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The state of taxpayer-funded farm subsidies in Wytheville in 2021
Published 02/28/24
In 2021, 196 farmers in Wytheville received a total of $818,315 in 306 farm subsidies, a 64% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.3 million in 597 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 lead 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 Wytheville, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Subsidy Received in 2021 | Subsidy Received in 2020 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfpen Farm, LLC | $101,745 | $185,625 | -45.2% |
| Alfred W. Stephens | $86,941 | $98,034 | -11.3% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity Credit Corporation | $67,233 | $0 | -- |
| Walnut Spring Farms, LLC | $59,070 | $31,637 | 86.7% |
| Brian M. Umberger | $54,432 | $125,441 | -56.6% |
| Jessica Boyer Hale | $39,475 | $16,741 | 135.8% |
| George C. Aker | $22,213 | $24,194 | -8.2% |
| Richard Glenn Kauffman | $20,302 | $30,064 | -32.5% |
| Debra U. Boyer | $18,289 | $126,383 | -85.5% |
| Patrick D. Umberger | $14,978 | $28,577 | -47.6% |
| Hounshell Farms | $13,688 | $32,216 | -57.5% |
| Gary Tolley | $13,533 | $10,098 | 34% |
| Nathan A. Aker | $12,251 | $27,010 | -54.6% |
| Earnest Hansel Sheffey | $11,755 | $9,789 | 20.1% |
| Joseph W. Gardner | $11,538 | $6,819 | 69.2% |
| Ernest Groseclose & Sons, LLC | $10,897 | $34,864 | -68.7% |
| Ernest R. Williams | $10,671 | $69,941 | -84.7% |
| John H Crowgey III | $9,640 | $36,122 | -73.3% |
| Charles W. Stroupe | $8,583 | $56,033 | -84.7% |
| Gary K. Williams | $7,933 | $33,558 | -76.4% |
| Richdale Farm | $7,160 | $90,569 | -92.1% |
| K & R Farms, LLC | $6,878 | $54,486 | -87.4% |
| Judy T. Pierce | $6,713 | $22,930 | -70.7% |
| Someday, LLC | $5,581 | $22,639 | -75.3% |
| Gene Skinner | $5,476 | $0 | -- |
| Samuel R. Crockett Jr. | $5,293 | $22,178 | -76.1% |
| Elizabeth Painter | $4,684 | $12,606 | -62.8% |
| Sharitz Dairy Farm, Inc. | $4,681 | $6,717 | -30.3% |
| Roger D. Forrester | $4,616 | $44,042 | -89.5% |
| Roger J. Wyatt Jr. | $4,442 | $32,447 | -86.3% |
| Rodney K. Roberts | $4,382 | $36,405 | -88% |
| King Bros Farm, LLC | $4,372 | $16,806 | -74% |
| Myron Irvin | $4,216 | $16,258 | -74.1% |
| Samuel C. Bowen | $4,138 | $19,472 | -78.7% |
| James E. Williams Jr. | $4,002 | $17,180 | -76.7% |
| Spraker Farms Operation | $3,850 | $15,601 | -75.3% |
| William M. Cooper Jr. | $3,658 | $641 | 470.7% |
| Joshua W. Collins | $3,654 | $2,068 | 76.7% |
| Mary W. Mullins | $3,270 | $10,141 | -67.8% |
| William N. Pendleton | $3,179 | $30,448 | -89.6% |
| Frank Bruce Stephens | $2,898 | $2,321 | 24.9% |
| Kevin Cregger | $2,796 | $12,874 | -78.3% |
| Walter R. Lewis | $2,796 | $10,712 | -73.9% |
