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In 2021, 68 farmers in cities within Ashe County received a total of $334,630 in 78 farm subsidies, an 83.5% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2 million in 186 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Family Farm | $0 | $113,420 | -- |
| Hamms Logging, LLC | $0 | $44,560 | -- |
| Jackie B. Little | $55,978 | $28,540 | -49% |
| Dale W. Wineberg | $14,954 | $21,802 | 45.8% |
| Keith Barlow | $4,659 | $13,346 | 186.5% |
| Timmy Sturgill | $76,144 | $10,982 | -85.6% |
| Jimmy B. Miller | $0 | $9,906 | -- |
| Rariden Farms, Inc. | $21,355 | $9,035 | -57.7% |
| Kenneth L. Furches | $0 | $6,632 | -- |
| Lynne P. Cox | $0 | $4,912 | -- |
| Aimee M. Miller | $3,608 | $4,888 | 35.5% |
| John Edward Rash | $24,486 | $4,420 | -81.9% |
| Blue Ridge Grain Lp | $14,767 | $4,185 | -71.7% |
| Gabino Francisco Alvarez | $13,938 | $4,057 | -70.9% |
| Mark E. Miller | $2,409 | $3,656 | 51.8% |
| Thomas Edward Sturgill | $15,684 | $3,358 | -78.6% |
| Ron Joyner | $0 | $3,203 | -- |
| Derek S. Goddard | $12,542 | $2,870 | -77.1% |
| Jerry Allen Bare | $19,805 | $2,624 | -86.8% |
| Wilson Eric Bare | $8,327 | $2,256 | -72.9% |
| Gregory Eugene Lipford | $11,130 | $2,234 | -79.9% |
| Gary Bare | $9,746 | $2,208 | -77.3% |
| Wayland E. Cox | $3,079 | $2,125 | -31% |
| John Gregory Jones | $0 | $2,022 | -- |
| John Kyle Brittain | $19,140 | $1,950 | -89.8% |
| David W. Dillard | $7,854 | $1,840 | -76.6% |
| Dean Witherspoon | $5,995 | $1,658 | -72.3% |
| Jerry A. Roark | $6,072 | $1,409 | -76.8% |
| Lula Severt | $5,896 | $1,402 | -76.2% |
| David Robert Osborne | $11,524 | $1,288 | -88.8% |
| Pamela E. Hardister | $4,664 | $1,252 | -73.2% |
| Dwight M. Harless | $5,731 | $1,202 | -79% |
| Billy C. Tedder | $5,500 | $1,159 | -78.9% |
| Dakota Austin Elliott | $0 | $1,100 | -- |
| Marcus E. Severt | $3,990 | $951 | -76.2% |
| Jerry Kemp | $5,029 | $909 | -81.9% |
| Johnny J. Banks | $1,353 | $832 | -38.5% |
| Timothy Roy Mash | $2,893 | $808 | -72.1% |
| Justin S. Greene | $594 | $768 | 29.3% |
| Gregory Phillip Richardson | $6,072 | $678 | -88.8% |
| Tommy Hamm | $10,455 | $616 | -94.1% |
| Donny R. Cox | $2,508 | $568 | -77.4% |
| Maxine A. Miller | $5,064 | $485 | -90.4% |
| Allen Coy Mahaffey | $858 | $445 | -48.1% |
| Eddie D. Stansberry | $2,308 | $422 | -81.7% |
| Arveson L. Wyatt | $594 | $422 | -29% |
| Eric Z. Sexton | $726 | $415 | -42.8% |
| Daniel Lee Miller | $1,738 | $404 | -76.8% |
| William R. Little | $0 | $401 | -- |
| Guy Ellis | $2,871 | $398 | -86.1% |
| David Wayne Miller | $1,705 | $388 | -77.2% |
| Martin J. Weaver | $3,295 | $384 | -88.3% |
| Jerry Scott Kemp | $2,079 | $294 | -85.9% |
| Mildred L. Harless | $1,709 | $288 | -83.1% |
| Elmer P. Stansberry | $1,364 | $284 | -79.2% |
| Jimmy Lee Jones | $1,690 | $276 | -83.7% |
| James Lee Beckworth | $1,381 | $246 | -82.2% |
| Donnie Lee Goodman | $659 | $217 | -67.1% |
| Wesley Wayne Hamm | $2,266 | $199 | -91.2% |
