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In 2021, 56 farmers in cities within Macon County received a total of $206,874 in 69 farm subsidies, a 69.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $681,121 in 149 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brasstown Brands, LLC | $264,057 | $64,361 | -75.6% |
| Adam Lee Huscusson and Harold Arthur Huscusson H and H Farms | $0 | $45,162 | -- |
| J W Mitchell Farms, Inc. | $21,229 | $33,496 | 57.8% |
| Charles W. Stanley | $0 | $16,107 | -- |
| Psalm 145, LLC | $12,648 | $3,955 | -68.7% |
| Jennie Chestnut | $4,867 | $3,341 | -31.4% |
| Karl E. Gillespie | $13,475 | $2,761 | -79.5% |
| David S. Delaney | $2,726 | $2,726 | 0% |
| Stanley E. Penland Jr. | $10,263 | $2,561 | -75% |
| Tellico Enterprises, Inc. | $106,076 | $2,496 | -97.6% |
| Philip Scruggs | $12,506 | $2,301 | -81.6% |
| Cynthia Erbes | $3,097 | $2,070 | -33.2% |
| Franklin Flower Farm | $0 | $1,624 | -- |
| Nelson R. Thibault | $8,081 | $1,496 | -81.5% |
| Latresa Downs | $6,006 | $1,325 | -77.9% |
| John Curtis Brown | $5,648 | $1,295 | -77.1% |
| Edmund S. Cameron | $1,548 | $1,239 | -20% |
| Richard Gibson | $4,528 | $1,158 | -74.4% |
| Seay's Farm & Garden, Inc. | $6,432 | $1,085 | -83.1% |
| Barry W. Bateman | $8,393 | $1,005 | -88% |
| Mitchell Owenby | $4,701 | $997 | -78.8% |
| Kenneth N. McCaskill | $4,221 | $908 | -78.5% |
| Melinda Pennington | $1,867 | $827 | -55.7% |
| Terry McCoy | $1,397 | $800 | -42.7% |
| Jeffrey K. Wallace | $2,774 | $764 | -72.5% |
| Mainspring Conservation Trust, Inc. | $0 | $712 | -- |
| Donald Waldroop | $6,777 | $691 | -89.8% |
| Gerald Douglas Fouts | $3,664 | $656 | -82.1% |
| Ray H. Sanders | $1,793 | $624 | -65.2% |
| W. T. Parrish | $2,662 | $618 | -76.8% |
| Andy Gibson | $2,266 | $581 | -74.4% |
| Lance Grant II | $15,655 | $545 | -96.5% |
| Dale Young | $2,711 | $537 | -80.2% |
| Donald Eugene Burch | $1,948 | $504 | -74.1% |
| Daniel L. Tinsley | $0 | $486 | -- |
| James R. Ledford | $825 | $446 | -45.9% |
| Randy Cunningham | $2,852 | $410 | -85.6% |
| Stacey M. Owenby | $1,826 | $408 | -77.7% |
| Mitchell Huggins | $1,441 | $368 | -74.5% |
| Michael R. Dills | $1,610 | $364 | -77.4% |
| Bernard Huggins | $1,918 | $337 | -82.4% |
| Mark Bell | $1,419 | $311 | -78.1% |
| Killian Family Farm, Inc. | $282 | $282 | 0% |
| Eugene Dean | $1,540 | $273 | -82.3% |
| Alan Shepherd | $1,188 | $250 | -79% |
| Nathan C. Brown | $834 | $242 | -71% |
| Warren Cabe | $869 | $194 | -77.7% |
| Jackie Gregory | $1,365 | $193 | -85.9% |
| Michael Vanhook | $1,001 | $189 | -81.1% |
| Randy McCoy | $5,279 | $178 | -96.6% |
| Deal Family Farm, Inc. | $38,705 | $175 | -99.5% |
| Jason Curtis Brown | $1,959 | $155 | -92.1% |
| Joanne la Poma | $119 | $119 | 0% |
| Christie N. Gibson | $844 | $62 | -92.7% |
| Alvin Johnson | $99 | $52 | -47.5% |
| Jack Hodgin | $1,395 | $52 | -96.3% |
| Adam Lee Huscusson and Harold ART | $25,759 | $0 | -100% |
| Belinda Carringer | $15,292 | $0 | -100% |
| David Kirkland | $4,662 | $0 | -100% |
| EWH Trust, Dated Dec 7, 2007 | $1,758 | $0 | -100% |
| James M. Southard | $10,826 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Lawrence Shepherd Jr. | $599 | $0 | -100% |
| Kimmy L. Sheffield | $1,267 | $0 | -100% |
| Mainspring Conservation Trust, in | $712 | $0 | -100% |
| Seagle Livestock, LLC | $8,860 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $681,121 | $206,874 | -69.6% |
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