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In 2021, 175 farmers in cities within Mecklenburg County received a total of $1.8 million in 299 farm subsidies, a 51.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3.7 million in 534 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.
Farmers and Their Subsidies in Cities Associated with Mecklenburg County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| R Hart Hudson Farms, Inc. | $428,179 | $157,848 | -63.1% |
| Opie Farms, Inc. | $389,010 | $153,538 | -60.5% |
| J F Leaf, Ltd. | $215,482 | $111,584 | -48.2% |
| Clark Farms, LLC | $162,709 | $107,221 | -34.1% |
| Wylie H. Farrar Sr. | $140,884 | $77,424 | -45% |
| Upton Agsouth, LLC | $194,305 | $77,023 | -60.4% |
| Proffitt Farms, LLC | $281,591 | $76,853 | -72.7% |
| Farrar Sod Farm | $0 | $55,656 | -- |
| Bing Farms, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Michael a Tanner, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Precision Timber Harvesting, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Union Level Timber Harvesters, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Lindsey T. Warren | $48,921 | $48,188 | -1.5% |
| James C Hall & Sons, LLC | $80,757 | $44,867 | -44.4% |
| A & R Hauling, LLC | $0 | $40,216 | -- |
| Mark B. Warren | $61,285 | $40,031 | -34.7% |
| David J. Jones | $56,313 | $39,988 | -29% |
| Callahan Family Farm, LLC | $64,504 | $38,952 | -39.6% |
| Michael F. Wells | $38,052 | $38,514 | 1.2% |
| Washburn Farms, Inc. | $52,294 | $37,424 | -28.4% |
| Wylie Hamilton Farrar Jr. | $37,973 | $35,485 | -6.6% |
| Lindsey T Warren | $39,414 | $22,667 | -42.5% |
| Austin & Sons Trucking, Inc. | $0 | $22,235 | -- |
| Clary Farms, Inc. | $33,042 | $19,431 | -41.2% |
| William Carl Ligon | $16,927 | $18,905 | 11.7% |
| Mitchell K. Tackett | $29,820 | $18,399 | -38.3% |
| Jarrett H. Callahan | $13,674 | $16,693 | 22.1% |
| Edsel J Smith Farm, LLC | $22,624 | $14,548 | -35.7% |
| Thomas Martin T/A Astro Farms | $18,444 | $14,143 | -23.3% |
| John Lacks | $79,989 | $14,037 | -82.5% |
| Puryear Brothers Farms, LLC | $24,665 | $13,518 | -45.2% |
| Michael H. Upton | $27,758 | $13,360 | -51.9% |
| Manning Farms, Inc. | $24,420 | $13,080 | -46.4% |
| Henry L. Long | $51,658 | $12,660 | -75.5% |
| John W. Boyd Jr. | $25,968 | $12,634 | -51.3% |
| Atlas Lee Allen | $0 | $10,530 | -- |
| Glenn Todd Edens | $21,555 | $8,905 | -58.7% |
| Misty Acres | $10,841 | $6,858 | -36.7% |
| David S. Buchanan Jr. | $24,824 | $6,728 | -72.9% |
| Barry D. Piercy | $12,979 | $6,265 | -51.7% |
| Martin Turner Smith | $6,139 | $5,746 | -6.4% |
| Inge Farms | $24,332 | $5,602 | -77% |
| CKM Farms, LLC | $8,334 | $5,148 | -38.2% |
| Betty Rolfe Upton | $15,943 | $4,681 | -70.6% |
| Wylie H Farrar JR - Midway Nursery | $0 | $4,535 | -- |
| Henry R. Robertson | $15,001 | $4,475 | -70.2% |
| Gary W. Robertson | $10,289 | $4,400 | -57.2% |
| Danny Lacks | $22,589 | $3,997 | -82.3% |
| Circle W Farm, Inc. | $308,666 | $3,964 | -98.7% |
| Allen Franklin Bing | $3,119 | $3,309 | 6.1% |
| Willie H. Thompson | $12,309 | $3,064 | -75.1% |
| James T. Sullivan | $11,645 | $2,749 | -76.4% |
| Norman J. Hudson | $9,686 | $2,646 | -72.7% |
| James M. Overby Jr. | $18,667 | $2,616 | -86% |
| Ephriam Bruce Wright Jr. | $11,550 | $2,517 | -78.2% |
| Hunter W. Tudor | $0 | $2,502 | -- |
| David L. Crews | $11,839 | $2,496 | -78.9% |
| Calvin L. Honeycutt | $9,327 | $2,466 | -73.6% |
| Glenn Watkins | $11,423 | $2,316 | -79.7% |
| Tony Vance Cox | $11,351 | $2,234 | -80.3% |
| Tony Wayne Roberts | $9,618 | $2,092 | -78.2% |
