Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 103 farmers in cities within Wilkes County received a total of $750,460 in 122 farm subsidies, a 32.9% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.1 million in 250 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red's Home and Garden LP | $0 | $166,314 | -- |
| Pardue Farm & Sons | $24,995 | $106,353 | 325.5% |
| Miller Farms of Wilkes, LLC | $0 | $95,712 | -- |
| Miller Family Farms, LLC | $0 | $36,039 | -- |
| Earl Gray Faw | $162,717 | $31,560 | -80.6% |
| Stafford Logging, LLC | $0 | $30,514 | -- |
| Delaine Burchette | $0 | $22,586 | -- |
| Perry Lowe Orchards, LLC | $92,538 | $21,703 | -76.5% |
| B & W Farms, LLC | $12,828 | $20,822 | 62.3% |
| Randy Chatham | $0 | $19,067 | -- |
| Frank Miller | $0 | $15,548 | -- |
| Brooks Farm, LLC | $45,340 | $13,288 | -70.7% |
| Seth M Church | $75,349 | $12,201 | -83.8% |
| Thomas S. Calloway II | $7,854 | $10,147 | 29.2% |
| Blake Farms of NC, LLC | $24,562 | $10,005 | -59.3% |
| Brian L. Parker | $31,360 | $8,388 | -73.3% |
| David Alexander Hanks | $0 | $6,254 | -- |
| Thomas Joseph Miller | $22,303 | $5,792 | -74% |
| John C. Cothren | $25,201 | $5,714 | -77.3% |
| Garry L. Carter | $0 | $5,698 | -- |
| Jacob Harris | $0 | $4,812 | -- |
| Terry E. Carter | $0 | $4,800 | -- |
| Thomas O. Jernigan | $8,970 | $4,487 | -50% |
| John Scott Durham | $16,310 | $4,228 | -74.1% |
| Charles Jerome Elledge | $125,000 | $4,024 | -96.8% |
| Lester E. Wingler | $0 | $3,534 | -- |
| James David Parsons | $18,216 | $3,442 | -81.1% |
| Joshua T. Brown | $9,616 | $3,227 | -66.4% |
| Leonard W. Fussell | $1,588 | $3,027 | 90.6% |
| Steve Prevette | $44,595 | $2,816 | -93.7% |
| Jasper N. Carroll | $6,041 | $2,590 | -57.1% |
| Marty Harris | $10,574 | $2,476 | -76.6% |
| Ashton R. Vannoy | $6,317 | $2,281 | -63.9% |
| Dallas Hudspeth | $8,800 | $2,078 | -76.4% |
| Rogan Chad Mathis | $5,572 | $2,030 | -63.6% |
| Timothy F. Hudspeth | $8,460 | $1,952 | -76.9% |
| Mike A. Bumgarner | $8,321 | $1,938 | -76.7% |
| Billy W. Gambill | $7,997 | $1,791 | -77.6% |
| Jeff Hudspeth | $8,118 | $1,766 | -78.2% |
| Hohn Church | $8,703 | $1,699 | -80.5% |
| Lincoln D. Triplette | $5,258 | $1,595 | -69.7% |
| Jeremy D. McNeill | $6,402 | $1,578 | -75.4% |
| David E. Miller | $5,654 | $1,562 | -72.4% |
| Jacqueline Wright | $5,676 | $1,525 | -73.1% |
| Bart Christopher Mathis | $3,993 | $1,524 | -61.8% |
| Virgil C. Bumgarner | $4,137 | $1,519 | -63.3% |
| Chad Dustin Miller | $0 | $1,375 | -- |
| J Henry Church | $4,631 | $1,354 | -70.8% |
| Ronald E. Turner | $5,764 | $1,298 | -77.5% |
| Mark F. Williams | $0 | $1,265 | -- |
| Matthew Eller | $8,674 | $1,187 | -86.3% |
| Roy K. Johnson | $3,960 | $1,169 | -70.5% |
| Chad L. Wagoner | $2,970 | $1,153 | -61.2% |
| Danny M. Wiles | $6,036 | $1,090 | -81.9% |
| Robert G. Parsons | $1,080 | $1,080 | 0% |
| Double K. Farms | $3,663 | $1,071 | -70.8% |
| Alan C. Johnson | $1,020 | $1,020 | 0% |
| Steven L. Johnson | $1,020 | $1,020 | 0% |
| Michael Church | $2,783 | $1,014 | -63.6% |
