Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 86 farmers in cities within Barbour County received a total of $84,450 in 89 farm subsidies, a 77.3% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $372,748 in 206 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Alvie Ketchem | $24,745 | $6,420 | -74.1% |
| Donna L Hall Estate | $0 | $4,334 | -- |
| Steven L. Price | $16,225 | $4,059 | -75% |
| Michael Gray | $0 | $3,795 | -- |
| Mary Wolfe | $16,555 | $3,761 | -77.3% |
| Circle W Farms, Inc. | $15,983 | $3,742 | -76.6% |
| Jeffrey Scott Carpenter | $11,867 | $2,494 | -79% |
| Mitchell T. Stemler | $12,514 | $2,397 | -80.8% |
| Danny Stone | $10,477 | $2,286 | -78.2% |
| Eric Kevin Lantz | $6,776 | $2,259 | -66.7% |
| Glen Auvil | $8,788 | $2,039 | -76.8% |
| M and M Farms, Inc. | $9,660 | $1,914 | -80.2% |
| John R. Shaffer | $7,109 | $1,912 | -73.1% |
| Stephen C. Winslow | $3,736 | $1,832 | -51% |
| James G. Poling | $14,759 | $1,812 | -87.7% |
| James L. Phillips | $4,653 | $1,300 | -72.1% |
| Richard L. Boyce | $6,285 | $1,226 | -80.5% |
| Robert Louis Carpenter Jr. | $0 | $1,217 | -- |
| Matthew Ronald Auvil | $0 | $1,199 | -- |
| John F. Hyde | $5,170 | $1,155 | -77.7% |
| Brent R. Tucker | $5,191 | $1,152 | -77.8% |
| Rita Dell Kennedy | $0 | $1,138 | -- |
| Glenn Wentz Jr. | $4,191 | $966 | -77% |
| Michael Floyd Wolfe | $0 | $952 | -- |
| James Edward Zirkle | $4,477 | $936 | -79.1% |
| Lisa R. Knight | $6,294 | $886 | -85.9% |
| Roger D. Auvil | $3,180 | $882 | -72.3% |
| Denver L. Stemple | $5,078 | $849 | -83.3% |
| William A. Knotts Jr. | $3,597 | $819 | -77.2% |
| Thomas M. Mouser | $4,331 | $809 | -81.3% |
| Thomas Glenn Short | $0 | $784 | -- |
| Johnny L. Stewart | $3,443 | $780 | -77.3% |
| Edward Wayne Holbert | $2,697 | $758 | -71.9% |
| Matthew S. Mayle | $4,347 | $737 | -83% |
| Stanley Wolfe | $2,464 | $714 | -71% |
| Tisha N. Marsh | $4,093 | $712 | -82.6% |
| Thomas Price | $2,934 | $695 | -76.3% |
| Donald E. Harris | $1,848 | $689 | -62.7% |
| James W. Rector | $1,782 | $675 | -62.1% |
| Larry Randall Foy | $3,058 | $644 | -78.9% |
| Lowell England | $615 | $615 | 0% |
| William R. Shomo | $2,486 | $600 | -75.9% |
| William K. Winans | $2,431 | $560 | -77% |
| Linda Christine Hardy | $2,903 | $554 | -80.9% |
| Jessica Nicole Jordan | $3,556 | $542 | -84.8% |
| James T. Knight | $2,275 | $539 | -76.3% |
| Kimberly Laine Nestor | $2,803 | $538 | -80.8% |
| Virginia Sue Seibert | $3,217 | $532 | -83.5% |
| James Swartz | $522 | $522 | 0% |
| Troy Lee McCartney | $2,086 | $522 | -75% |
| Richard D. Marsh | $660 | $510 | -22.7% |
| Delbert Weaver | $2,692 | $508 | -81.1% |
| Charles Michael Isner | $2,550 | $481 | -81.1% |
| Garry Stuart | $1,914 | $479 | -75% |
| Richard Mackenzie Boyce | $2,261 | $450 | -80.1% |
| Jordan Clay Lamb | $3,428 | $450 | -86.9% |
| Cory Edward Wilmoth | $1,870 | $430 | -77% |
| Philip Eugene Knight Sr. | $3,026 | $430 | -85.8% |
| David W. Strait | $2,674 | $429 | -84% |
| Jason Foy | $2,083 | $419 | -79.9% |
| Steven C. Nestor | $1,969 | $405 | -79.4% |
| Mickey L. Mitchell | $1,979 | $382 | -80.7% |
| Collin D. Knotts | $1,837 | $377 | -79.5% |
| Buddy F. Shreve | $0 | $362 | -- |
| Larry J. Norris | $693 | $360 | -48.1% |
| Greg Tucker | $1,485 | $347 | -76.6% |
| Paul S. Ferguson | $1,792 | $345 | -80.7% |
| Edward Corey | $2,079 | $327 | -84.3% |
| Brian Scott Casto | $1,881 | $316 | -83.2% |
| Tammy Sandy | $816 | $308 | -62.3% |
| Elwood E. Canfield | $1,221 | $308 | -74.8% |
| Thomas S. Elliott | $1,056 | $306 | -71% |
| Nicholas Cross | $968 | $276 | -71.5% |
| Robert E. Gray | $2,213 | $270 | -87.8% |
| Dennis Dale Knotts Jr. | $1,322 | $266 | -79.9% |
| Larry D. Wilmoth | $1,199 | $255 | -78.7% |
| Philip Bryan Mullenax | $561 | $242 | -56.9% |
| Jerry Louk | $1,023 | $204 | -80.1% |
| William N Renzelli JR | $693 | $159 | -77.1% |
| William Renzelli III | $803 | $159 | -80.2% |
| Norman Kent Weese | $528 | $128 | -75.8% |
| Charles W. Isner | $605 | $121 | -80% |
| Delmar C. Wolfe | $374 | $107 | -71.4% |
| Rebecca Moyer | $198 | $100 | -49.5% |
| Allen R. Phillips | $477 | $94 | -80.3% |
| Bruce Mitchell | $440 | $86 | -80.5% |
| Dennis J. Riccio | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| James W. Pharis Jr. | $1,980 | $0 | -100% |
| Jason Teets | $2,367 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Anthony Cvechko | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael F. Wolfe | $4,582 | $0 | -100% |
| Mr. Steven L. Price | $21,995 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Carpenter Jr. | $5,379 | $0 | -100% |
| Steven Smith | $110 | $0 | -100% |
| Basil F. Wolfe Jr. | $4,895 | $0 | -100% |
| Buddy Shreve | $1,848 | $0 | -100% |
| Edward D. Paugh Jr. | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeremy David Matko | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| Matthew Auvil | $6,442 | $0 | -100% |
| Nick Wesley Gibson | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Rita D. Kennedy | $6,894 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $372,748 | $84,450 | -77.3% |
Alerts Sign-up