| Jennifer Autumn Penwright | $2,599 | $19,811 | -86.9% |
| Cory A. Aker | $2,562 | $8,795 | -70.9% |
| James W. Collins | $2,470 | $17,389 | -85.8% |
| Jonathan Sage | $2,365 | $10,805 | -78.1% |
| James M. Walters | $2,345 | $8,759 | -73.2% |
| A & U Farms, LLC | $2,330 | $0 | -- |
| William A. Robinson | $2,248 | $7,629 | -70.5% |
| Curtis Dewey Dunford | $2,198 | $6,485 | -66.1% |
| Estate of Frieda R Hanshew | $2,145 | $0 | -- |
| Williams Farm, Inc. | $2,081 | $22,752 | -90.9% |
| Kirk Farms, Inc. | $2,044 | $6,842 | -70.1% |
| Josiparo Farm | $2,011 | $14,223 | -85.9% |
| Margaret Ann Cregger | $1,890 | $8,326 | -77.3% |
| Janet J. Wright | $1,823 | $8,014 | -77.3% |
| Stoney Fork Farm, LLC | $1,734 | $6,595 | -73.7% |
| Andrew W. Meadows | $1,684 | $8,032 | -79% |
| Wanda Dunford | $1,666 | $8,394 | -80.2% |
| Scott's Dairy Farm, Inc. | $1,627 | $6,393 | -74.6% |
| Kegley Farms, Inc. | $1,593 | $8,538 | -81.3% |
| Terri Evans Street | $1,580 | $0 | -- |
| Thomas Cline Jr. | $1,538 | $8,607 | -82.1% |
| Kimberly Dunford | $1,477 | $2,965 | -50.2% |
| Jeffrey D. Hagy | $1,437 | $7,971 | -82% |
| Jimmy Melton Jr. | $1,436 | $6,072 | -76.4% |
| Timothy Allen Reeves | $1,411 | $7,122 | -80.2% |
| Jessica Puckett | $1,404 | $10,871 | -87.1% |
| Reta S. Buchanan | $1,392 | $4,796 | -71% |
| Robin Jones | $1,365 | $7,231 | -81.1% |
| Joel Harrison Blevins | $1,295 | $6,863 | -81.1% |
| Stage Road Farm, Inc. | $1,266 | $5,795 | -78.2% |
| Mark M. Sheffey | $1,264 | $5,705 | -77.8% |
| George T. Johnstone Jr. | $1,250 | $5,245 | -76.2% |
| Logan Sawyers | $1,249 | $6,721 | -81.4% |
| Dorothy S. Miller | $1,203 | $2,264 | -46.9% |
| Matthew S. Martin | $1,170 | $2,557 | -54.2% |
| Randolph M. Shelton | $1,136 | $7,826 | -85.5% |
| Roy Hand | $1,136 | $2,213 | -48.7% |
| Jacob Tyler Sharitz | $1,119 | $6,259 | -82.1% |
| Bryan Fisher | $1,052 | $6,518 | -83.9% |
| William W. Patterson | $1,042 | $5,578 | -81.3% |
| Boyd D. Sult Jr. | $1,012 | $4,866 | -79.2% |
| Richard Street | $974 | $6,393 | -84.8% |
| Katherine Freeman-Walters | $959 | $4,370 | -78.1% |
| Lynn Fontaine Williams | $956 | $2,247 | -57.5% |
| Trina Felts | $945 | $4,059 | -76.7% |
| Steven D. Hardin | $938 | $6,538 | -85.7% |
| Kit U. Forrester | $929 | $1,258 | -26.2% |
| James P. Adams | $926 | $5,651 | -83.6% |
| Anthony Lambert | $898 | $5,753 | -84.4% |
| Leslie Todd Repass | $898 | $2,882 | -68.8% |
| Abraham Kauffman Jr. | $892 | $4,235 | -78.9% |
| Matthew K. Walters | $876 | $4,213 | -79.2% |
| Stephen D. Lindamood | $869 | $4,235 | -79.5% |
| Stephen D. Smith | $852 | $3,608 | -76.4% |
| Daniel W. Suthers | $845 | $5,471 | -84.6% |
| James T. Alderman | $842 | $842 | 0% |
| Rex Browning | $834 | $4,070 | -79.5% |
| Andrew Russell Fisher | $826 | $4,951 | -83.3% |
