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The state of taxpayer-funded farm subsidies in Dalton in 2021
In 2021, 65 farmers in Dalton received a total of $264,030 in 80 farm subsidies, a 55% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $586,200 in 156 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooker Farm, LLC | $76,469 | $33,710 | 126.8% |
| Down Time Ranch, LLC | $46,203 | $77,533 | -40.4% |
| Bert Watts | $20,413 | $0 | -- |
| John Kiker | $8,907 | $38,739 | -77% |
| Mark E. Thomas | $8,626 | $5,731 | 50.5% |
| Duane Postelle | $7,336 | $11,263 | -34.9% |
| Nathan A. Cline | $6,017 | $41,534 | -85.5% |
| Missy Baldridge | $5,968 | $19,517 | -69.4% |
| Jeffrey Todd McDonald | $5,918 | $42,799 | -86.2% |
| Greg Phillips | $5,565 | $15,261 | -63.5% |
| Timothy Connell | $5,357 | $23,786 | -77.5% |
| Robert Keith | $4,928 | $29,384 | -83.2% |
| Allen Lee White | $3,660 | $25,962 | -85.9% |
| Lamar Elrod | $3,616 | $5,787 | -37.5% |
| Jimmie Mason | $3,094 | $15,434 | -80% |
| Ernest Acree Jr. | $2,932 | $3,429 | -14.5% |
| Vernon L. Turner | $2,854 | $8,442 | -66.2% |
| Sharon Rebecca Lewis | $2,712 | $2,942 | -7.8% |
| Lowell Moss | $2,585 | $14,189 | -81.8% |
| Thomas E. Kling | $2,363 | $11,630 | -79.7% |
| Harold Baynes | $2,097 | $7,656 | -72.6% |
| Bernard Kenemer Jr. | $1,932 | $8,014 | -75.9% |
| Joshua Colby Land | $1,863 | $7,698 | -75.8% |
| Dan Cline | $1,801 | $9,875 | -81.8% |
| Charles Ray Bruce | $1,667 | $1,353 | 23.2% |
| Brian Bailey | $1,664 | $4,125 | -59.7% |
| Kenneth Robertson | $1,575 | $6,116 | -74.2% |
| Edward W. Staten | $1,453 | $8,290 | -82.5% |
| Richard Travis Bearden | $1,253 | $2,376 | -47.3% |
| Cecil Deverell | $1,208 | $5,290 | -77.2% |
| Robert G. Cole | $1,116 | $4,636 | -75.9% |
| Jerry Leon Roper | $1,114 | $5,599 | -80.1% |
| Don Allen Garrett | $964 | $2,338 | -58.8% |
| James H. Spence | $935 | $935 | 0% |
| John E. Hasty | $888 | $5,423 | -83.6% |
| Steve Dausey Cardin | $880 | $4,070 | -78.4% |
| Bruce Gray | $873 | $2,359 | -63% |
| Robert J & Darlene Dinges LV Trustee | $834 | $1,557 | -46.4% |
| Robert Alan Cearley | $833 | $5,428 | -84.7% |
| Fred Mayfield | $827 | $3,289 | -74.9% |
| Jolly Partnership, LLLP | $827 | $0 | -- |
| Paula E. Morrow | $809 | $0 | -- |
| Virginia Lee Countryman | $787 | $2,499 | -68.5% |
| Robert C. King | $758 | $3,630 | -79.1% |
| James Allen Crow | $742 | $2,840 | -73.9% |
| Bobby Cooper | $724 | $1,896 | -61.8% |
| Gerald Burgess | $719 | $3,708 | -80.6% |
| Danny Simmons | $684 | $5,508 | -87.6% |
| David C. Lowe | $672 | $3,889 | -82.7% |
| Harry Lusk | $666 | $2,860 | -76.7% |
| Harold L. Ridley | $665 | $2,992 | -77.8% |
| John E. Davis | $585 | $2,240 | -73.9% |
| Michael J. Gazaway | $536 | $1,561 | -65.7% |
| Lamar Jenkins | $483 | $924 | -47.7% |
| James T. Fordham | $397 | $1,827 | -78.3% |
| Rebecca J. Dillard | $380 | $726 | -47.7% |
| Wallace G. Overton | $342 | $792 | -56.8% |
| Charles Hackney | $329 | $825 | -60.1% |
| Marty L. Hefner | $328 | $1,067 | -69.3% |
| Gerald David Baynes | $283 | $2,008 | -85.9% |
| Phil Foster | $229 | $1,659 | -86.2% |
| Colter Judson Faith | $220 | $0 | -- |
| Margaret Anne Hammack | $214 | $1,960 | -89.1% |
| Altoona Holland | $200 | $462 | -56.7% |
| Rick C. Huggins | $151 | $297 | -49.2% |
| Bill Richards | $0 | $2,090 | -100% |
| Deerfield Properties, LLLP | $0 | $1,578 | -100% |
| Douglas P. Schneller | $0 | $3,306 | -100% |
| George Kerr | $0 | $2,200 | -100% |
| Jack Morton | $0 | $400 | -100% |
| James David Jolly | $0 | $5,774 | -100% |
| Jason Paul Lowe | $0 | $550 | -100% |
| Mark Marion Stanley | $0 | $83 | -100% |
| Willard E. Lewis Jr. | $0 | $550 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $264,030 | $586,200 | -55% |