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In 2021, 156 farmers in cities within Wilkes County received a total of $1.7 million in 186 farm subsidies, a 37.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.8 million in 505 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 Wilkes County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brett McAvoy | $21,813 | $160,269 | 634.7% |
| Jack W. Bentley Jr. | $400,801 | $148,714 | -62.9% |
| Chris & Rose Farms, LLC | $0 | $130,142 | -- |
| Hong Kim Tran | $0 | $109,069 | -- |
| T & D Poultry Farm, LLC | $0 | $99,159 | -- |
| University of GA | $94,494 | $75,790 | -19.8% |
| Jonnie Walker | $44,600 | $67,300 | 50.9% |
| Rollin'c Farms, LLC | $0 | $58,572 | -- |
| Wilthorpe Farms, Inc. | $27,006 | $53,058 | 96.5% |
| G & N Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| H & H Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Mar-Leta Farm | $345,988 | $52,247 | -84.9% |
| Kieu Le | $0 | $46,557 | -- |
| Louise C. Bentley | $25,438 | $43,366 | 70.5% |
| David Reville | $54,853 | $42,730 | -22.1% |
| Armour Brothers, Inc. | $0 | $39,092 | -- |
| Clay Walker | $9,955 | $33,583 | 237.3% |
| Denard Farms, LLC | $0 | $30,370 | -- |
| William Chase Walker | $0 | $28,996 | -- |
| Ernest Wilson Kennedy III | $0 | $25,062 | -- |
| Jonathan R. Martin | $0 | $20,203 | -- |
| Robert Gregory Callaway | $0 | $20,109 | -- |
| Wilkes W. Barnett | $98,807 | $16,184 | -83.6% |
| Double S Farm, LLC | $0 | $15,643 | -- |
| Kennedy Farms, LLC | $0 | $15,235 | -- |
| Barry Brown | $63,427 | $13,786 | -78.3% |
| Larry B. Callaway | $83,184 | $12,948 | -84.4% |
| Joshua Michael Bufford | $32,636 | $12,315 | -62.3% |
| Gunter Farms, Inc. | $0 | $11,860 | -- |
| Robert Jason Thaxton | $0 | $10,566 | -- |
| Sam J. Moore | $67,949 | $10,332 | -84.8% |
| Callaway Poultry, LLC | $0 | $10,323 | -- |
| David H. Garrard | $37,801 | $8,258 | -78.2% |
| James L. Tallent Jr. | $3,927 | $8,211 | 109.1% |
| Newtown Farms, LLC | $0 | $7,908 | -- |
| Douglas Kyle Brown | $28,718 | $7,198 | -74.9% |
| Lincoln Bounds | $45,345 | $7,121 | -84.3% |
| Kerry McAvoy | $28,377 | $6,447 | -77.3% |
| Marcus Shane Moore | $37,689 | $5,993 | -84.1% |
| Bobby Walker | $39,587 | $5,979 | -84.9% |
| Everette Burdette | $22,985 | $5,511 | -76% |
| George F. Grimaud III | $24,824 | $5,226 | -78.9% |
| Robert Lee Thaxton | $28,510 | $4,924 | -82.7% |
| William J. Burdette | $32,100 | $4,865 | -84.8% |
| Steve Brown | $25,285 | $4,426 | -82.5% |
| David W. Callaway | $27,578 | $3,856 | -86% |
| William W. Wells III | $16,701 | $3,797 | -77.3% |
| Big O Farms, LLC | $21,850 | $3,666 | -83.2% |
| Denise W. Armour | $17,868 | $3,659 | -79.5% |
| Joe Thomas Charping | $20,907 | $3,533 | -83.1% |
| William D. McAvoy | $16,009 | $3,453 | -78.4% |
| Joan Rucker Anderson | $17,698 | $3,395 | -80.8% |
| Rolling M Ranch, Inc. | $17,842 | $3,251 | -81.8% |