| Nathan Wayne Bell | $1,650 | $914 | -44.6% |
| Jesse Wayne | $4,632 | $872 | -81.2% |
| Ronney Dale Brooks | $6,220 | $867 | -86.1% |
| Herbal Innovations, LLC | $0 | $865 | -- |
| Jeffrey T. Parker | $2,596 | $848 | -67.3% |
| John M. McGlamery Jr. | $3,853 | $830 | -78.5% |
| Virgie Jarvis | $4,106 | $828 | -79.8% |
| Donald E. Roberson | $2,244 | $798 | -64.4% |
| Jerry Harris | $3,649 | $756 | -79.3% |
| Brady B Wittkamper | $3,677 | $708 | -80.7% |
| William K. McNeil | $4,938 | $666 | -86.5% |
| John V. Dyer | $2,907 | $633 | -78.2% |
| Harold L. Walsh | $3,726 | $616 | -83.5% |
| Gary M. Walsh | $10,567 | $614 | -94.2% |
| Robert Gambill | $2,673 | $609 | -77.2% |
| Larry J. Phillips | $1,881 | $606 | -67.8% |
| Justin Church | $4,118 | $600 | -85.4% |
| Noah Evan Wiles | $2,729 | $596 | -78.2% |
| James E. Eller | $1,791 | $582 | -67.5% |
| John A. Eller | $1,791 | $571 | -68.1% |
| Zane Michael Faw | $5,635 | $563 | -90% |
| Wayne Shepherd | $2,354 | $557 | -76.3% |
| Zelia B Edwards | $551 | $551 | 0% |
| Tony W. Mumford | $540 | $540 | 0% |
| Michael Gene Nichols | $4,624 | $488 | -89.4% |
| John S. Norman | $3,608 | $471 | -86.9% |
| Gary Riddle | $1,719 | $446 | -74.1% |
| Stuart Dwayne Call | $990 | $442 | -55.4% |
| Kenneth Wayne Thomas | $2,375 | $425 | -82.1% |
| Gerald J. Sale | $1,635 | $408 | -75% |
| Donald L. Parker | $804 | $389 | -51.6% |
| Jerry Dean Welborn | $1,617 | $388 | -76% |
| Paul Coleman | $1,996 | $353 | -82.3% |
| Larry W. Corriher | $1,995 | $349 | -82.5% |
| Robert H West | $1,671 | $349 | -79.1% |
| Terry West | $2,484 | $349 | -86% |
| Dennis W. Waddell | $1,177 | $342 | -70.9% |
| Shirley M. Fennell | $341 | $341 | 0% |
| Mitch Griffin | $1,719 | $328 | -80.9% |
| Thomas Lee Wood | $1,507 | $291 | -80.7% |
| Sandy K. Martin | $1,700 | $190 | -88.8% |
| Neil S. Brooks | $1,704 | $183 | -89.3% |
| Janice Spangler | $1,156 | $166 | -85.6% |
| Jerry B. Adams | $989 | $70 | -92.9% |
| William C. Bowers | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Joshua A. McGlamery | $1,760 | $0 | -100% |
| Shilohs Garden, LLC | $20,602 | $0 | -100% |
| Armit D Tevepaugh | $10,322 | $0 | -100% |
| Gregg C. Hendren | $1,696 | $0 | -100% |
| Brian Ford | $1,210 | $0 | -100% |
| Brian Ford Jr. | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| Derrick Shore | $1,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Harold D. Johnson | $3,300 | $0 | -100% |
| J. W. Clark | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Lathan S. Stone | $39,339 | $0 | -100% |
| Phillip Laprad | $2,585 | $0 | -100% |
| Barbara W. Drewett | $6,160 | $0 | -100% |
| Cornelius Cherry Jr. | $119 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Clark | $1,980 | $0 | -100% |
| John D. Barker | $344 | $0 | -100% |
| Taylor Clay Riley | $7,040 | $0 | -100% |
| D. G. Prevette Jr. | $1,980 | $0 | -100% |
| Donna S. Dyer | $44 | $0 | -100% |
| Michelle Staley | $1,232 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,118,233 | $750,460 | -32.9% |
Alerts Sign-up