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Amount of taxpayer-funded subsidies plummet in Mammoth Spring during 2021
In 2021, 73 farmers in Mammoth Spring received a total of $81,986 in 79 farm subsidies, a 78.1% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $374,062 in 184 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.
| Farmer | Subsidy Received in 2021 | Subsidy Received in 2020 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Wood | $5,359 | $22,050 | -75.7% |
| Randal Keith Langston | $5,012 | $17,941 | -72.1% |
| Mary V. Ragsdale | $3,026 | $3,366 | -10.1% |
| Stephen R. Atkins | $2,982 | $11,396 | -73.8% |
| Doug Johnson | $2,794 | $14,775 | -81.1% |
| Judy A. Byers | $2,552 | $7,839 | -67.4% |
| David Baldridge | $2,529 | $12,234 | -79.3% |
| Leta Smoot | $2,392 | $8,308 | -71.2% |
| Janet Smoot | $2,322 | $10,890 | -78.7% |
| Judy Washam | $2,288 | $13,404 | -82.9% |
| Blake Nicholson | $2,193 | $9,394 | -76.7% |
| William 'bill' L. Burns | $2,102 | $2,440 | -13.9% |
| Collin Dru Powell | $2,075 | $7,524 | -72.4% |
| Wade Powell | $2,029 | $9,897 | -79.5% |
| Jackie D. Privett | $1,766 | $15,166 | -88.4% |
| Ronald G. Taylor | $1,684 | $9,609 | -82.5% |
| Jody Dan Pendarvis | $1,616 | $6,510 | -75.2% |
| Lee Davis | $1,592 | $12,587 | -87.4% |
| Mark L. Cooper | $1,554 | $6,666 | -76.7% |
| James J. Jackson | $1,553 | $7,161 | -78.3% |
| Lindy Greene | $1,384 | $7,854 | -82.4% |
| Terry Gaines | $1,237 | $6,072 | -79.6% |
| Sandra L. Johnson | $1,218 | $4,312 | -71.8% |
| Janie Flynn | $1,184 | $4,708 | -74.9% |
| Justin Lingenfelter | $1,168 | $5,793 | -79.8% |
| Barbara K. Cooper | $1,104 | $5,151 | -78.6% |
| James J. Russell | $1,077 | $4,774 | -77.4% |
| Andrew T. Byers | $1,064 | $6,577 | -83.8% |
| Farrell L. Byers | $1,060 | $5,363 | -80.2% |
| Cheryl Walsh | $999 | $5,500 | -81.8% |
| Jacqueline S. Vest | $984 | $5,148 | -80.9% |
| Leveta a Washam | $984 | $3,382 | -70.9% |
| Holly McClaran | $979 | $5,632 | -82.6% |
| J. D. Robinson | $970 | $4,202 | -76.9% |
| Donna Bivins | $942 | $4,537 | -79.2% |
| Richard E. Mitchell | $901 | $5,708 | -84.2% |
| William Shilvock | $872 | $3,223 | -72.9% |
| Leroy Donald Johnson | $860 | $4,675 | -81.6% |
| Karen Earls | $810 | $3,796 | -78.7% |
| Julia Annette Chance | $758 | $3,102 | -75.6% |
| Freddie Reynolds | $742 | $3,773 | -80.3% |
| Vicki Hurst | $721 | $3,705 | -80.5% |
| Gary Mullins | $681 | $2,519 | -73% |
| Aubri Walsh | $664 | $3,883 | -82.9% |
| Coltin Wade Powell | $651 | $3,146 | -79.3% |
| Tracy L. Clark | $540 | $3,836 | -85.9% |
| Debra Ball | $529 | $1,628 | -67.5% |
| Jolie Washam | $519 | $2,321 | -77.6% |
| John J. Alexander | $501 | $1,485 | -66.3% |
| Bonita Vaughn | $481 | $1,969 | -75.6% |
| Gladys G. Stephens | $477 | $3,782 | -87.4% |
| Shaun Ellison | $426 | $1,738 | -75.5% |
| Wilma J. Rogers | $405 | $2,426 | -83.3% |
| Timothy M. Thurman | $390 | $1,980 | -80.3% |
| Marty C. Young | $374 | $1,295 | -71.1% |
| Van James Garrison | $352 | $1,397 | -74.8% |
| Joseph M. Tyson Jr. | $343 | $3,841 | -91.1% |
| Joshua Hopper | $317 | $748 | -57.6% |
| Jackie Savage | $304 | $2,469 | -87.7% |
| Reggie D. Richardson | $287 | $1,951 | -85.3% |
| Shirley June Garner | $284 | $990 | -71.3% |
| Elbert W. Beaubouef | $277 | $1,386 | -80% |
| Martin Christopher Young Jr. | $214 | $1,384 | -84.5% |
| Edwin Carlsen | $202 | $748 | -73% |
| Daniel David Lingenfelter | $198 | $957 | -79.3% |
| French Hardin Farms | $194 | $1,689 | -88.5% |
| Brenda G. Odom | $190 | $1,135 | -83.3% |
| Freeman Davis | $169 | $968 | -82.5% |
| Braxton Eliah Reece | $163 | $649 | -74.9% |
| Braydon Luke Byers | $132 | $880 | -85% |
| Sarah Alexander | $124 | $627 | -80.2% |
| Brett Michael Alexander | $90 | $608 | -85.2% |
| Margaret Walsh | $70 | $880 | -92% |
| Cash Hardin | $0 | $241 | -100% |
| Gabby Hardin | $0 | $278 | -100% |
| Paul D. Smith | $0 | $2,035 | -100% |
| Ronald K. Estes | $0 | $49 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $81,986 | $374,062 | -78.1% |