| Deana H. Sherrer | $16,010 | $3,106 | -80.6% |
| Edwin D. Durham Jr. | $15,840 | $3,092 | -80.5% |
| Kenneth Wayne Durden Jr. | $18,081 | $3,031 | -83.2% |
| Troy McTier | $14,461 | $2,956 | -79.6% |
| Jason Dyson | $13,516 | $2,929 | -78.3% |
| Elmer Fain Burnette | $10,813 | $2,878 | -73.4% |
| Robert D. Smith | $11,504 | $2,723 | -76.3% |
| Thomas C. Thaxton | $21,353 | $2,600 | -87.8% |
| Susan W. Houser | $11,136 | $2,528 | -77.3% |
| John Norman Echols | $17,577 | $2,481 | -85.9% |
| Randall Todd Broome | $9,218 | $2,414 | -73.8% |
| Etwenda Wade | $13,902 | $2,398 | -82.8% |
| Jerry Thornton | $26,668 | $2,388 | -91% |
| Jeana R. Worley | $10,069 | $2,370 | -76.5% |
| Jesse L. Robinson | $12,305 | $2,363 | -80.8% |
| Margaret N. Jones | $12,110 | $2,274 | -81.2% |
| Deborah B. Hunnicutt | $11,028 | $2,265 | -79.5% |
| Mike Jackson | $13,392 | $2,182 | -83.7% |
| Floral Hill Farms | $21,074 | $2,154 | -89.8% |
| Joe Burton | $13,859 | $2,126 | -84.7% |
| John Eric Holton | $13,228 | $2,084 | -84.2% |
| Wanda B. Cox | $10,510 | $2,079 | -80.2% |
| Marty L. Smith | $20,071 | $2,060 | -89.7% |
| Mike Derrick | $13,004 | $2,040 | -84.3% |
| D and H Farms | $8,327 | $1,793 | -78.5% |
| Marcus Hammond | $6,232 | $1,673 | -73.2% |
| Eugene T. Westbrook | $11,173 | $1,643 | -85.3% |
| Rufus Adam Bohler | $10,174 | $1,543 | -84.8% |
| Fred W. Grasty | $10,647 | $1,542 | -85.5% |
| William E. Thornton | $7,117 | $1,495 | -79% |
| Daniel F. Barnett | $8,215 | $1,457 | -82.3% |
| Ricky Callaway | $8,314 | $1,431 | -82.8% |
| Stacey Wilson | $7,683 | $1,428 | -81.4% |
| Gyvonne Pinkston | $8,440 | $1,428 | -83.1% |
| Elizabeth Coe | $825 | $1,396 | 69.2% |
| Michael R. Wheatley | $5,363 | $1,354 | -74.8% |
| Marshall Garrett | $7,120 | $1,281 | -82% |
| Doug Holder Jr. | $6,304 | $1,266 | -79.9% |
| James M. Wheatley Jr. | $8,356 | $1,260 | -84.9% |
| Olin C. Newby | $5,478 | $1,238 | -77.4% |
| Steven A. Echols | $6,822 | $1,231 | -82% |
| David D. Gunter | $6,165 | $1,177 | -80.9% |
| Benjamin G. Grimaud | $5,661 | $1,154 | -79.6% |
| John H. Buckman III | $3,658 | $1,091 | -70.2% |
| Sidney Walker | $3,319 | $1,075 | -67.6% |
| Ethan R. Thaxton | $7,368 | $1,073 | -85.4% |
| Carol L. Jackson | $4,172 | $1,040 | -75.1% |
| Crayton Young | $1,914 | $1,000 | -47.8% |
| Ba Cattle, LLC | $4,609 | $997 | -78.4% |
| Jo Anne Danner | $4,268 | $997 | -76.6% |
| Rodney M. Shedd | $4,403 | $955 | -78.3% |
| Robert M. Stevens | $5,202 | $926 | -82.2% |
| Jennifer S. Dove | $5,362 | $906 | -83.1% |
| Michael D. Harrison | $4,287 | $897 | -79.1% |
| Joan Bowen | $5,403 | $892 | -83.5% |
| Howard Ronald James | $5,916 | $882 | -85.1% |
| Steven W. Messer | $4,466 | $856 | -80.8% |
| Justin Coey Callaway | $4,301 | $836 | -80.6% |
| Charles D. Rhodes | $3,518 | $776 | -77.9% |
| Dennis Dehil | $4,020 | $732 | -81.8% |
| Martin P. Echols | $2,248 | $656 | -70.8% |
