Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 105 farmers in cities within Forsyth County received a total of $344,303 in 135 farm subsidies, a 45.9% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $636,226 in 260 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fenster Farms, LLC | $28,094 | $60,306 | 114.7% |
| Jack Ivey | $0 | $25,516 | -- |
| Stevie Mills | $0 | $18,078 | -- |
| Danny L. Reid | $79,368 | $15,907 | -80% |
| Kathryn Caroline Coarsey | $37,286 | $15,653 | -58% |
| Warbington EGG Farm, Inc. | $24,810 | $12,337 | -50.3% |
| Toby Joe Hamby | $0 | $12,205 | -- |
| Ronald Milton Meyer Tr | $24,133 | $11,325 | -53.1% |
| Monty D Bongarts | $19,132 | $10,954 | -42.7% |
| Broadwater Agent, Inc. | $0 | $10,580 | -- |
| Charles L. Terrell Jr. | $0 | $8,213 | -- |
| Martin Poultry Equipment | $0 | $7,482 | -- |
| Lucy N. Doty | $15,889 | $7,311 | -54% |
| Carolyn K. Fenster | $13,830 | $5,993 | -56.7% |
| Lanny R. Fenster | $13,830 | $5,993 | -56.7% |
| Samuel L. Scruggs | $5,304 | $5,304 | 0% |
| GHW Heirs, LLC | $0 | $4,819 | -- |
| Parallise Properties, LLLP | $28,997 | $3,864 | -86.7% |
| Johnny Bagwell | $32,348 | $3,795 | -88.3% |
| Dale H. Gravitt | $10,505 | $3,683 | -64.9% |
| Joseph Casey Martin | $0 | $3,658 | -- |
| Raymond a Fenster Trust | $21,569 | $3,610 | -83.3% |
| Lynn M Pugh Cane Creek Farm | $0 | $3,540 | -- |
| Leatrice Smith | $5,239 | $3,297 | -37.1% |
| David Hood | $20,896 | $3,137 | -85% |
| Perkins Land and Cattle Company | $15,069 | $3,021 | -80% |
| James Allen Brown Jr. | $0 | $2,954 | -- |
| Edward A. Goddard Jr. | $4,215 | $2,837 | -32.7% |
| Lanier Orr | $10,941 | $2,536 | -76.8% |
| Joan - JTH Property T Henderson, LLC | $2,474 | $2,474 | 0% |
| Kenneth L. Bagwell | $18,819 | $2,458 | -86.9% |
| Brent Wheeler | $11,252 | $2,386 | -78.8% |
| Sammie Earl Huffman | $2,277 | $2,277 | 0% |
| William David Knudsen | $2,139 | $2,247 | 5% |
| Martha T. Ensminger | $4,621 | $2,231 | -51.7% |
| Little Family Farm Trust | $1,723 | $2,229 | 29.4% |
| Brent Campbell | $4,010 | $2,012 | -49.8% |
| Dennis Cantrell | $9,587 | $1,966 | -79.5% |
| Paula S. Lipford | $1,889 | $1,889 | 0% |
| Jerry Newsom | $1,796 | $1,796 | 0% |
| Harold Burruss | $8,845 | $1,777 | -79.9% |
| Donald Joe Tipton | $2,207 | $1,769 | -19.8% |
| Larry C. Chapman | $0 | $1,705 | -- |
| Darla Lenburg | $7,100 | $1,598 | -77.5% |
| Shilin Yang | $5,808 | $1,558 | -73.2% |
| Diana K. Artzer | $6,860 | $1,481 | -78.4% |
| M L Hamby Farms, LLC | $5,753 | $1,427 | -75.2% |
| Corliss M. Baer | $3,333 | $1,374 | -58.8% |
| John C. Montgomery | $2,841 | $1,252 | -55.9% |
| Jeffrey T. McBride | $1,204 | $1,204 | 0% |
| Carolyn B. King | $1,080 | $1,088 | 0.7% |
| Larry Dale Gerlach | $182 | $1,076 | 491.2% |
| Patsy D Jabaley | $1,074 | $1,074 | 0% |
| Jeffrey Battle | $0 | $1,050 | -- |
| Donald D. Olson | $2,645 | $976 | -63.1% |
| Larry Curry | $969 | $969 | 0% |
| Lucille M Pyatt Revocable Trust | $3,267 | $956 | -70.7% |
| MW Williamson Farms, LLC | $918 | $918 | 0% |
| James C. Roberts | $1,832 | $908 | -50.4% |
| Catherine Nadine McIver | $0 | $903 | -- |
