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In 2021, 103 farmers in cities within Sevier County received a total of $162,199 in 119 farm subsidies, a 69.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $534,540 in 250 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby Leigh Corporation | $0 | $26,462 | -- |
| Gregory Mitchell Layman | $36,420 | $15,842 | -56.5% |
| Randy Kyker III | $39,267 | $6,579 | -83.2% |
| Michael R. Catlett | $0 | $6,432 | -- |
| Ronald E. Cameron | $6,540 | $5,843 | -10.7% |
| Ownby Brothers, LLC | $22,481 | $4,911 | -78.2% |
| Marvel Meister Lampe | $8,677 | $4,079 | -53% |
| Roger H. Radel | $16,686 | $3,884 | -76.7% |
| Jason Seaton | $3,680 | $3,680 | 0% |
| Jack McMahan | $15,642 | $3,652 | -76.7% |
| Dale W. Huffman | $20,184 | $2,827 | -86% |
| Susanne Allen | $9,164 | $2,707 | -70.5% |
| Blake Wallace Myers | $0 | $2,650 | -- |
| Burton Bryan | $16,230 | $2,611 | -83.9% |
| Carolyn R. Hall | $7,798 | $2,499 | -68% |
| Delmar Thomas | $9,886 | $2,452 | -75.2% |
| Jim D. Mays | $6,644 | $1,977 | -70.2% |
| David Newman | $6,930 | $1,870 | -73% |
| Alfonso Ellis Jenkins Jr. | $0 | $1,737 | -- |
| Brentley R. Ogle | $8,140 | $1,616 | -80.1% |
| Paul Bogart | $9,795 | $1,610 | -83.6% |
| Kenneth Terry | $6,644 | $1,542 | -76.8% |
| Travis McCroskey | $6,380 | $1,530 | -76% |
| Troy Lewis | $7,249 | $1,513 | -79.1% |
| Curtis B. Clabo | $5,907 | $1,409 | -76.1% |
| Max Sutton | $5,973 | $1,338 | -77.6% |
| Tony King | $8,090 | $1,330 | -83.6% |
| John M. Thornton | $4,523 | $1,254 | -72.3% |
| Anne S. Collins | $1,312 | $1,206 | -8.1% |
| Don Ownby | $4,092 | $1,199 | -70.7% |
| Dennis Lee Ogle | $2,310 | $1,188 | -48.6% |
| David R. Ownby | $1,809 | $1,181 | -34.7% |
| Steven Blackwell | $5,364 | $1,162 | -78.3% |
| Scott A. McConnell | $3,894 | $1,143 | -70.6% |
| Phil Teaster | $5,115 | $1,130 | -77.9% |
| Lynn McMahan | $5,346 | $1,122 | -79% |
| Ermal C Galyon | $5,060 | $1,054 | -79.2% |
| Frank W. Gibson | $4,125 | $1,038 | -74.8% |
| Jeffery L. Catlett | $5,816 | $1,036 | -82.2% |
| Terry L. Chaney | $7,037 | $1,007 | -85.7% |
| Hollis McCroskey | $4,191 | $1,002 | -76.1% |
| Carol J. Meek | $4,776 | $991 | -79.3% |
| Taylor Burgess | $4,225 | $965 | -77.2% |
| Jack Denton | $3,366 | $924 | -72.5% |
| William D. Manning | $3,509 | $906 | -74.2% |
| Thomas H. Sims | $3,952 | $900 | -77.2% |
| Mary L. Gibson | $0 | $880 | -- |
| Donna M Farris-Donna M Farris Trust | $3,099 | $873 | -71.8% |
| Timothy Robertson | $2,397 | $861 | -64.1% |
| Myrna B. Thompson | $1,741 | $857 | -50.8% |
| Marshall D. Dykes Jr. | $3,091 | $847 | -72.6% |
| Danny Noland | $9,461 | $833 | -91.2% |
| Mark A. Johnson | $3,465 | $806 | -76.7% |
| Daren Helton | $4,792 | $786 | -83.6% |
