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In 2021, 58 farmers in cities within Hardy County received a total of $737,220 in 79 farm subsidies, a 19.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $916,765 in 127 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capon Valley Charolais Farm | $28,840 | $152,137 | 427.5% |
| Michael B. Sager | $19,955 | $117,095 | 486.8% |
| Lovers Lane Farms | $437,117 | $87,502 | -80% |
| Bradley John Dyer | $7,344 | $70,729 | 863.1% |
| Wolfe & Parker Logging | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| William F. Hunt | $0 | $51,160 | -- |
| Scott Cook | $0 | $43,076 | -- |
| Ralph E. Thorne Jr. | $0 | $27,946 | -- |
| Benjamin E. Wolfe | $0 | $13,273 | -- |
| Roy P. Harper | $46,609 | $12,807 | -72.5% |
| Dee Hesse | $1,127 | $12,713 | 1,028% |
| Joseph H. Barr | $11,416 | $10,989 | -3.7% |
| Ours Valley View Poultry Farm, Inc. | $29,139 | $8,506 | -70.8% |
| Larry A. Hahn | $6,877 | $6,982 | 1.5% |
| Wayne H. Crites | $63,911 | $6,483 | -89.9% |
| Ronald W. Combs | $9,967 | $6,471 | -35.1% |
| Larry L. Poling | $46,753 | $6,333 | -86.5% |
| Robert R. Williams | $18,157 | $3,828 | -78.9% |
| Alexander White | $8,196 | $3,746 | -54.3% |
| Robert E. Williams Jr. | $20,232 | $3,660 | -81.9% |
| Tiffany A. Michael | $12,194 | $3,328 | -72.7% |
| Justin P. Hunt | $0 | $3,178 | -- |
| Nancy J. Vetter | $5,260 | $2,633 | -49.9% |
| Pratt Brothers Land & Cattle | $10,064 | $2,418 | -76% |
| Bergblick Farm, LLC | $6,360 | $2,176 | -65.8% |
| Sam L. Harper III | $0 | $2,164 | -- |
| Morris M. Homan Jr. | $7,436 | $1,835 | -75.3% |
| Phyllis Wolfe | $1,353 | $1,595 | 17.9% |
| Reed Williams | $15,573 | $1,562 | -90% |
| Mark W. Sirk | $4,647 | $1,546 | -66.7% |
| Edward M. Williams | $7,284 | $1,295 | -82.2% |
| John M. Winslow | $5,454 | $1,125 | -79.4% |
| Gina Marie Alt | $3,819 | $1,058 | -72.3% |
| Rickie Ours | $7,931 | $1,053 | -86.7% |
| Valley View Poultry | $6,570 | $1,053 | -84% |
| Carolyn Strickler | $3,129 | $1,047 | -66.5% |
| Michael L. Alt | $986 | $986 | 0% |
| Amy Cosner | $5,964 | $877 | -85.3% |
| Pam Barney | $2,112 | $854 | -59.6% |
| Katharine Leatherman | $3,168 | $843 | -73.4% |
| Michael S. Wilson | $3,377 | $768 | -77.3% |
| Cecil Alton Rinard | $429 | $595 | 38.7% |
| Frye Poultry | $511 | $511 | 0% |
| Christopher G. Cunningham | $2,365 | $497 | -79% |
| South Branch Farms, LLC | $460 | $460 | 0% |
| Steven A. Thorne | $1,518 | $432 | -71.5% |
| James D. Pierce Jr. | $1,551 | $415 | -73.2% |
| Roscoe A. Crites | $957 | $388 | -59.5% |
| Allen Lee Crites | $10,314 | $371 | -96.4% |
| Thomas A. Robison | $858 | $354 | -58.7% |
| Marilyn F. Baker | $594 | $310 | -47.8% |
| Greg D. Sager | $693 | $286 | -58.7% |
| Christopher L. Sites | $1,317 | $256 | -80.6% |
| Robert Jenks | $4,448 | $209 | -95.3% |
| Cecil L. Haycock | $204 | $204 | 0% |
| Patty Gapp | $1,264 | $104 | -91.8% |
| Joshua L. Haggerty | $363 | $73 | -79.9% |
| Jason M. Keplinger | $165 | $50 | -69.7% |
| Brad D. Smith | $6,799 | $0 | -100% |
| Brandy K. Vanmeter | $9,465 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles E. Williams III | $1,375 | $0 | -100% |
| Jewell Plumley | $817 | $0 | -100% |
| Bobby L. Westfall | $1,430 | $0 | -100% |
| John B. Bowman | $123 | $0 | -100% |
| West Virginia University | $424 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $916,765 | $737,220 | -19.6% |
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