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In 2021, 188 farmers in cities within Blount County received a total of $470,204 in 253 farm subsidies, a 64.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.3 million in 570 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.
Farmers and Their Subsidies in Cities Associated with Blount County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hal Phelps | $28,633 | $30,542 | 6.7% |
| April Chamberlain | $0 | $25,905 | -- |
| Turecek Farms, LLC | $28,123 | $24,503 | -12.9% |
| Kevin Davis | $918 | $18,801 | 1,948% |
| Tammy Julia Bailey | $0 | $16,289 | -- |
| Billy Wayne Nelms | $14,265 | $16,065 | 12.6% |
| William W. Beason | $42,076 | $15,674 | -62.7% |
| Kelmont Farms, Inc. | $40,673 | $14,226 | -65% |
| James Dennis Lillard Jr. | $64,472 | $13,958 | -78.4% |
| Richard L Waters | $49,947 | $13,506 | -73% |
| Morton and Son Farms | $26,912 | $12,731 | -52.7% |
| Gusty Warren Christenberry | $17,361 | $10,219 | -41.1% |
| George E. Hipps | $0 | $9,343 | -- |
| Albert Coning | $47,365 | $9,117 | -80.8% |
| Pate Acres Dairy, LLC | $35,783 | $8,948 | -75% |
| Jonathan C. Walton | $10,568 | $7,173 | -32.1% |
| Fall Harvest Farms | $0 | $6,953 | -- |
| Charlie Hipps | $0 | $6,824 | -- |
| David Dwayne Robertson Jr. | $35,759 | $6,109 | -82.9% |
| Gloria B. Shellman | $5,584 | $5,584 | 0% |
| University Technologies | $4,968 | $5,534 | 11.4% |
| Big Springs Properties, LLC | $30,552 | $5,124 | -83.2% |
| Best Family Partnership | $28,897 | $4,806 | -83.4% |
| Charles F. Alexander | $3,897 | $4,632 | 18.9% |
| Jimmy H. Talbott | $10,543 | $3,932 | -62.7% |
| Mcdannold Farm, Inc. | $4,858 | $3,930 | -19.1% |
| Walker Properties, LLC | $17,732 | $3,718 | -79% |
| Larry Teaster | $8,679 | $3,679 | -57.6% |
| Don Haddox | $14,875 | $3,590 | -75.9% |
| J. D. Rule | $7,468 | $3,588 | -52% |
| Robert Frank White | $6,432 | $3,558 | -44.7% |
| Charlene Fisher | $3,373 | $3,373 | 0% |
| Teresa R. Norton | $21,582 | $3,226 | -85.1% |
| Eldon Jones | $9,828 | $2,992 | -69.6% |
| Michael S. Fugate | $7,095 | $2,986 | -57.9% |
| Michael E. McCammon | $15,174 | $2,928 | -80.7% |
| Perry Forster | $19,143 | $2,919 | -84.8% |
| Glenn F. Birchfield | $0 | $2,750 | -- |
| David W. Connatser | $11,110 | $2,717 | -75.5% |
| John P. Davis III | $12,034 | $2,551 | -78.8% |
| William A. Waldrip Jr. | $3,431 | $2,518 | -26.6% |
| Ladd Valley Farm, LLC | $9,010 | $2,363 | -73.8% |
| Frances Jones | $6,777 | $2,284 | -66.3% |
| Mary Remonia Forkner Sparks | $15,640 | $2,244 | -85.7% |
| Dennis Griffith | $11,302 | $2,169 | -80.8% |
| Samuel Franklin Forkner III | $12,251 | $2,118 | -82.7% |
| Andrew Daugherty | $11,252 | $2,076 | -81.5% |
| William K. McElroy | $6,720 | $2,067 | -69.2% |
| Allen Dailey | $6,435 | $2,065 | -67.9% |
| Jerry E. Hall | $7,499 | $2,049 | -72.7% |
| James Michael Connatser | $15,222 | $1,994 | -86.9% |
| Robert E. Prater | $8,824 | $1,884 | -78.6% |
| Patricia Reeves | $1,748 | $1,858 | 6.3% |
| Neal Eash | $4,994 | $1,833 | -63.3% |
| Larry-Larry a Hills Rev Living Trust Hills | $1,822 | $1,814 | -0.4% |
| The Keyser Family Rev Trust | $5,465 | $1,780 | -67.4% |
| Steve Prater | $6,072 | $1,726 | -71.6% |
| Ken and Dorothy Bernander Trust | $1,721 | $1,721 | 0% |
| Randy Chris Valentine | $13,045 | $1,706 | -86.9% |
| Henry D. Myers | $9,278 | $1,674 | -82% |
| Ronald Hudson | $2,145 | $1,658 | -22.7% |
| Houston R. Murphy | $10,705 | $1,640 | -84.7% |
| Charles Sparks | $7,927 | $1,626 | -79.5% |
| Nina Margaretta Davis | $9,357 | $1,620 | -82.7% |
