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In 2021, 61 farmers in cities within Pickens County received a total of $555,791 in 77 farm subsidies, a 51.2% increase from 2020, when the total was $367,643 in 139 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin B Wright, Inc. | $19,808 | $119,307 | 502.3% |
| JTF Holdings, LLC | $0 | $64,132 | -- |
| Southeast Grinding, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| MRS Charlotte M Wilson | $6,028 | $35,535 | 489.5% |
| Georgia Mountain Logging, Inc. | $0 | $35,282 | -- |
| James Kenji Darwin | $550 | $29,909 | 5,338% |
| Jessica Hamrick | $3,571 | $24,046 | 573.4% |
| South Pointe Farms, Inc. | $0 | $22,473 | -- |
| K & W Poultry, LLC | $0 | $21,858 | -- |
| Greg K Wright, Inc. | $6,679 | $19,912 | 198.1% |
| Brian Chastain | $0 | $19,853 | -- |
| T & S Farms, Inc. | $2,673 | $12,216 | 357% |
| William Brett Burnette | $81,251 | $12,030 | -85.2% |
| Christopher Lee Moss | $0 | $9,296 | -- |
| Claudia G. Gibson | $20,332 | $7,187 | -64.7% |
| Mitchell Dodd | $39,167 | $7,008 | -82.1% |
| Keith Collins | $0 | $6,846 | -- |
| Bradley D. Marquart | $17,027 | $5,662 | -66.7% |
| Ricky L. Bruce | $0 | $4,621 | -- |
| Donald G. Miller Jr. | $4,247 | $4,247 | 0% |
| Jo Lynn Walker | $16,330 | $3,560 | -78.2% |
| Karen S. Barrett | $2,594 | $2,594 | 0% |
| John B. Barnes Jr. | $8,492 | $1,727 | -79.7% |
| Misty Johnson | $7,249 | $1,712 | -76.4% |
| James Charlie Findley | $1,004 | $1,710 | 70.3% |
| Sean R. Mullett | $1,695 | $1,695 | 0% |
| Joe Hermann | $9,077 | $1,684 | -81.4% |
| John L. Tatum | $0 | $1,656 | -- |
| Marilyn Wray | $4,532 | $1,572 | -65.3% |
| Sherry Poole | $8,056 | $1,519 | -81.1% |
| Doris Jeanette Lawson | $3,234 | $1,439 | -55.5% |
| James A. Priest | $0 | $1,439 | -- |
| Phil A. Mullinax | $6,527 | $1,320 | -79.8% |
| Thomas C. Burnette | $8,797 | $1,208 | -86.3% |
| Jan Bruce | $6,743 | $1,164 | -82.7% |
| Td Childers | $2,745 | $1,070 | -61% |
| Town Creek Farms, LLC | $0 | $990 | -- |
| Gregory William Tilley | $4,878 | $988 | -79.7% |
| Richard Harold Davis | $4,434 | $848 | -80.9% |
| Matthew H. Chastain | $3,839 | $838 | -78.2% |
| Winnie S. Mitchell | $4,685 | $804 | -82.8% |
| Stephen R. Page | $0 | $770 | -- |
| Willie B. Williams | $2,831 | $750 | -73.5% |
| Peggie I. Hulsey | $3,938 | $710 | -82% |
| Sheila Diane Priest | $3,058 | $694 | -77.3% |
| Sandra Dunn | $883 | $686 | -22.3% |
| Frances Dodd | $2,421 | $664 | -72.6% |
| Jimmy Dean Grizzle | $1,188 | $654 | -44.9% |
| Vickie B. Jones | $0 | $650 | -- |
| Gladys R. Cagle | $1,320 | $536 | -59.4% |
| Chad Stewart | $2,079 | $532 | -74.4% |
| Brantley Timothy Milford | $3,919 | $518 | -86.8% |
| Donald W. Reece | $2,665 | $450 | -83.1% |
| Deborah Stewart Chadwick | $1,771 | $435 | -75.4% |
| Mark Daniel Kirby | $660 | $432 | -34.5% |
| Colby Collins | $0 | $385 | -- |
| Jerry R. Barnes | $2,440 | $304 | -87.5% |
| Larry R. Johnson | $1,257 | $253 | -79.9% |
| Timothy Corey Sanford | $957 | $223 | -76.7% |
| Robert Lamar Curtis | $804 | $207 | -74.3% |
| Ronda L. Erway | $303 | $106 | -65% |
| Anthony Trippe | $778 | $0 | -100% |
| Arrow Creek Farm, LLC | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Ernest Henderson | $1,174 | $0 | -100% |
| Jane W. Pulford | $6,450 | $0 | -100% |
| Joe R. Cox | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Joel Neighbors | $1,174 | $0 | -100% |
| Kathleen J. Love | $115 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael T. Ledford | $1,020 | $0 | -100% |
| Paulette Moxley | $5,610 | $0 | -100% |
| Philip W. Seibel | $2,449 | $0 | -100% |
| Quinton Haygood | $1,675 | $0 | -100% |
| Seth Kirk | $3,150 | $0 | -100% |
| Tim Jarvis | $2,200 | $0 | -100% |
| Timothy Brandenburg | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Gregory Steven Pettit | $580 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $367,643 | $555,791 | 51.2% |
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