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In 2021, 88 farmers in cities within Cabarrus County received a total of $503,675 in 158 farm subsidies, a 55.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.1 million in 281 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motley Brothers Farms | $175,722 | $103,543 | -41.1% |
| Landon D. Barrier | $118,051 | $51,085 | -56.7% |
| Susan L Geerken | $47,800 | $47,381 | -0.9% |
| Landon D. Bunting | $90,425 | $44,483 | -50.8% |
| Porter Farms, Inc. | $54,189 | $32,216 | -40.5% |
| T & a Barbee Family Farm, LLC | $56,761 | $29,488 | -48% |
| Bryan Keith Dauzat | $0 | $24,228 | -- |
| Gerald Scott London | $88,076 | $19,413 | -78% |
| Douglas Wayne Harkey | $35,608 | $17,394 | -51.2% |
| Edward S. Moose | $19,578 | $10,522 | -46.3% |
| William E. Foil | $47,549 | $10,403 | -78.1% |
| Tony R. Bonds | $25,567 | $9,224 | -63.9% |
| Barrier Dairy Farm, Inc. | $21,947 | $9,159 | -58.3% |
| Mike Harkey | $44,061 | $7,403 | -83.2% |
| John P. Cline | $21,973 | $7,067 | -67.8% |
| David W. Carter | $0 | $5,995 | -- |
| Sheila R. Miller | $4,788 | $5,193 | 8.5% |
| Dennis E. Smith | $8,109 | $4,082 | -49.7% |
| John R. Britt | $5,851 | $3,400 | -41.9% |
| Wolff & Horn, LLP | $1,528 | $3,345 | 118.9% |
| Christopher B. Pait | $4,873 | $3,263 | -33% |
| Carl Walker | $9,996 | $3,251 | -67.5% |
| Blake Harris Allen | $19,246 | $3,172 | -83.5% |
| Harris Farm, Inc. | $9,288 | $2,709 | -70.8% |
| William G. Cox | $2,572 | $2,083 | -19% |
| Kenneth R. Brittain | $1,359 | $1,941 | 42.8% |
| Louis R. Suther | $9,896 | $1,836 | -81.4% |
| Richard Wright | $0 | $1,785 | -- |
| Darrell Thomas Harkey | $7,153 | $1,779 | -75.1% |
| Dan William Barrier | $0 | $1,705 | -- |
| Paul E Jones JR Heirs | $3,314 | $1,567 | -52.7% |
| Lewis W. Cress | $5,030 | $1,538 | -69.4% |
| The Estate Jim W Wadford JR | $0 | $1,468 | -- |
| Robert R. Rhyne III | $2,917 | $1,462 | -49.9% |
| Kent D. Lowder | $7,496 | $1,424 | -81% |
| Livingston Farms, Inc. | $6,035 | $1,397 | -76.9% |
| Howard L. Boger | $7,043 | $1,394 | -80.2% |
| William L Jamison SR Trust | $1,870 | $1,383 | -26% |
| JK Gray Family, LLC | $7,021 | $1,300 | -81.5% |
| Timothy L. Honeycutt | $7,376 | $1,300 | -82.4% |
| The Tony and Rita Lambert Living Trust | $0 | $1,225 | -- |
| William Alan Cochrane | $1,320 | $1,188 | -10% |
| Garvice W Naylor JR | $1,098 | $1,098 | 0% |
| Rickey Lynn Eudy | $4,510 | $1,064 | -76.4% |
| MT Pleasant Cattle Company, Inc. | $8,309 | $949 | -88.6% |
| Ann S. Short | $767 | $767 | 0% |
| Jonathan A. Lane | $5,343 | $732 | -86.3% |
| Shirley H. Hathcock | $2,061 | $674 | -67.3% |
| Kathryne A. Davis | $513 | $653 | 27.3% |
| Eric Edward Smith | $3,975 | $648 | -83.7% |
| Steven D. Earnhardt | $5,027 | $622 | -87.6% |
| Jeremy Burris | $2,596 | $610 | -76.5% |
| Martin E. Efird | $702 | $610 | -13.1% |
| Linda F. McGlamery | $0 | $595 | -- |
| Wayne M. Coble | $814 | $593 | -27.1% |
| Irish Creek Cattle Company, LLC | $2,299 | $518 | -77.5% |