| David R. Blessing | $822 | $3,300 | -75.1% |
| Danny R. Cox | $813 | $5,239 | -84.5% |
| Harold Keith Martin | $794 | $3,191 | -75.1% |
| Charles J. Cox | $788 | $3,608 | -78.2% |
| Debbie J. Cassell | $786 | $1,667 | -52.8% |
| Robert Franklin Eugene Sheffey | $785 | $3,689 | -78.7% |
| Patricia Smith Huddle | $781 | $2,585 | -69.8% |
| S. H. Cassell | $758 | $3,575 | -78.8% |
| David Emmerson Arnold | $754 | $2,721 | -72.3% |
| William E. Blessing | $737 | $3,102 | -76.2% |
| Danny Hayes | $709 | $3,124 | -77.3% |
| Randall Musser | $706 | $2,299 | -69.3% |
| Justin Broyles | $699 | $4,075 | -82.8% |
| Harold Sexton | $696 | $5,674 | -87.7% |
| Kenneth L. Mabe | $696 | $2,101 | -66.9% |
| Thomas C. Lavelle | $661 | $3,432 | -80.7% |
| Dennis G. Simmerman | $656 | $8,979 | -92.7% |
| Myrl Dean Blevins Jr. | $652 | $3,043 | -78.6% |
| Jerry L. Sheffey | $636 | $1,716 | -62.9% |
| Donald H. Anderson Jr. | $608 | $2,882 | -78.9% |
| Corinne Hurlburt | $597 | $0 | -- |
| Curtis Arnold | $593 | $2,057 | -71.2% |
| Carl Yonce | $588 | $3,707 | -84.1% |
| Reed C. Fisher | $588 | $3,166 | -81.4% |
| James Hight | $569 | $9,882 | -94.2% |
| Carson E. Frye | $555 | $3,699 | -85% |
| Evelyn K. Burress | $555 | $2,640 | -79% |
| Amanda Umberger | $553 | $2,475 | -77.7% |
| Bonnie Holbrook | $550 | $3,041 | -81.9% |
| Edward Fry | $526 | $1,969 | -73.3% |
| Plennie Udale Reed | $516 | $2,420 | -78.7% |
| Daryl E. Porter | $512 | $2,453 | -79.1% |
| Diana L. Testerman | $510 | $2,459 | -79.3% |
| Michael L. Smith | $496 | $2,145 | -76.9% |
| Daniel W. Bird Jr. | $490 | $6,160 | -92% |
| Donald S. Coleman | $471 | $2,899 | -83.8% |
| Rebecca C. Kincer | $458 | $1,782 | -74.3% |
| Deborah Johnstone Suthers | $446 | $2,310 | -80.7% |
| Lawrence E. King | $446 | $2,127 | -79% |
| Gloria Lynn Hedrick Hoback | $439 | $2,312 | -81% |
| Thaddeus del Umberger | $436 | $5,016 | -91.3% |
| Edward Dowdy | $430 | $2,145 | -80% |
| William David Huddle II | $425 | $5,769 | -92.6% |
| Thomas Edward Billings | $424 | $0 | -- |
| Owen R. Morgan | $417 | $417 | 0% |
| Albert R. Fry | $412 | $2,112 | -80.5% |
| Patricia Walters | $409 | $1,692 | -75.8% |
| Damon M. Layne | $388 | $1,496 | -74.1% |
| James Spencer | $380 | $1,595 | -76.2% |
| Anthony Fowler | $374 | $1,320 | -71.7% |
| Rickey A. Smith | $374 | $1,815 | -79.4% |
| Anita Coe | $365 | $1,573 | -76.8% |
| Phyllis Street | $363 | $1,554 | -76.6% |
| Carolyn Akers | $347 | $1,100 | -68.5% |
| John Wayne Johnson | $341 | $1,265 | -73% |
| Dennis Sheffey | $330 | $2,571 | -87.2% |
| Douglas R. Davis | $328 | $1,232 | -73.4% |
| John D. Arnold | $322 | $2,810 | -88.5% |
| Mary F. Jennings | $315 | $315 | 0% |
| Megan Lilly | $310 | $1,745 | -82.2% |
| Joanna Corvin | $308 | $1,942 | -84.1% |
