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In 2021, 78 farmers in cities within Roane County received a total of $108,054 in 89 farm subsidies, a 78.5% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $503,014 in 211 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amy L Demint Rev Living Trust | $20,665 | $20,918 | 1.2% |
| Hagler Farms | $62,413 | $13,611 | -78.2% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $11,272 | -- |
| Shawn Ray Galyon | $21,367 | $4,160 | -80.5% |
| Ziegler Farms | $10,180 | $2,494 | -75.5% |
| John E. Narramore | $13,468 | $2,363 | -82.5% |
| Larry Watson | $9,562 | $2,099 | -78% |
| Kerrie A. Smith | $24,250 | $2,019 | -91.7% |
| Phillip T. Houser | $8,688 | $1,905 | -78.1% |
| Albert Tate | $0 | $1,898 | -- |
| Ryan Wallace | $0 | $1,855 | -- |
| William R. Davis | $11,278 | $1,812 | -83.9% |
| Kenneth R Millsap | $8,578 | $1,744 | -79.7% |
| Charles R. Long | $7,062 | $1,684 | -76.2% |
| Byrd Family Farms | $7,601 | $1,670 | -78% |
| Donald J. Hill | $1,395 | $1,381 | -1% |
| Alvin Tillman Willis Jr. | $3,236 | $1,365 | -57.8% |
| Alva R. Moore | $3,875 | $1,347 | -65.2% |
| Ozell Dawson | $5,148 | $1,266 | -75.4% |
| Lois Turpin | $4,036 | $1,135 | -71.9% |
| Sandra M. Morris | $2,771 | $1,110 | -59.9% |
| Austin T. Sackett | $19,694 | $1,046 | -94.7% |
| Matthew Scott Ruppe | $4,755 | $1,027 | -78.4% |
| Benjamin E. Collins II | $4,896 | $944 | -80.7% |
| Shannon Renee Pattock | $6,791 | $925 | -86.4% |
| Eddie Kindred | $5,220 | $919 | -82.4% |
| Onnis Baird | $4,684 | $900 | -80.8% |
| Robert Morris | $5,465 | $850 | -84.4% |
| Charles Wayne Sohm | $4,750 | $834 | -82.4% |
| Kevin Lee McCuiston | $4,977 | $832 | -83.3% |
| Michael L. Marney | $3,630 | $802 | -77.9% |
| John F. Branson | $2,497 | $782 | -68.7% |
| William Q. Ruppe Jr. | $4,082 | $759 | -81.4% |
| J. D. McCullough | $4,950 | $751 | -84.8% |
| Johnny W. Thornton | $3,267 | $747 | -77.1% |
| Jackie Hill | $3,245 | $742 | -77.1% |
| Phillip Gilbert | $3,146 | $723 | -77% |
| Ronald C. Conaway | $3,592 | $723 | -79.9% |
| Donnie R. Eblen | $2,319 | $670 | -71.1% |
| Gary Lands | $5,673 | $668 | -88.2% |
| Gary Griffith | $3,599 | $662 | -81.6% |
| James T Vanosdale | $5,521 | $655 | -88.1% |
| Stephen Wayne Shubert | $2,882 | $628 | -78.2% |
| James Jones | $0 | $605 | -- |
| Jacob W Martenis | $2,860 | $585 | -79.5% |
| Craig Allen Bacon | $1,485 | $561 | -62.2% |
| Donnie Hill | $699 | $548 | -21.6% |
| Wayne Nelson | $1,562 | $496 | -68.2% |
| Martha M. Patterson | $552 | $464 | -15.9% |
| Michael Parkison | $1,023 | $463 | -54.7% |
| Jimmy T. Bell | $2,069 | $453 | -78.1% |
| Billy E. Breazeale Jr. | $1,562 | $408 | -73.9% |
| Charles Nick Brown | $2,295 | $397 | -82.7% |
| Jerry Norman Shepherd | $1,582 | $394 | -75.1% |
| Donald L. Waldo | $1,848 | $391 | -78.8% |
| Thomas W. Copeland | $825 | $380 | -53.9% |
| Jeffrey A. Russell | $2,444 | $375 | -84.7% |
| Jason Wade | $1,847 | $363 | -80.3% |
| Maureen E. Leavitt | $1,227 | $344 | -72% |
| Jeff Allen | $2,170 | $307 | -85.9% |
| Perry W. Stone | $1,615 | $304 | -81.2% |
| Floyd Russ Summers | $1,754 | $304 | -82.7% |
| Melanie Martha Paradise | $561 | $294 | -47.6% |
| Ann Stewart | $2,075 | $290 | -86% |
| John W. Thomas | $765 | $275 | -64.1% |
| Jeffrey Allen Russell | $1,257 | $273 | -78.3% |
| William D. Johnson | $594 | $266 | -55.2% |
| Sheryl Lynn Palko | $863 | $239 | -72.3% |
| Jason Pickering | $561 | $222 | -60.4% |
| Robert Lucas Ragsdale | $1,423 | $214 | -85% |
| Maxine R. Johnson | $561 | $211 | -62.4% |
| Alvin T. Willis Sr. | $534 | $189 | -64.6% |
| Doyle A. Griffis | $869 | $183 | -78.9% |
| Stanley W. Redmon | $843 | $173 | -79.5% |
| Sandra K. Bales | $673 | $152 | -77.4% |
| William A. Honeycutt | $517 | $114 | -77.9% |
| Todd Moore | $616 | $86 | -86% |
| Gerald H. Moore | $66 | $34 | -48.5% |
| Amy M. Christensen | $11,419 | $0 | -100% |
| Andrew Halcomb | $172 | $0 | -100% |
| Bernet Poczobut | $9,200 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles Family Farm Refuge LP | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel Stephenson | $1,023 | $0 | -100% |
| Darren Loposser | $154 | $0 | -100% |
| Dennis Ray Russell | $529 | $0 | -100% |
| Derek Steven Townsend | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| Doris K. Jolley | $220 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $5,625 | $0 | -100% |
| James P. Goodman | $529 | $0 | -100% |
| Roger Gallaher | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Steve L. Townsend | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas Copeland | $1,154 | $0 | -100% |
| Barry Cofer | $1,320 | $0 | -100% |
| Gregory A. Collins | $2,569 | $0 | -100% |
| James A. Blakely | $2,090 | $0 | -100% |
| Terry H. Carter | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Westel Greenhouse, LLC | $87,515 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $503,014 | $108,054 | -78.5% |
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