Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 69 farmers in cities within Bradford County received a total of $338,336 in 76 farm subsidies, an 87.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.8 million in 175 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| R & M Farms of Bradford, LLC | $2,946 | $91,639 | 3,010.6% |
| Townsend Honey Farm, LLC | $126,265 | $46,350 | -63.3% |
| Bellamy Cattle Buying and Sales, LLC | $1,826,210 | $41,840 | -97.7% |
| Circle H Ranch, Inc. | $111,191 | $34,578 | -68.9% |
| Melodie N. Stilwell | $15,413 | $15,413 | 0% |
| Dylan Thomas | $45,522 | $9,959 | -78.1% |
| Jeff Thomas | $45,661 | $9,959 | -78.2% |
| Jackson W. Tatum | $45,966 | $8,742 | -81% |
| Thomas B. Hamilton III | $37,338 | $7,245 | -80.6% |
| Douglas A. Green | $31,416 | $6,553 | -79.1% |
| Randy D. Kelley | $14,322 | $3,620 | -74.7% |
| W. D. Andrews Sr. | $18,433 | $3,271 | -82.3% |
| Bobby Eugene Adams | $0 | $3,223 | -- |
| Christopher Lee Rhoden | $14,039 | $2,835 | -79.8% |
| Kenneth Brad Thomas | $8,857 | $2,784 | -68.6% |
| Patricia Crosby | $10,219 | $2,764 | -73% |
| Patsy Pullen | $11,165 | $2,365 | -78.8% |
| Glenn Ritch | $13,651 | $2,274 | -83.3% |
| Gene Bertine | $10,976 | $2,183 | -80.1% |
| Radi a Awartani | $0 | $1,815 | -- |
| Randal L. Reddish | $9,244 | $1,784 | -80.7% |
| Thomas F. Gaskins Jr. | $4,554 | $1,734 | -61.9% |
| Billie L. Gladwell | $8,569 | $1,730 | -79.8% |
| Dale Hayes | $7,018 | $1,727 | -75.4% |
| Phil H. Gainey | $8,223 | $1,643 | -80% |
| Diane E. Goetzman | $9,933 | $1,626 | -83.6% |
| A. B. Adams | $5,797 | $1,470 | -74.6% |
| Ray Norman | $6,897 | $1,452 | -78.9% |
| Clemons Farms, Inc. | $48,999 | $1,332 | -97.3% |
| Kingsley Cattle Company, LLC | $5,857 | $1,319 | -77.5% |
| James E. Clemons | $7,642 | $1,302 | -83% |
| Wayne Malcolm Wall | $4,004 | $1,270 | -68.3% |
| Allison Ranch, LLC | $5,359 | $1,229 | -77.1% |
| Leroy Norman Jr. | $4,818 | $1,078 | -77.6% |
| Cypress R Farms, Inc. | $5,032 | $969 | -80.7% |
| Merrill Griffis | $1,773 | $944 | -46.8% |
| Bryan W. Ward | $4,074 | $932 | -77.1% |
| Larry Shane Thornton | $3,542 | $792 | -77.6% |
| Levern Gilmore | $3,135 | $789 | -74.8% |
| John B. Sapp | $3,751 | $782 | -79.2% |
| Judy S. Jull | $760 | $760 | 0% |
| Arthur J. Mott | $2,981 | $748 | -74.9% |
| Alan T. Odom | $3,630 | $728 | -79.9% |
| Aimee Johns Thornton | $2,409 | $670 | -72.2% |
| Gregory A. Alvarez | $3,263 | $651 | -80% |
| Steven Dyal | $2,655 | $628 | -76.3% |
| Brian K. Johns | $2,134 | $594 | -72.2% |
| Chad E. Hersey | $1,551 | $575 | -62.9% |
| George Anthony Kennan III | $1,705 | $545 | -68% |
| Lawrence Mosley | $5,270 | $535 | -89.8% |
| Albert L. Mize | $2,486 | $514 | -79.3% |
| James W. Clemons | $2,552 | $509 | -80.1% |
| Maxie Doug Wilkinson | $2,030 | $505 | -75.1% |
| Randy D. Conner | $3,155 | $502 | -84.1% |
| Milton Sumpter | $0 | $495 | -- |
| Raymond Whittle | $2,875 | $448 | -84.4% |
| Sandra S. Norman | $92,335 | $416 | -99.5% |
| Robin C. Witt | $2,563 | $390 | -84.8% |
| Joey Sapp | $891 | $374 | -58% |
| Elizabeth Williams | $6,920 | $373 | -94.6% |
| David W. Sparks | $1,661 | $353 | -78.7% |
| Greg Starling | $1,555 | $288 | -81.5% |
| Levi S. Lee | $1,858 | $266 | -85.7% |
| Ernest Johnson | $2,288 | $239 | -89.6% |
| Lewis Marney | $1,122 | $236 | -79% |
| Kenneth Jason Wainwright | $1,431 | $225 | -84.3% |
| Jeremy W. Huntley | $1,524 | $190 | -87.5% |
| Carley Dyal | $847 | $155 | -81.7% |
| Jerry Starlin | $220 | $108 | -50.9% |
| Dwight Thomas | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| Suzanna Hough | $1,870 | $0 | -100% |
| Beadie Mae Norman | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Edwin Clark | $1,210 | $0 | -100% |
| Herman Edward Thomas | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Janice Gaskins | $935 | $0 | -100% |
| Wilber Austin | $935 | $0 | -100% |
| Kasey Ford | $1,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Michele Wilson | $1,980 | $0 | -100% |
| Ted J. Harris | $1,210 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas King | $68,646 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,782,458 | $338,336 | -87.8% |
Alerts Sign-up