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In 2021, 77 farmers in cities within Catawba County received a total of $504,625 in 111 farm subsidies, a 54.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.1 million in 258 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyndee Farms, LLC | $13,776 | $133,658 | 870.2% |
| Lucas F. Richard | $235,493 | $90,599 | -61.5% |
| Promise View Acres Farm, LLC | $182,798 | $55,140 | -69.8% |
| Brandon Neil Bowman | $2,805 | $35,526 | 1,166.5% |
| Dan Hunsucker Farms, LLC | $79,216 | $22,886 | -71.1% |
| Patty Robb | $0 | $20,017 | -- |
| Wilson Hog Farm | $28,984 | $11,373 | -60.8% |
| Cloverdale Farms, LLC | $28,862 | $10,872 | -62.3% |
| Steve M. Caldwell | $24,368 | $10,065 | -58.7% |
| William Todd Edwards | $71,251 | $9,996 | -86% |
| Joseph P. Elrod II | $14,980 | $9,263 | -38.2% |
| Michael Whisnant | $24,707 | $8,961 | -63.7% |
| Elmore Farms, Inc. | $31,635 | $7,920 | -75% |
| Tracy K. Richard | $24,108 | $6,095 | -74.7% |
| Triple S Beef Farm, LLC | $13,699 | $5,790 | -57.7% |
| Eugene Pharr | $16,048 | $5,669 | -64.7% |
| Gerald Caldwell | $14,816 | $4,691 | -68.3% |
| Randy Caldwell | $10,302 | $4,458 | -56.7% |
| R & M Farms, Inc. | $14,923 | $3,954 | -73.5% |
| Derek Lee Teague | $23,385 | $3,861 | -83.5% |
| Ted E. Sigmon | $10,732 | $2,282 | -78.7% |
| Dennis E. Lutz | $8,811 | $2,168 | -75.4% |
| Clines Dairy, Inc. | $11,918 | $2,119 | -82.2% |
| Randy Sherrill | $3,527 | $2,005 | -43.2% |
| John Edward McCall | $0 | $1,954 | -- |
| Roger Martin | $8,588 | $1,668 | -80.6% |
| CJ Leatherman Lumber, Inc. | $2,940 | $1,514 | -48.5% |
| Mr. David Hoyle Caldwell | $2,078 | $1,365 | -34.3% |
| William Eric Coulter | $6,006 | $1,317 | -78.1% |
| Nancy J. Wilfong | $1,122 | $1,122 | 0% |
| Barbara Ingold Wilcox | $2,521 | $1,117 | -55.7% |
| Windsor Family I Limited Partnership | $0 | $1,058 | -- |
| Boyd L. Cook | $3,201 | $1,000 | -68.8% |
| Timothy Clyde Harris | $4,408 | $979 | -77.8% |
| Tony Phillip Eagle | $3,426 | $942 | -72.5% |
| Larry A. Baker | $2,305 | $832 | -63.9% |
| Travis Elkins | $11,970 | $816 | -93.2% |
| Janice Summey Brown | $3,179 | $810 | -74.5% |
| Alan Keller | $3,359 | $726 | -78.4% |
| Donald T. Hedrick | $707 | $707 | 0% |
| Scott Cline | $4,787 | $678 | -85.8% |
| Bradley Scott Loftin | $3,728 | $673 | -81.9% |
| Wendy M. Shook | $659 | $659 | 0% |
| Jacquelyn S. Campbell | $4,165 | $654 | -84.3% |
| Gail Mcree Hefner | $2,706 | $649 | -76% |
| Luke Timothy Devine | $3,003 | $644 | -78.6% |
| Bruce A. Jonas | $5,880 | $604 | -89.7% |
| Herman W. Sigmon Jr. | $2,310 | $604 | -73.9% |
| Steven W. Kale | $2,222 | $601 | -73% |
| William G. Brown | $2,667 | $585 | -78.1% |
| John G. McCall | $7,327 | $526 | -92.8% |
| Ross Gresley | $323 | $513 | 58.8% |
| Jerry L. Sigmon Jr. | $3,123 | $512 | -83.6% |
| Clarence Hood Jr. | $2,398 | $512 | -78.6% |
| Danny Setzer | $2,343 | $512 | -78.1% |
| William E. Seitz Jr. | $1,680 | $509 | -69.7% |
| Kenneth Arrowood | $1,474 | $506 | -65.7% |
| Gene Mauser | $2,057 | $502 | -75.6% |
| John F. McAuley | $4,196 | $492 | -88.3% |
| Toby Scott Aiken | $2,864 | $492 | -82.8% |
| Reid Wilson Goforth | $1,243 | $490 | -60.6% |
| John Wayne Adams | $8,163 | $476 | -94.2% |
| Iwilla M Warlick | $844 | $471 | -44.2% |
| Jerry A. Whisnant | $4,908 | $470 | -90.4% |
| Stanley A. Sigmon | $2,568 | $412 | -84% |
| Tony Wayne Sigmon | $2,656 | $408 | -84.6% |
| Ray Lidke | $2,068 | $408 | -80.3% |
| Charles Franklin Butts | $2,694 | $374 | -86.1% |
| Matthew Dean Vaught | $1,805 | $367 | -79.7% |
| Edward Lamar Hull | $2,220 | $314 | -85.9% |
| Edward O'brien Hull | $1,326 | $306 | -76.9% |
| Joezell Marcus Fulbright | $550 | $294 | -46.5% |
| Debra Ann Maynor | $930 | $267 | -71.3% |
| Marvin Lee Reinhardt | $1,416 | $240 | -83.1% |
| Zachary Lowman | $528 | $225 | -57.4% |
| Darrin C. Lackey | $913 | $204 | -77.7% |
| William Terry Lee | $660 | $177 | -73.2% |
| Brenda S. MacKie | $7,854 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Wayne Johnson | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| Steven A. Wike | $45 | $0 | -100% |
| Vicky Williams Danner | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffrey W. Kaylor | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| John L. Sigmon | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Lee A. Setzer | $208 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark David Carpenter | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Scott Mitchell | $1,118 | $0 | -100% |
| Honey Tree Farm, LLC | $1,635 | $0 | -100% |
| Larry Robb | $20,017 | $0 | -100% |
| Lewis E. Hollar | $1,184 | $0 | -100% |
| Millennium III Holdings, LLC | $134 | $0 | -100% |
| Nancy Throckmorton | $57 | $0 | -100% |
| Gaye Hood | $142 | $0 | -100% |
| Hou Xiong | $2,116 | $0 | -100% |
| Owenby Farm, LLC | $11,518 | $0 | -100% |
| Ray V. Caldwell | $1,755 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard E. Rogers | $8,525 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,101,471 | $504,625 | -54.2% |
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