Brooks H. Gunter | $12,034 | $15,856 | 31.8% |
| BRMM, LLC | $15,100 | $15,100 | 0% |
| King-Thomas Trust | $24,812 | $14,805 | -40.3% |
| Aaron R. Hart | $21,383 | $14,793 | -30.8% |
| Adelia Lee | $0 | $14,648 | -- |
| R. G. Watson | $29,404 | $14,395 | -51% |
| Mathews Farm Inc., P L | $17,602 | $13,785 | -21.7% |
| Jimmy Finley | $5,749 | $12,731 | 121.4% |
| Aaron Terrel | $22,519 | $11,309 | -49.8% |
| Devin Cherie Burrell | $21,436 | $10,810 | -49.6% |
| Chris Burrell | $21,434 | $10,809 | -49.6% |
| Scott Myers | $10,551 | $10,551 | 0% |
| Martha Kathryn Mathews | $9,761 | $9,761 | 0% |
| Glen Adams Jr. | $21,757 | $9,679 | -55.5% |
| Bill Forbes | $9,845 | $9,138 | -7.2% |
| James H. Finley Jr. | $7,642 | $8,521 | 11.5% |
| J. R. Oles | $13,057 | $8,308 | -36.4% |
| Neil Conrad | $27,247 | $8,161 | -70% |
| Brent Yauck | $8,833 | $7,589 | -14.1% |
| Della Hundley | $0 | $6,807 | -- |
| Johnny Doyle | $8,873 | $6,727 | -24.2% |
| Figure 3 Ranch, LLC | $6,432 | $6,432 | 0% |
| Dustin Sanders and USDA - FSA | $0 | $6,347 | -- |
| Ina L. Gunter | $6,293 | $6,293 | 0% |
| Bagwell Land & Cattle | $60,880 | $6,163 | -89.9% |
| Steve Byrd | $15,518 | $5,998 | -61.3% |
| Dean Whitaker | $6,224 | $5,590 | -10.2% |
| Sue Graham | $5,387 | $5,433 | 0.9% |
| Shannon Renee' Heck | $5,164 | $5,164 | 0% |
| Jay Leverett | $29,607 | $4,978 | -83.2% |
| Dustin Sanders & USDA - FSA | $0 | $4,492 | -- |
| John F Eichelmann IV | $4,565 | $4,472 | -2% |
| Ronald D Nickum Testamentary Trust | $0 | $4,295 | -- |
| Jerry Kelley | $16,625 | $4,029 | -75.8% |
| Joe P. Minkley | $4,000 | $4,000 | 0% |
| Travis Luttrell | $3,705 | $3,704 | -0% |
| Don G. Campbell | $11,907 | $3,565 | -70.1% |
| Melinda Rickwartz | $3,475 | $3,497 | 0.6% |
| Michael Wayne Johnson | $14,763 | $3,429 | -76.8% |
| John M. Britten | $3,637 | $3,412 | -6.2% |
| Irene Baggerman | $2,542 | $3,409 | 34.1% |
| Nelda R. Stephenson | $4,983 | $3,309 | -33.6% |
| David L. Magar | $0 | $3,060 | -- |
| Joy Mathews | $3,055 | $3,055 | 0% |
| Don R. Minkley | $12,617 | $3,034 | -76% |
| Peggy C. Cope | $7,257 | $3,027 | -58.3% |
| Michael L. Honea | $11,270 | $2,952 | -73.8% |
| Timothy Young | $1,052 | $2,943 | 179.8% |
| Christopher M. Honea | $11,292 | $2,940 | -74% |
| Blake Junell | $10,315 | $2,389 | -76.8% |
| Janyth Ann Hubbard | $2,356 | $2,356 | 0% |
| Phyllis June Nickum | $0 | $2,271 | -- |
| Ryan Byrd | $7,073 | $2,066 | -70.8% |
| Wade Eugene Miller | $0 | $1,895 | -- |
| Dorothy Mae Thompson | $0 | $1,872 | -- |
| Shannon Dale Alford | $2,841 | $1,778 | -37.4% |
| James Robinson | $3,052 | $1,597 | -47.7% |
| Virginia H. Brunson | $0 | $1,564 | -- |
| Earl Westbrook | $1,804 | $1,463 | -18.9% |
| Joe Blanton | $2,381 | $1,323 | -44.4% |
| Chris Morton | $1,881 | $1,254 | -33.3% |
| Ray C. Minkley | $1,207 | $1,202 | -0.4% |
| John Lee Ballard | $31,815 | $938 | -97.1% |
| Melissa Wood-Tyree | $4,521 | $864 | -80.9% |
| Robert Harris | $363 | $816 | 124.8% |
| Hudson & Heck, Inc. | $4,128 | $770 | -81.3% |
| J. W. Noble | $3,597 | $763 | -78.8% |
| Steven Kyle Butler | $3,903 | $673 | -82.8% |
| Ben Adams | $4,798 | $631 | -86.8% |
| Joan Conrad | $0 | $622 | -- |
| Marlin Austin | $4,148 | $512 | -87.7% |
| Wayne Black | $1,336 | $512 | -61.7% |
| Leah Dawn Redwine | $1,961 | $485 | -75.3% |
| Peggy H Meathenia | $1,501 | $480 | -68% |
| June Chandler | $1,611 | $405 | -74.9% |
| Willis A. Olson | $2,359 | $405 | -82.8% |
| Lynda Robinson | $1,530 | $382 | -75% |
| Tyler William Shettel | $2,123 | $330 | -84.5% |
| Ronnie Brickman | $792 | $285 | -64% |
| Frank Turner Hanson | $0 | $257 | -- |
| Mary Ann Morrison | $400 | $196 | -51% |
| Barnie Rickwartz | $1,789 | $179 | -90% |
| Michael R. Fowler | $205 | $104 | -49.3% |
| Keyann Conrad | $0 | $70 | -- |
| Bobbie J. Elliott | $354 | $0 | -100% |
| Eddie D. Langwell | $2,430 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward L. Stephenson | $5,634 | $0 | -100% |
| Karen Faye Weimer | $356 | $0 | -100% |
| Katherine Brown | $192 | $0 | -100% |
| Kathryn L. Gass | $247 | $0 | -100% |
| Lou Ella Osborn | $564 | $0 | -100% |
| Michelle Stockett | $2,412 | $0 | -100% |
| Robin Weimer | $356 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald D Nickum Testamentary Trus | $7,300 | $0 | -100% |
| Wildon Hundley | $6,807 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $6,851,044 | $3,963,690 | -42.1% |
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