| Richard T. Maxwell | $894 | $623 | -30.3% |
| James M. Griggs Jr. | $4,234 | $600 | -85.8% |
| Jo Ann S. Wheatley | $4,810 | $599 | -87.5% |
| Gold Lee Walton Jr. | $3,078 | $594 | -80.7% |
| Robert L. Wall | $3,608 | $590 | -83.6% |
| Ernest E. Denard Jr. | $2,662 | $586 | -78% |
| James Thomas Wheatley | $2,574 | $582 | -77.4% |
| Wesley Seabolt | $3,309 | $562 | -83% |
| Jonathan R. Wheatley | $4,296 | $550 | -87.2% |
| Wade Johnson | $3,375 | $549 | -83.7% |
| H & V Farm | $3,659 | $543 | -85.2% |
| Howard R. Hefner | $4,213 | $526 | -87.5% |
| Michael D. Cook | $2,286 | $481 | -79% |
| Phillip Neil Thornton | $4,571 | $472 | -89.7% |
| Eugene J. Thornton Jr. | $4,501 | $455 | -89.9% |
| John Crouch | $3,895 | $453 | -88.4% |
| Flatrock Farms, LLC | $2,915 | $452 | -84.5% |
| George B. Newsome III | $3,198 | $449 | -86% |
| Larry James Head Jr. | $1,639 | $446 | -72.8% |
| Gayle Roberson | $2,463 | $431 | -82.5% |
| Rebecca Patten | $2,439 | $427 | -82.5% |
| Jerry R. McAvoy | $2,206 | $414 | -81.2% |
| William Derricott | $3,859 | $411 | -89.3% |
| Kay D. Tyler | $1,903 | $383 | -79.9% |
| Gina S. Broome | $3,348 | $380 | -88.6% |
| Thomas C. Gunter | $2,337 | $380 | -83.7% |
| Alvin Jones | $2,048 | $370 | -81.9% |
| Charles Chafin | $2,409 | $350 | -85.5% |
| Barnett Southern Land & Cattle | $1,760 | $339 | -80.7% |
| Marianna Brown Charles | $1,905 | $308 | -83.8% |
| Charles M. Walker | $2,833 | $276 | -90.3% |
| Harris E. Blackmon | $520 | $256 | -50.8% |
| Barry Eugene Strother | $1,361 | $242 | -82.2% |
| Dillard Vandiver Canup | $8,836 | $228 | -97.4% |
| Tommie Walton | $918 | $224 | -75.6% |
| Joseph A. Brooke | $1,045 | $206 | -80.3% |
| Karen A. Ray | $737 | $204 | -72.3% |
| Sherry L. Head | $1,461 | $190 | -87% |
| Victor M. Paxton | $1,698 | $176 | -89.6% |
| Adam Royce Welch | $7,815 | $140 | -98.2% |
| Amy Bufford Howard | $762 | $128 | -83.2% |
| Lindia Johnson | $1,198 | $34 | -97.2% |
| Clinton B. Echols | $1,430 | $0 | -100% |
| Martha Jean Grimaud | $1,728 | $0 | -100% |
| Barry W. Holden | $1,287 | $0 | -100% |
| Billie Anne Smith | $3,421 | $0 | -100% |
| Caroline C. Wheatley | $2,616 | $0 | -100% |
| Douglas Wheatley | $1,236 | $0 | -100% |
| Gerald Norman | $1,118 | $0 | -100% |
| James Barry Holloway | $2,267 | $0 | -100% |
| Joe Lewis Cullars | $701 | $0 | -100% |
| Kathryn P. Robinson | $1,550 | $0 | -100% |
| Leonard Herman Wheatley | $1,060 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Guay | $3,979 | $0 | -100% |
| Moon's Tree Farm, Inc. | $195,278 | $0 | -100% |
| Nancy Madden | $1,331 | $0 | -100% |
| Odian A. Denard JR Estate | $9,019 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert L. Spears | $415 | $0 | -100% |
| Teresa E. Eason | $7,210 | $0 | -100% |
| William W. Robinson | $1,932 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,807,287 | $1,749,514 | -37.7% |
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