| Bryan Holtzclaw | $5,307 | $813 | -84.7% |
| Wan-Mar, Inc. | $3,392 | $811 | -76.1% |
| Amy Mannozzi | $1,101 | $799 | -27.4% |
| Andy Phillips | $1,101 | $799 | -27.4% |
| Steven P. Burkholder | $0 | $791 | -- |
| Linda K. Griffy | $2,602 | $786 | -69.8% |
| John P. Wood | $2,563 | $745 | -70.9% |
| Sharon C Thomas Revocable Living Trust | $704 | $704 | 0% |
| The Stirling Farm Partnership | $0 | $672 | -- |
| Thomas G. Cain | $1,515 | $647 | -57.3% |
| Alfredo Gonzales Blanco | $2,623 | $622 | -76.3% |
| Phelix W. Lancaster Irrevocable Trust | $0 | $600 | -- |
| Billy Martin | $8,211 | $586 | -92.9% |
| Olen Castleberry | $2,913 | $509 | -82.5% |
| Patricia S. Rodgers | $289 | $493 | 70.6% |
| David A. Hughes | $3,059 | $443 | -85.5% |
| Raymond Lane Westfall | $3,185 | $418 | -86.9% |
| Steven Hayes | $823 | $397 | -51.8% |
| Tim Castleberry | $4,850 | $394 | -91.9% |
| Julia S. Speir | $380 | $380 | 0% |
| El Dorado Cattle Company and Development, LLC | $7,233 | $378 | -94.8% |
| Herlinde M Ayers | $0 | $375 | -- |
| Andy D. Dutton | $368 | $368 | 0% |
| James T. Cherry Jr. | $367 | $367 | 0% |
| Charles Williams | $2,800 | $343 | -87.8% |
| Lisa Smith Beynon | $450 | $335 | -25.6% |
| Sandra G. Alford | $1,431 | $316 | -77.9% |
| Jared Floyd | $1,554 | $302 | -80.6% |
| Picaso Vinodchandra Thakkar | $0 | $278 | -- |
| Charles Lewis Ledbetter | $1,709 | $271 | -84.1% |
| Ann Y Armfield-Harvey | $1,073 | $244 | -77.3% |
| Chase Bagwell | $7,678 | $208 | -97.3% |
| David Lamar Harrington | $182 | $182 | 0% |
| Marsha Case | $0 | $151 | -- |
| Wesley Hall | $608 | $137 | -77.5% |
| Mary F. Kingry | $279 | $136 | -51.3% |
| Sharon McCullough | $664 | $82 | -87.7% |
| Gary P. Shirley | $247 | $77 | -68.8% |
| Christopher A. Jasper | $149 | $73 | -51% |
| Robert W. Hall | $269 | $73 | -72.9% |
| Margaret H. Shadburn | $1,356 | $69 | -94.9% |
| Pamela J. Landreth | $391 | $64 | -83.6% |
| Donna A. Schoeneck | $0 | $52 | -- |
| Christopher H. Rowe | $95 | $46 | -51.6% |
| Richard B Tubandt | $407 | $31 | -92.4% |
| Benji Russell | $1,471 | $0 | -100% |
| Bottoms Christmas Tree Farm, LLC | $12,714 | $0 | -100% |
| Candis Dye | $1,105 | $0 | -100% |
| Catherine Preuit | $1,098 | $0 | -100% |
| Circle A. Farms | $4,966 | $0 | -100% |
| Dorothy Herrington | $250 | $0 | -100% |
| Gayle Hines | $573 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffrey S. Bagley | $1,524 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark E. Hubbard | $56 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael P. Bennett | $434 | $0 | -100% |
| Nadine Miller | $93 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Allen Jones | $1,265 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald D. Coffee | $4,149 | $0 | -100% |
| Rosemary Preuit Thompson | $1,098 | $0 | -100% |
| Roy Roger Martin | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| William H. Avra | $1,584 | $0 | -100% |
| William R. Sutcliffe | $103 | $0 | -100% |
| Williamson Brothers, LLC | $1,305 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $636,226 | $344,303 | -45.9% |
Alerts Sign-up