| Kevin Kirk | $1,987 | $510 | -74.3% |
| Mark Alan Cline | $0 | $495 | -- |
| Richard E. Earnhardt | $3,576 | $490 | -86.3% |
| Gerald Otis Dry Jr. | $455 | $455 | 0% |
| Larry E. Hammill | $443 | $443 | 0% |
| Stan Stegall | $8,188 | $440 | -94.6% |
| Diana Cook Deal | $272 | $430 | 58.1% |
| Jeffrey D. Bunting | $577 | $382 | -33.8% |
| Thomas W. Smith | $769 | $376 | -51.1% |
| John F. Cline | $1,650 | $374 | -77.3% |
| Bradford Turner Price | $364 | $364 | 0% |
| Gary D. Harwood | $899 | $361 | -59.8% |
| Bo Sellers | $331 | $331 | 0% |
| Karla G. Eaves | $308 | $267 | -13.3% |
| Frances G Triece | $1,318 | $266 | -79.8% |
| Roger Lyell | $818 | $262 | -68% |
| Mary S. Hammill | $248 | $226 | -8.9% |
| Margaret Ann Stallings | $2,167 | $214 | -90.1% |
| James H. Lowder Jr. | $303 | $210 | -30.7% |
| Smith Lake Farm, LLC | $615 | $208 | -66.2% |
| Larry D. Rodriguez | $195 | $195 | 0% |
| James M. Shepherd | $0 | $193 | -- |
| Bobby M. Morrison | $247 | $160 | -35.2% |
| Bernard J. McCormick | $256 | $153 | -40.2% |
| Rob L. Harkey | $1,207 | $152 | -87.4% |
| Andrew James Love | $0 | $114 | -- |
| Nancy B. Eudy | $78 | $96 | 23.1% |
| Frances Medlin Family Farms I, LLC | $0 | $62 | -- |
| Samuel Chriistopher Johnson | $0 | $48 | -- |
| Ronnie O. Shoe | $108 | $40 | -63% |
| Julian Thomas Huntley Jr. | $67 | $23 | -65.7% |
| Glenda S. Winborne | $0 | $8 | -- |
| Andrew James Love | $218 | $0 | -100% |
| Arthur Wayne Cook | $3,344 | $0 | -100% |
| Brafford Greenhouses, Inc. | $41,453 | $0 | -100% |
| Carol J Harris Trust Share | $498 | $0 | -100% |
| Carol Jane Harris | $1,106 | $0 | -100% |
| Charlotte Ray | $218 | $0 | -100% |
| Donald R. Hines | $7,110 | $0 | -100% |
| Dover Vineyards, LLC | $922 | $0 | -100% |
| Duane S. Miller | $500 | $0 | -100% |
| Frances Medlin Family Farms I, LLC | $125 | $0 | -100% |
| James Shepherd | $671 | $0 | -100% |
| John A. Sims | $84 | $0 | -100% |
| Joy P. Cline | $26 | $0 | -100% |
| Ned Y. Hudson | $72 | $0 | -100% |
| Phil E. Fisher | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Philip G. Caldwell | $446 | $0 | -100% |
| Street Fare Farm, LLC | $4,482 | $0 | -100% |
| William Filsinger | $23 | $0 | -100% |
| William R. Boyd | $402 | $0 | -100% |
| James R. Bolick | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| James R. Dudley | $632 | $0 | -100% |
| Lucky Leaf Gardens, LLC | $13,035 | $0 | -100% |
| Marilyn Adams | $3,971 | $0 | -100% |
| Samuel Chris Johnson | $263 | $0 | -100% |
| Carl J. Eudy | $69 | $0 | -100% |
| Joe L. Stirewalt | $2,517 | $0 | -100% |
| Linda McGlamery | $2,702 | $0 | -100% |
| Roxane K. Almond | $69 | $0 | -100% |
| The Tony and Rita Lambert Living | $1,252 | $0 | -100% |
| Jim M. Fuller III | $60 | $0 | -100% |
| Randy P. Hinson | $16 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard V. Slick | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Stacey Carlisle | $2,543 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,138,592 | $503,675 | -55.8% |
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