| Jerry R. Hughes | $5,247 | $1,604 | -69.4% |
| Bug Gully Farm, LLC | $2,553 | $1,601 | -37.3% |
| James D. McCoy Jr. | $7,954 | $1,591 | -80% |
| Donald R. Williams | $6,622 | $1,532 | -76.9% |
| Larry Kerr | $8,034 | $1,496 | -81.4% |
| Buford A. Maner Jr. | $1,480 | $1,480 | 0% |
| Walter R West JR | $5,643 | $1,365 | -75.8% |
| Charles E. Osborne | $1,866 | $1,362 | -27% |
| Charles L. Osborne | $1,858 | $1,362 | -26.7% |
| Walton Jersey Farm, Inc. | $6,323 | $1,274 | -79.9% |
| Erich S. Henry | $6,897 | $1,270 | -81.6% |
| Clara Ruth Davis | $1,240 | $1,240 | 0% |
| Tom W. Yates | $9,161 | $1,233 | -86.5% |
| William Willocks | $8,329 | $1,190 | -85.7% |
| Eddie Huff | $11,586 | $1,186 | -89.8% |
| Dreinhoefer Wallin, LLC | $3,889 | $1,165 | -70% |
| William J. Carver | $2,172 | $1,159 | -46.6% |
| Robert C. McMurray | $7,650 | $1,143 | -85.1% |
| Walker E Nowell, M.D. | $4,765 | $1,137 | -76.1% |
| R. E. Scarbrough | $6,225 | $1,113 | -82.1% |
| W. T. Bowers III | $7,296 | $1,107 | -84.8% |
| Teresa J. Trammel | $2,458 | $1,106 | -55% |
| Glenn McCampbell | $4,389 | $1,086 | -75.3% |
| Travis A. Loope | $16,092 | $1,051 | -93.5% |
| Chris K. Davis | $4,807 | $1,045 | -78.3% |
| Howard Creech | $4,370 | $1,044 | -76.1% |
| Edward W. Cooper | $4,944 | $1,016 | -79.4% |
| John A. Kerr Jr. | $3,652 | $992 | -72.8% |
| Debbie Callaway | $6,093 | $976 | -84% |
| Marvin Johnson | $3,355 | $939 | -72% |
| Mark W. Finger | $3,476 | $926 | -73.4% |
| Max Coulter | $5,612 | $925 | -83.5% |
| Sterling Hearon | $3,729 | $903 | -75.8% |
| Raymond B. Porter | $4,988 | $896 | -82% |
| Randall McLemore | $5,845 | $892 | -84.7% |
| J. C. Franklin | $3,102 | $873 | -71.9% |
| Bradley John Headrick | $4,034 | $858 | -78.7% |
| Colene Wood | $851 | $851 | 0% |
| Mr. Charles Flynn | $5,471 | $847 | -84.5% |
| Glenda Faye Jeffers | $1,455 | $843 | -42.1% |
| Barbara Piepenbring | $1,695 | $834 | -50.8% |
| Terra S. Sparks | $3,718 | $825 | -77.8% |
| David Loveday | $3,993 | $812 | -79.7% |
| Daniel Todd Green | $3,739 | $759 | -79.7% |
| Charles B. Taylor | $3,003 | $740 | -75.4% |
| Lynda Fugate | $0 | $715 | -- |
| Zack Clabough | $10,329 | $697 | -93.3% |
| Jess Gamble | $3,763 | $689 | -81.7% |
| Travis Trentham | $3,245 | $684 | -78.9% |
| Kimberly Ann Coada | $2,382 | $671 | -71.8% |
| Thomas S. Talley | $4,103 | $669 | -83.7% |
| Ruth Ann Becker | $1,558 | $662 | -57.5% |
| Andrew Robert Pryor | $3,292 | $644 | -80.4% |
| Kenneth Cook | $3,649 | $633 | -82.7% |
| Leonard A. Headrick | $3,887 | $628 | -83.8% |
| Timothy N. Crye | $7,022 | $624 | -91.1% |
| Joseph F. McCall | $3,707 | $620 | -83.3% |
| Gordon Wilson | $1,573 | $617 | -60.8% |
| Lonnie E. Cooper | $4,491 | $612 | -86.4% |
| Ronald B. Harris | $1,980 | $584 | -70.5% |
| Glenn Tyler and Son | $3,667 | $583 | -84.1% |
| Ronald Stacy Brewer | $3,234 | $576 | -82.2% |
| Rachel Hall | $4,038 | $574 | -85.8% |
| John Showalter | $2,673 | $568 | -78.8% |
| Tammy Showalter | $2,673 | $568 | -78.8% |
| Samuel E. Birchfield | $0 | $550 | -- |
| Judy Williams | $1,193 | $540 | -54.7% |
| Richard L. Simerly | $1,998 | $532 | -73.4% |
| Larry Atchley | $3,357 | $528 | -84.3% |
| Cecil F. Perkins | $2,442 | $525 | -78.5% |
| Stanley Nelson | $1,353 | $523 | -61.3% |
| Bob Lovingood | $990 | $513 | -48.2% |
| David Pittenger | $3,731 | $512 | -86.3% |
| Ronald Millsaps | $1,870 | $481 | -74.3% |
| James Neal Williams | $2,596 | $464 | -82.1% |
| Jonathan Beever | $0 | $460 | -- |
| Gerald Kirby | $2,101 | $454 | -78.4% |
| Wayne Lowe | $2,343 | $447 | -80.9% |
| James Robert Millsaps | $2,549 | $432 | -83.1% |