| James Adams | $9,750 | $1,967 | -79.8% |
| John W. Tudor Jr. | $7,436 | $1,948 | -73.8% |
| Ronald James Newton | $8,888 | $1,941 | -78.2% |
| Floyd E. Wootten | $1,837 | $1,837 | 0% |
| Sharron a Crutchfield | $2,689 | $1,827 | -32.1% |
| Maybelle Price | $7,370 | $1,792 | -75.7% |
| Julian Jackson | $9,225 | $1,770 | -80.8% |
| Irvin W. Matthews | $10,912 | $1,766 | -83.8% |
| David M. Austin | $637 | $1,651 | 159.2% |
| Timothy F. Austin | $637 | $1,651 | 159.2% |
| Claude W. Wright Jr. | $8,561 | $1,629 | -81% |
| Patricia L. Long | $8,186 | $1,620 | -80.2% |
| AMB Farms, LLC | $8,748 | $1,484 | -83% |
| Sandra B. Grizzard | $425 | $1,472 | 246.4% |
| Marvin L. Leblanc | $6,249 | $1,471 | -76.5% |
| Norman Chad Ashworth | $6,209 | $1,435 | -76.9% |
| Cedar Hill Farms Partnership | $5,808 | $1,411 | -75.7% |
| Thomas J Mariannino | $7,219 | $1,369 | -81% |
| Dennis P. Thompson | $6,520 | $1,353 | -79.2% |
| Keith A. Tharrington | $6,417 | $1,302 | -79.7% |
| W. E. Farrar Jr. | $19,401 | $1,277 | -93.4% |
| Kara Denise Boyd | $946 | $1,261 | 33.3% |
| Thomas E. Wilkinson | $5,434 | $1,231 | -77.3% |
| Michael Carroll | $1,213 | $1,213 | 0% |
| Michael K. Michael Sr. | $14,583 | $1,203 | -91.8% |
| Guerry O. Morgan | $4,972 | $1,152 | -76.8% |
| Michael R. Tudor | $4,004 | $1,151 | -71.3% |
| Jimmy C. Vaughan | $4,965 | $1,126 | -77.3% |
| Walter W. Williams | $3,993 | $1,124 | -71.9% |
| Danny Ray Lacks II | $5,491 | $1,069 | -80.5% |
| Edward E. Coleman Jr. | $5,141 | $1,037 | -79.8% |
| John W. Hendrick | $3,951 | $1,025 | -74.1% |
| Alice Tudor | $3,487 | $1,016 | -70.9% |
| E. B. Matthews | $1,407 | $989 | -29.7% |
| Jonathan T. Wilmouth | $2,937 | $987 | -66.4% |
| Joanne W. Andrews | $1,030 | $986 | -4.3% |
| Michael H. Upton Jr. | $1,111 | $982 | -11.6% |
| William B. Watkins | $2,664 | $967 | -63.7% |
| Michael Elliott | $3,795 | $871 | -77% |
| Wayne H. Carter III | $5,238 | $785 | -85% |
| Bryan B. Watson | $6,593 | $767 | -88.4% |
| Pam H. Smiley | $3,487 | $764 | -78.1% |
| C. B. Elam Jr. | $2,816 | $736 | -73.9% |
| Park Forest Farms, Inc. | $723 | $723 | 0% |
| Piney Pond Cattle Company, LLC | $3,262 | $720 | -77.9% |
| William J. Coleman | $3,502 | $702 | -80% |
| Larry T. Clark | $4,141 | $689 | -83.4% |
| Robert F. Winckler | $2,387 | $667 | -72.1% |
| Sarah Brankley Fox | $2,541 | $644 | -74.7% |
| John Stuart Bayne | $2,310 | $639 | -72.3% |
| W. C. Thompson Jr. | $2,453 | $638 | -74% |
| James H. Jackson | $2,761 | $631 | -77.1% |
| Percy Holmes White | $3,469 | $623 | -82% |
| G. E. Smith | $2,500 | $603 | -75.9% |
| Donald Seamans | $2,057 | $585 | -71.6% |
| Dale Wilson | $579 | $580 | 0.2% |
| David B. Slater Jr. | $1,883 | $569 | -69.8% |
| Lucille W. Reese | $1,804 | $553 | -69.3% |
| John B. Taylor | $2,642 | $552 | -79.1% |
| W. S. Hundley III | $537 | $537 | 0% |
| Jamie A. Barker | $2,530 | $526 | -79.2% |
| Circle M Farm | $789 | $500 | -36.6% |
| Turkey Ridge Farms, LLC | $0 | $500 | -- |
| Angela Ezell Clary | $1,991 | $495 | -75.1% |
| John A. Phillips | $494 | $494 | 0% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $0 | $491 | -- |
| David Lawrence Crews Jr. | $1,485 | $490 | -67% |
| Thomas Lee Rogers | $2,046 | $474 | -76.8% |
| Glynn L. Whitten | $2,679 | $465 | -82.6% |
| Victor Wayne Simmons Jr. | $450 | $450 | 0% |
| John E. Martin | $2,867 | $448 | -84.4% |
| Ryan Stephen Clark | $304 | $405 | 33.2% |
| Roy D. Carter | $2,449 | $404 | -83.5% |
| Thomas C. Coleman III | $2,051 | $394 | -80.8% |
| Carolyn W. Ward | $240 | $382 | 59.2% |
| Merri, LLC | $369 | $369 | 0% |
| James Lee Simmons | $0 | $364 | -- |