| Karen Davis | $747 | $747 | 0% |
| Justin Huffaker | $935 | $747 | -20.1% |
| Curtis Wells | $3,839 | $668 | -82.6% |
| Jeff Brackins | $2,618 | $656 | -74.9% |
| Rebecca Huskey | $2,355 | $652 | -72.3% |
| Franklin C. Jones | $2,933 | $638 | -78.2% |
| Dennis Parton | $3,875 | $622 | -83.9% |
| Scott Catlett | $2,596 | $602 | -76.8% |
| Duane J. Denton | $2,882 | $595 | -79.4% |
| Helen F. Manis | $4,263 | $591 | -86.1% |
| Alonzo Frank Barrett | $2,153 | $581 | -73% |
| Wayne Loveday | $1,452 | $574 | -60.5% |
| John R. Plummer | $3,154 | $550 | -82.6% |
| Neva M. Roof | $2,526 | $548 | -78.3% |
| Karen King | $2,277 | $546 | -76% |
| Scott B. Hensley | $2,321 | $546 | -76.5% |
| Marcella D Fedoronko | $321 | $535 | 66.7% |
| Linda Webb | $1,738 | $523 | -69.9% |
| Lorraine Simmons | $520 | $520 | 0% |
| Sam D. Chaney | $1,672 | $480 | -71.3% |
| Harold T. Robertson | $2,123 | $457 | -78.5% |
| Lloyd C. Leatherwood | $1,804 | $446 | -75.3% |
| Archie Hatcher | $2,834 | $443 | -84.4% |
| Nancy J. Bledsoe | $1,373 | $440 | -68% |
| Fletcher Keels Baker | $438 | $438 | 0% |
| Martin B. McClure | $1,595 | $411 | -74.2% |
| Stanley R. Myers | $2,061 | $374 | -81.9% |
| James S. King Sr. | $3,893 | $363 | -90.7% |
| A & a Farms | $2,312 | $353 | -84.7% |
| Bobby R. Stinnett | $1,944 | $336 | -82.7% |
| Larry M. Smelcer | $1,672 | $332 | -80.1% |
| Phillip F. Sikes | $416 | $329 | -20.9% |
| Rebecca Ogle | $668 | $321 | -51.9% |
| Dwight Payne | $1,901 | $318 | -83.3% |
| James Garfield Flynn | $3,787 | $308 | -91.9% |
| Kendall Patterson | $1,309 | $304 | -76.8% |
| Charles E. Elder | $1,133 | $301 | -73.4% |
| James Scheurer | $0 | $297 | -- |
| Bobby Shultz | $1,221 | $277 | -77.3% |
| Jackie L. Ownby Jr. | $1,518 | $270 | -82.2% |
| Dewey Floyd | $1,589 | $259 | -83.7% |
| Wanda L. Bryan | $2,230 | $255 | -88.6% |
| Luanne Kail | $114 | $224 | 96.5% |
| Roy Y. Parrott | $1,062 | $214 | -79.8% |
| Chad Teaster | $1,763 | $162 | -90.8% |
| Ralph Stinnett | $1,599 | $159 | -90.1% |
| Jesse Mottern | $484 | $97 | -80% |
| Charlene K. McGaha | $264 | $42 | -84.1% |
| Susan K. Johnson | $132 | $15 | -88.6% |
| John W Baxter Living Trust | $4,181 | $0 | -100% |
| Ben D. Brabson Jr. | $24,636 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles Eugene Little | $1,013 | $0 | -100% |
| Geneva C. Sarten | $29 | $0 | -100% |
| Marvin L. Henderson | $6,101 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael David Jessie II | $1,870 | $0 | -100% |
| Mountain Roots Farm, LLC | $5,961 | $0 | -100% |
| Mr. Justin Huffaker | $2,700 | $0 | -100% |
| Vivian M. Abney | $7,358 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $534,540 | $162,199 | -69.7% |
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