| Wilma Holder | $3,073 | $416 | -86.5% |
| James Edward Holder | $2,985 | $409 | -86.3% |
| Michael Ray Holt | $887 | $400 | -54.9% |
| Jimmie Mize | $2,290 | $384 | -83.2% |
| Michael L. Crye | $2,068 | $381 | -81.6% |
| Benny Fuller | $2,349 | $354 | -84.9% |
| William A. Abernathy | $1,771 | $332 | -81.3% |
| John V. Paulk | $329 | $329 | 0% |
| Elisabeth Ann Morris | $1,857 | $316 | -83% |
| J. B. Houston | $7,254 | $312 | -95.7% |
| Timothy Kimsey | $1,276 | $308 | -75.9% |
| Charles E. Parton | $5,808 | $294 | -94.9% |
| James M. Curtis | $1,419 | $294 | -79.3% |
| James T. Rice | $1,375 | $280 | -79.6% |
| Robert Edgar Pryor III | $1,581 | $259 | -83.6% |
| Michael W. Goddard | $1,210 | $253 | -79.1% |
| John T. Keeble | $1,511 | $252 | -83.3% |
| Gwynn Gibson | $538 | $231 | -57.1% |
| Nick Bright | $4,409 | $230 | -94.8% |
| Raymond Caylor | $2,479 | $225 | -90.9% |
| Isaac Alan Morton III | $660 | $218 | -67% |
| Stan Carpenter | $1,895 | $212 | -88.8% |
| B Scott Waters | $5,321 | $207 | -96.1% |
| Amilcar Sandoval | $528 | $204 | -61.4% |
| Cleaston Radford | $704 | $204 | -71% |
| Mary Franklin | $2,094 | $194 | -90.7% |
| Mark Timothy Chambers | $792 | $180 | -77.3% |
| Robert Neil Smith | $437 | $173 | -60.4% |
| Tom Cole | $1,643 | $162 | -90.1% |
| Gary Wilson | $397 | $159 | -59.9% |
| Irene Best | $550 | $150 | -72.7% |
| Charles Reed | $627 | $133 | -78.8% |
| Rau Huff | $3,158 | $132 | -95.8% |
| Roy Blair | $605 | $132 | -78.2% |
| David Weeks | $1,054 | $124 | -88.2% |
| Morris L. Anderson | $973 | $121 | -87.6% |
| Charles L. King | $4,052 | $108 | -97.3% |
| Alex Buckner | $75 | $100 | 33.3% |
| Michael C. Meyers | $293 | $77 | -73.7% |
| Sarah R. Duke | $137 | $65 | -52.6% |
| Fred L. Goins | $894 | $63 | -93% |
| Jack Carpenter | $377 | $52 | -86.2% |
| Mae Owenby | $104 | $24 | -76.9% |
| Betty L. Boyd | $95 | $18 | -81.1% |
| Keith Feltz | $23 | $15 | -34.8% |
| Frank L. Connatser | $3,696 | $0 | -100% |
| Loy McClanahan | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| Matthew Scott McKeel | $4,484 | $0 | -100% |
| Brandon Beavers | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Dwight H. Loveday | $1,663 | $0 | -100% |
| Bobby Gribble | $2,504 | $0 | -100% |
| Coley P. Odell | $721 | $0 | -100% |
| David C. Raulston | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| David H. Snoderly | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| David McConnell | $1,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Dennis Ridenour | $3,135 | $0 | -100% |
| Don Hamilton | $1,320 | $0 | -100% |
| Helen I. Garrels | $61 | $0 | -100% |
| Jb O'Connor | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeremiah Morton | $1,210 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry E. Tipton | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Julie Hodge | $662 | $0 | -100% |
| Max Hill | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Bell | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Don P. Abbott | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Patsy Raper | $6,950 | $0 | -100% |
| Ruth Ann McInturff | $5,060 | $0 | -100% |
| Shirley Garrett | $107 | $0 | -100% |
| TREY | $1,468 | $0 | -100% |
| Van Dyke Family Trust | $171 | $0 | -100% |
| William Kenneth Keeble | $723 | $0 | -100% |
| Clinton Barbra | $1,088 | $0 | -100% |
| Oliver Williams Jr. | $170 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronnie Hembree | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,312,281 | $470,204 | -64.2% |
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