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In 2021, 40 farmers in cities within Butts County received a total of $121,106 in 46 farm subsidies, a 60.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $308,036 in 105 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corwillieous O Mcdowell | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Richard A. Lewis | $32,200 | $8,013 | -75.1% |
| Warren F. Smith | $966 | $7,480 | 674.3% |
| Arthur Allan Brittain | $8,844 | $6,965 | -21.2% |
| Glen L Rivers | $31,515 | $5,037 | -84% |
| Charles Seth Strickland | $27,145 | $3,510 | -87.1% |
| Harold Cawthon | $12,661 | $3,466 | -72.6% |
| Amanda Rivers | $23,927 | $3,199 | -86.6% |
| Stephen A. Cook | $21,307 | $3,012 | -85.9% |
| Garland Family Farm, LLC | $2,360 | $2,360 | 0% |
| Theron A. Bradley II | $7,370 | $2,064 | -72% |
| Phillip R. Britton | $13,718 | $2,045 | -85.1% |
| Charles T. Strickland | $10,634 | $1,865 | -82.5% |
| Calvin L. Ridgway Jr. | $8,586 | $1,579 | -81.6% |
| Luke P. Weaver | $6,983 | $1,403 | -79.9% |
| Billy Ray Sanders | $8,298 | $1,363 | -83.6% |
| Thomas A. Presley | $13,495 | $1,329 | -90.2% |
| Paul Glidewell | $4,499 | $1,259 | -72% |
| T. E. Robison Jr. | $4,816 | $1,248 | -74.1% |
| Donell B. Daugherty | $10,240 | $1,170 | -88.6% |
| Carolyn M. Bowden | $7,325 | $1,148 | -84.3% |
| Julie Watkins Collins | $2,112 | $1,018 | -51.8% |
| Bryanette Biles | $3,412 | $873 | -74.4% |
| Daniel W. Barnes | $1,746 | $854 | -51.1% |
| Jimmy G. Blankenship | $3,564 | $824 | -76.9% |
| Moore & Crowell Company, Inc. | $4,864 | $811 | -83.3% |
| Anne G. Oneal | $4,607 | $648 | -85.9% |
| James T. Smith | $4,368 | $626 | -85.7% |
| Joseph L. Smith | $3,695 | $581 | -84.3% |
| Sam Colwell | $842 | $408 | -51.5% |
| Marsha Biles | $2,677 | $402 | -85% |
| Rick Moncrief | $1,408 | $356 | -74.7% |
| Julian R. Kimbell | $0 | $328 | -- |
| Newton Mayfield | $2,663 | $304 | -88.6% |
| Michael E. Harrison | $1,059 | $156 | -85.3% |
| Andrea K. Maddox | $244 | $119 | -51.2% |
| Tracie Vanderven | $1,128 | $104 | -90.8% |
| Susan L. Armistead | $0 | $104 | -- |
| Donna Popp | $217 | $101 | -53.5% |
| Richard M. Fletcher | $8,815 | $99 | -98.9% |
| Charlene W. Karr | $26 | $0 | -100% |
| Dava Idell Biles | $2,035 | $0 | -100% |
| David R. Cook | $1,383 | $0 | -100% |
| Leonard Paul Humphrey | $282 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $308,036 | $121,106 | -60.7% |
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