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In 2021, 70 farmers in cities within Stokes County received a total of $505,457 in 94 farm subsidies, a 43.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $890,516 in 223 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porter G. Scott | $0 | $135,304 | -- |
| Mitchell Farm, Inc. | $252,596 | $60,172 | -76.2% |
| Little Yadkin Farm, LLC | $0 | $53,012 | -- |
| Felts Land and Timber, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| John W. Bowen II | $6,338 | $29,579 | 366.7% |
| Double a Farms of Shoals, LLC | $0 | $21,749 | -- |
| Jeffrey Adam Mitchell | $24,113 | $21,684 | -10.1% |
| Triple B Farms of Surry County, Inc. | $0 | $13,535 | -- |
| Jayden Danielle Manuel | $31,784 | $10,913 | -65.7% |
| Michael Shaffner | $8,589 | $10,769 | 25.4% |
| Eric A. Joyce | $6,312 | $10,120 | 60.3% |
| George T. Mabe | $17,996 | $8,936 | -50.3% |
| Chad D. Bullington | $88,840 | $7,718 | -91.3% |
| Rhonda M. Shaffner | $0 | $7,563 | -- |
| Ernest Paul Wheeler | $0 | $7,552 | -- |
| Mark F. Shore | $11,184 | $5,838 | -47.8% |
| Rex Slate | $40,291 | $4,585 | -88.6% |
| Joshua Logan Manuel | $0 | $3,812 | -- |
| Andy Marion | $13,443 | $2,975 | -77.9% |
| Thomas L. Flinchum | $11,997 | $2,763 | -77% |
| Mike O. Snyder | $4,849 | $2,349 | -51.6% |
| Don Wilson Scott | $6,344 | $2,017 | -68.2% |
| Michael V. Marion | $3,531 | $1,734 | -50.9% |
| David Eugene Hartman | $6,120 | $1,704 | -72.2% |
| John R. Parsons | $13,945 | $1,660 | -88.1% |
| Kenneth Speas Jr. | $7,256 | $1,628 | -77.6% |
| Jennifer J. Logan | $0 | $1,586 | -- |
| James Junior Hicks | $755 | $1,294 | 71.4% |
| Tonya H. Bullins | $1,022 | $1,218 | 19.2% |
| Ray Oakley | $3,078 | $1,077 | -65% |
| Samuel E. Marion | $12,275 | $1,064 | -91.3% |
| Justin P. McKinney | $9,233 | $1,046 | -88.7% |
| Phillip Austin Armstrong | $6,298 | $894 | -85.8% |
| William Scott Farmer | $5,152 | $830 | -83.9% |
| William L. Martin | $5,536 | $762 | -86.2% |
| Christine Hicks | $350 | $737 | 110.6% |
| Jimmy D. Hicks | $350 | $699 | 99.7% |
| Craig Boyles | $3,487 | $650 | -81.4% |
| Darryn M. Blaylock | $2,893 | $630 | -78.2% |
| Mark Brown | $3,992 | $622 | -84.4% |
| Anthony Brewster | $3,443 | $574 | -83.3% |
| Devin Rae Bullington | $3,708 | $562 | -84.8% |
| Joseph O. Hicks | $2,101 | $559 | -73.4% |
| Jeremy Michael Newton | $394 | $525 | 33.2% |
| Stewart Pruitt | $2,450 | $462 | -81.1% |
| Oliver Swanson Joyce | $1,595 | $452 | -71.7% |
| Roger D. Stevens | $1,430 | $448 | -68.7% |
| William H. Smith | $1,518 | $418 | -72.5% |
| Cody E. Rierson | $2,186 | $406 | -81.4% |
| Darren Bernard Taylor | $1,914 | $406 | -78.8% |
| Edward Mckinely Cassell | $1,975 | $363 | -81.6% |
| Benjamin Kyle Hill | $313 | $360 | 15% |
| Donald E. Rierson | $2,868 | $346 | -87.9% |
| Chris Lawson | $1,177 | $334 | -71.6% |
| Jerry Ray Branscome | $2,124 | $331 | -84.4% |
| Michael Rodgers | $1,197 | $327 | -72.7% |
| William R. Marsh | $1,321 | $302 | -77.1% |
| James C. Collins Jr. | $3,156 | $273 | -91.3% |
| Barry Joyce | $572 | $264 | -53.8% |
| Herbert Young | $968 | $241 | -75.1% |
| Charles M. Davis | $1,395 | $237 | -83% |
| Eddie L. Davis | $1,175 | $235 | -80% |
| Norman Gray Lynch | $891 | $232 | -74% |
| Dustin G. Brim | $945 | $214 | -77.4% |
| Catherine Cook | $363 | $180 | -50.4% |
| Kennan Tucker | $1,080 | $166 | -84.6% |
| George Scott Hofeling | $814 | $152 | -81.3% |
| Doris Mabe | $583 | $149 | -74.4% |
| Donnie Mabe | $671 | $146 | -78.2% |
| Robert W. Ridge | $539 | $138 | -74.4% |
| Barbara A. Woods | $1 | $0 | -100% |
| Bradley Robertson | $1,980 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Manuel | $7,056 | $0 | -100% |
| Jess W. Scott Jr. | $1,077 | $0 | -100% |
| Johnnie J. Fulp | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph S. Hardin | $41 | $0 | -100% |
| Joshua L. Manuel | $3,989 | $0 | -100% |
| Michelle F. Flinchum | $392 | $0 | -100% |
| Pamelia B. Manuel | $6 | $0 | -100% |
| Ricky B. Mabe | $65 | $0 | -100% |
| Roger Dale Lawson | $1,430 | $0 | -100% |
| Sherry H. Fulp | $127 | $0 | -100% |
| Stevie L. Fulp | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Adam Mitchell | $53,827 | $0 | -100% |
| Amy B. Gordon | $26 | $0 | -100% |
| Cynthia C. Jones | $5 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary Baker | $29,908 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary L. Brown | $3,870 | $0 | -100% |
| Hazel M. Tucker | $94 | $0 | -100% |
| Inez B. Jessup | $23 | $0 | -100% |
| James Samuel Scott | $74 | $0 | -100% |
| Lee Forrest Hege | $1,980 | $0 | -100% |
| Linda P. Doub | $55 | $0 | -100% |
| Mae Ruth Rodgers | $192 | $0 | -100% |
| Marie Marshall | $1 | $0 | -100% |
| Matthew Tyler McKinney | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Sandra Pruitt | $38 | $0 | -100% |
| Sue S. Marion | $199 | $0 | -100% |
| Tina G. Joyce | $6 | $0 | -100% |
| Triple B Farms of Surry County, I | $116,135 | $0 | -100% |
| Crystal Rogers | $5,251 | $0 | -100% |
| Gail S. Greene | $32 | $0 | -100% |
| Joseph H. Duncan | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Keith Dale Hartman | $2,767 | $0 | -100% |
| Marilyn M. Parsons | $64 | $0 | -100% |
| Mitchell David Cheek | $165 | $0 | -100% |
| Tina Mabe Tamer | $996 | $0 | -100% |
| Travis Thomas | $419 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $890,516 | $505,457 | -43.2% |
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