| William Adams | $304 | $1,584 | -80.8% |
| Benny E. Lynn | $293 | $1,496 | -80.4% |
| Brittney Aker Litton | $279 | $1,663 | -83.2% |
| Ralph Trivette | $260 | $895 | -70.9% |
| Scott Horne | $256 | $946 | -72.9% |
| Fay C. Topham | $242 | $1,122 | -78.4% |
| Teresa Frederick | $208 | $613 | -66.1% |
| James C. Groseclose | $200 | $1,045 | -80.9% |
| Judy Kincer | $189 | $1,626 | -88.4% |
| James B. Litton | $187 | $187 | 0% |
| Eric W Crowgey | $185 | $139 | 33.1% |
| William Runaldue | $182 | $1,397 | -87% |
| Nathan Drew Miller | $181 | $888 | -79.6% |
| Ronnie B. Coleman | $168 | $2,112 | -92% |
| Richard W. Skeens Jr. | $140 | $1,155 | -87.9% |
| Yancy Cassell | $140 | $715 | -80.4% |
| Danny L. Scott | $129 | $205 | -37.1% |
| Kim Headlee | $128 | $128 | 0% |
| Dorcas Walters Mabe | $126 | $0 | -- |
| Amelia U. Martin | $120 | $326 | -63.2% |
| Bobby Eugene Lewis | $112 | $473 | -76.3% |
| Elmer C. Stuart | $76 | $264 | -71.2% |
| James Patterson | $76 | $542 | -86% |
| Frederick Mark Stanley | $73 | $890 | -91.8% |
| William M Tomiak | $73 | $73 | 0% |
| Charles L. Walters | $60 | $60 | 0% |
| Chet D Umberger, LLC | $59 | $25,744 | -99.8% |
| John Beachy | $55 | $779 | -92.9% |
| Jamie Dunsmore | $51 | $2,876 | -98.2% |
| Loyd W. Carpenter Jr. | $51 | $6,578 | -99.2% |
| Emma Walters | $42 | $154 | -72.7% |
| Emily Cassell Davis | $31 | $319 | -90.3% |
| Ann Sumner | $27 | $858 | -96.9% |
| Danny L. Neel | $9 | $9 | 0% |
| Arthur K. Davis | $0 | $17,581 | -100% |
| Cobb Hill Alpacas, LLC | $0 | $877 | -100% |
| Corrine Hurlburt | $0 | $6,160 | -100% |
| Dale Brackens | $0 | $7,953 | -100% |
| Leon E. Cassell | $0 | $8,093 | -100% |
| Eddie D. Spraker | $0 | $84 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency | $0 | $392 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $0 | $25,727 | -100% |
| FSA/CCC | $0 | $83,255 | -100% |
| Gregory Hash | $0 | $1,210 | -100% |
| Hope Blueberry Farm, Inc. | $0 | $386 | -100% |
| Linda A. Porter | $0 | $50 | -100% |
| Linda R. Nye | $0 | $3,986 | -100% |
| Louis F. Hitt | $0 | $518 | -100% |
| Mr. Thomas Edward Billings | $0 | $3,700 | -100% |
| Patsy W. Painter | $0 | $1,222 | -100% |
| Phineas Kauffman | $0 | $2,757 | -100% |
| Richard L. Eversole | $0 | $990 | -100% |
| Robert A. Cassell | $0 | $1,798 | -100% |
| Robert A. Wolford | $0 | $6,045 | -100% |
| Robert Cellell Dalton | $0 | $7,260 | -100% |
| Ronald Burt Honaker | $0 | $1,045 | -100% |
| Susan M. Tomaselli | $0 | $73 | -100% |
| Terri Street | $0 | $8,607 | -100% |
| Tommy R. Owens | $0 | $605 | -100% |
| Vernon Stepp | $0 | $599 | -100% |
| William J. Smith | $0 | $119 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $818,315 | $2,273,432 | -64% |
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