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In 2021, 39 farmers in cities within Spalding County received a total of $379,838 in 55 farm subsidies, a 35.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $585,012 in 93 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ogletree Seed, Inc. | $172,155 | $114,735 | -33.4% |
| University of GA | $94,494 | $75,790 | -19.8% |
| Robinson Dairy | $44,040 | $36,329 | -17.5% |
| Alan Robert Mobley | $56,878 | $35,981 | -36.7% |
| S & T Green Gate Farm, LLC | $355 | $30,905 | 8,605.6% |
| Bonnie R. Schoepke | $19,376 | $18,715 | -3.4% |
| Albert Jordan Living Trustee | $0 | $16,480 | -- |
| Weneewood, LLC | $6,484 | $6,484 | 0% |
| Phyllis R. McLemore | $6,054 | $6,054 | 0% |
| Scott Bailey | $5,014 | $5,014 | 0% |
| Jeffrey T. Hassey | $19,592 | $4,375 | -77.7% |
| Melin Farms, LLC | $21,434 | $4,231 | -80.3% |
| Judith H. Cox | $3,898 | $3,957 | 1.5% |
| Thru the Gates Restoration Ranch, Inc. | $0 | $3,340 | -- |
| Plott Family Farms, LLC | $4,171 | $1,853 | -55.6% |
| Michael L. Crowder | $11,934 | $1,806 | -84.9% |
| Homer H. Reeves | $2,163 | $1,657 | -23.4% |
| George R. Green | $7,612 | $1,619 | -78.7% |
| Randall K. Robinson | $9,284 | $1,152 | -87.6% |
| Joseph & Robert E Burns, ET AL | $20,897 | $1,039 | -95% |
| Ellen Rowe | $7,445 | $782 | -89.5% |
| Jeffery Cosper | $0 | $762 | -- |
| Brooke Moxley Homan | $142 | $741 | 421.8% |
| Bryan Moxley Aldridge | $142 | $741 | 421.8% |
| Gerald Rice | $3,039 | $733 | -75.9% |
| Howell A. Fowler Jr. | $3,653 | $613 | -83.2% |
| Elliott L Shimley | $0 | $495 | -- |
| William Bruce Ballard | $880 | $431 | -51% |
| Wayne T. Bates | $1,811 | $412 | -77.3% |
| Robert Waddy Bodron | $0 | $324 | -- |
| Nitale Wert | $651 | $323 | -50.4% |
| Samuel T. Strickland | $4,182 | $308 | -92.6% |
| John Catey | $602 | $297 | -50.7% |
| Joseph Wayne Bailey | $924 | $276 | -70.1% |
| Sidney Esary | $513 | $251 | -51.1% |
| Martha Cochran Lusk | $1,808 | $242 | -86.6% |
| Frances B Mccarthney | $1,089 | $214 | -80.3% |
| Johnny McLeroy | $1,617 | $211 | -87% |
| Connie Klopfenstein | $166 | $166 | 0% |
| Alan Bryan Hayes | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Henry H. Moxley Jr. | $1,199 | $0 | -100% |
| James Gore Jr. | $8,264 | $0 | -100% |
| John B. Melin | $5,101 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark A. Pattillo | $33,794 | $0 | -100% |
| Bristol King Jr. | $1,825 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $585,012 | $379,838 | -35.1% |
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