| Charles L. Parham Jr. | $214 | $353 | 65% |
| Jerry M. Jones | $2,133 | $343 | -83.9% |
| Linda Richardson | $0 | $341 | -- |
| W. A. Manning Jr. | $1,389 | $339 | -75.6% |
| Elmore Jones | $334 | $334 | 0% |
| Sylvia B. Hall | $1,527 | $328 | -78.5% |
| Edwin C. Whitten | $1,518 | $326 | -78.5% |
| James H. Hawthorne | $839 | $324 | -61.4% |
| Roger L. Mitchell | $1,923 | $322 | -83.3% |
| George Glenn Whitten | $825 | $308 | -62.7% |
| Bobby L. Pearce Jr. | $726 | $308 | -57.6% |
| Corene T. Clary | $273 | $303 | 11% |
| William Dennis Thomas | $273 | $303 | 11% |
| Beverly K. Carey | $49 | $269 | 449% |
| David Lawrence Crews III | $759 | $239 | -68.5% |
| David Jones - Big Fork J. Farms | $178 | $237 | 33.1% |
| Thomas Clifton Coleman IV | $1,288 | $208 | -83.9% |
| Michael C. Burt | $935 | $197 | -78.9% |
| Frances H. Pinnell | $392 | $184 | -53.1% |
| Andrae T. Tisdale | $795 | $180 | -77.4% |
| Lewis R. Rash III | $436 | $174 | -60.1% |
| John C. Connell Sr. | $156 | $138 | -11.5% |
| Anthony Wayne Bing | $737 | $133 | -82% |
| G R Creedle III | $8,397 | $133 | -98.4% |
| Carl Pasko | $660 | $121 | -81.7% |
| H. B. Wilson | $95 | $95 | 0% |
| Carlton L. Allgood | $93 | $93 | 0% |
| Sam F. Tudor | $0 | $81 | -- |
| Wayne H. Burney | $741 | $80 | -89.2% |
| Thomas A. Michael | $638 | $60 | -90.6% |
| Mark A. Piercy | $483 | $48 | -90.1% |
| Rochelle a Lambert-Brown | $37 | $37 | 0% |
| Daniel Hammond | $34 | $34 | 0% |
| John W Caknipe JR | $59 | $24 | -59.3% |
| Frank W. Baird | $253 | $24 | -90.5% |
| James R. Hazelwood | $198 | $20 | -89.9% |
| Lloyd W. King | $47 | $7 | -85.1% |
| William Austin Puryear | $1,465 | $0 | -100% |
| Donna I. Sullivan | $1,210 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency | $500 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $3,067 | $0 | -100% |
| Horizon Hemp and Agriculture, LLC | $29,719 | $0 | -100% |
| Jan L. Hundley | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Mecklenburg County FSA | $4,539 | $0 | -100% |
| Mecklenburg Farm Service Agency | $2,456 | $0 | -100% |
| Estate of Pettus H Rudd SR | $1,223 | $0 | -100% |
| Judy L. Clarke | $235 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael B. Lynch | $235 | $0 | -100% |
| Christopher R. Lacks | $25,231 | $0 | -100% |
| G. G. Whitten | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Joyce Ellen Inge French | $4,234 | $0 | -100% |
| Nelson Scott Bohannon | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Oscar M Mccrowell JR | $715 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy Cox | $2,421 | $0 | -100% |
| William G. Averette | $2,021 | $0 | -100% |
| Alan Corbet Wright | $202 | $0 | -100% |
| Connie Hayes Parrott | $120 | $0 | -100% |
| Sherwood F. Boze | $761 | $0 | -100% |
| Frank David Jones | $1,080 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenneth L. Wallace | $202 | $0 | -100% |
| Oak Grove Livestock & Agent Services | $4,675 | $0 | -100% |
| Sharron A. Crutchfield | $1,488 | $0 | -100% |
| Vance E. Wright | $202 | $0 | -100% |
| Weldon E. Jones Jr. | $1,080 | $0 | -100% |
| Wright Forestry, LLC | $1,066 | $0 | -100% |
| Anne O. Crowder | $1,984 | $0 | -100% |
| Christopher David Jones | $26,454 | $0 | -100% |
| Crystal Nehme - Buds and Blossoms | $2,438 | $0 | -100% |
| Elizabeth C. Watkins | $957 | $0 | -100% |
| George Lee Brown | $48 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark G. Kidd | $526 | $0 | -100% |
| Richard Allen Puryear Jr. | $1,465 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $3,710,908 | $1,813,232 | -51.1% |
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