| Kermit Clark | $759 | $163 | -78.5% |
| Russell F. Vannoy | $528 | $153 | -71% |
| Johnny L. Goodman | $1,140 | $146 | -87.2% |
| Ruby G. Miller | $550 | $132 | -76% |
| James D. Carlton | $0 | $120 | -- |
| Kermit Chuck R. Clark | $503 | $90 | -82.1% |
| James R. McCall | $395 | $84 | -78.7% |
| Robert E. Clark | $363 | $73 | -79.9% |
| Joseph Wayne Walters | $880 | $70 | -92% |
| Ashe County Christmas Tree Compan | $5,809 | $0 | -100% |
| Barry K. Liddle | $2,035 | $0 | -100% |
| Benjamin M. Cheek | $10,506 | $0 | -100% |
| Beverly H. Sturgill | $2,530 | $0 | -100% |
| Big Springs Nursery and Tree Farm | $118,922 | $0 | -100% |
| Brien Richardson | $24,940 | $0 | -100% |
| David R. Osborne | $9,354 | $0 | -100% |
| Dennis J. Dancy | $1,650 | $0 | -100% |
| G. C. G. LP | $37,714 | $0 | -100% |
| Micah Orfield | $4,706 | $0 | -100% |
| Peak Farms | $5,177 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert O. Jones | $8,270 | $0 | -100% |
| Sexton Tree Farms, LLC | $200,520 | $0 | -100% |
| Third Day Market LP | $20,901 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel Richard Calhoun | $1,430 | $0 | -100% |
| Fred Richardson | $1,340 | $0 | -100% |
| Kendall Richardson | $3,429 | $0 | -100% |
| Maureen Louise Dintino | $205 | $0 | -100% |
| Nona Ray Cullen | $118 | $0 | -100% |
| Powers Tree Farm, Inc. | $321,928 | $0 | -100% |
| Randy V. Revis | $2,081 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard A. Hurt III | $7,300 | $0 | -100% |
| Veneda Ann Rose | $1,305 | $0 | -100% |
| Walter F. Clark | $1,908 | $0 | -100% |
| Ander W. Cox | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Andrew R. Cheek | $10,173 | $0 | -100% |
| Andrew S. Patton | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Brenda Sturgill | $6,546 | $0 | -100% |
| Cardinal Tree Farms, LLC | $174,188 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles V. Sturgill | $92,344 | $0 | -100% |
| Danny Spencer | $14,360 | $0 | -100% |
| Donald R. Winebarger | $1,465 | $0 | -100% |
| Dorothy Sturgill | $87,284 | $0 | -100% |
| Eric S. Hamilton | $530 | $0 | -100% |
| Greg Jones | $8,076 | $0 | -100% |
| John A. Cox | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth G. Sexton | $149,740 | $0 | -100% |
| Kimberly B. Furches | $567 | $0 | -100% |
| Lanny Morris Lewis | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry D. Honeycutt | $3,433 | $0 | -100% |
| Lenna Ruth Roten | $2,585 | $0 | -100% |
| Matthew J. Sturgill | $49,185 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul E. Taylor Jr. | $318 | $0 | -100% |
| Paul Matthew Hodgson | $3,540 | $0 | -100% |
| Poplar Grove Farm II, LLC | $103,943 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas G. Roberts | $935 | $0 | -100% |
| Weaver Tree Farms, Inc. | $69,437 | $0 | -100% |
| William D. Fairchild III | $1,802 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,029,870 | $334,630 | -83.5% |
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