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In 2021, 193 farmers in cities within Talladega County received a total of $981,245 in 229 farm subsidies, a 72.4% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $3.6 million in 559 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.
Farmers and Their Subsidies in Cities Associated with Talladega County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williams and Casaday Farms | $342,896 | $99,818 | -70.9% |
| Wilson Farm, Inc. | $354,750 | $82,654 | -76.7% |
| W. W. Farms | $318,472 | $72,238 | -77.3% |
| John R. Stivers | $76,474 | $70,356 | -8% |
| Jeffery O. Sims | $198,989 | $58,008 | -70.8% |
| Melinda R. Luker | $197,572 | $53,905 | -72.7% |
| Robert D. Luker Jr. | $197,572 | $53,905 | -72.7% |
| Leigh Ann Sims | $35,281 | $43,727 | 23.9% |
| Columbus L. Duke Jr. | $193,560 | $42,555 | -78% |
| Clayton B. Campbell | $23,720 | $40,864 | 72.3% |
| David M. Duke | $169,411 | $38,103 | -77.5% |
| We B Farm | $120,338 | $34,435 | -71.4% |
| Matthew M. Armbrester | $59,660 | $22,692 | -62% |
| Cam S. Friday | $5,852 | $16,502 | 182% |
| Rickey H. Carr | $4,929 | $14,439 | 192.9% |
| Erin Rae Duke | $46,350 | $12,638 | -72.7% |
| Robert Dale Riley Jr. | $71,143 | $10,381 | -85.4% |
| Tony Haynes | $40,553 | $9,028 | -77.7% |
| Greg G. Richardson | $19,271 | $7,711 | -60% |
| Bruce E. Maddox | $33,351 | $6,145 | -81.6% |
| Lamar Smith | $20,439 | $5,757 | -71.8% |
| Teresa Brooks A. Freeman | $32,210 | $5,375 | -83.3% |
| Bruce W. Brooks | $20,207 | $5,090 | -74.8% |
| Mary Elizabeth McGehee | $5,089 | $5,089 | 0% |
| Billie R. Turner Jr. | $98,350 | $4,662 | -95.3% |
| Tom West | $13,214 | $4,071 | -69.2% |
| Wayne L. Payton | $16,451 | $3,692 | -77.6% |
| Terry E. Darby | $6,512 | $3,642 | -44.1% |
| Joel McKemie III | $13,932 | $3,330 | -76.1% |
| Donald R. Lansford | $11,500 | $3,303 | -71.3% |
| James R. Freeman | $15,709 | $3,199 | -79.6% |
| Ronald Lott | $10,563 | $2,868 | -72.8% |
| Robbin Nail | $24,287 | $2,866 | -88.2% |
| Christopher Adam Vansandt | $21,717 | $2,516 | -88.4% |
| Sandra P. Hackney | $11,539 | $2,420 | -79% |
| Timothy E. Crump | $9,141 | $2,400 | -73.7% |
| Greg Myrick | $8,791 | $2,396 | -72.7% |
| Lauren Eszes | $10,707 | $2,388 | -77.7% |
| Joshua Lelas Brewer | $8,945 | $2,108 | -76.4% |
| David A. Casaday | $5,829 | $2,102 | -63.9% |
| Craig Vansandt | $18,953 | $2,080 | -89% |
| Anna M. Harry | $10,580 | $2,077 | -80.4% |
| Charles Wayne Hawkins | $15,909 | $2,017 | -87.3% |
| Drenon Joshua Alldredge | $7,183 | $2,016 | -71.9% |
| David W. Jones | $10,305 | $1,986 | -80.7% |
| Ashley Leann Williamson | $9,925 | $1,894 | -80.9% |
| Dalbert Marsh JR | $2,487 | $1,885 | -24.2% |
| Kenneth L. McMillan | $8,226 | $1,862 | -77.4% |
| Hoyt Watts | $11,806 | $1,836 | -84.4% |
| Franklin E. Sutter | $1,832 | $1,832 | 0% |
| Jimmy D. Hill | $11,252 | $1,794 | -84.1% |
| Berford Allen Short | $12,808 | $1,780 | -86.1% |
| James M. Jordan | $7,850 | $1,780 | -77.3% |
| Harry G. Embry Jr. | $8,855 | $1,743 | -80.3% |
| John T. Robbs | $0 | $1,741 | -- |
| Cynthia D. Alexander | $7,626 | $1,644 | -78.4% |
| Stanley Ford | $9,845 | $1,637 | -83.4% |
| Danny J. Hattaway | $6,666 | $1,598 | -76% |
| Elliott Daniel Gibson | $3,840 | $1,593 | -58.5% |
| L. J. Adams | $6,611 | $1,562 | -76.4% |
| Richard H. Hendrix | $4,873 | $1,560 | -68% |
| Robert E. Pope Jr. | $8,058 | $1,550 | -80.8% |
| Charles S. Kelly | $7,315 | $1,543 | -78.9% |
| Wesley Ray Lansford | $29,192 | $1,505 | -94.8% |
| Gowan Embry | $8,905 | $1,502 | -83.1% |
| Robert S. Shirey | $6,990 | $1,457 | -79.2% |
| Larry W. Watts | $8,797 | $1,350 | -84.7% |
| John M. Limbaugh | $5,632 | $1,339 | -76.2% |
| Justin Lee Lackey | $5,258 | $1,326 | -74.8% |
| Harold Godwin | $5,867 | $1,323 | -77.5% |
| Joe Glenn Williams Jr. | $1,313 | $1,313 | 0% |
| Robbie Greene | $7,070 | $1,224 | -82.7% |
| Nelson P. Medlock | $7,348 | $1,222 | -83.4% |
| R & R Farms, LLC | $5,371 | $1,215 | -77.4% |
| Larry Phillips | $7,216 | $1,200 | -83.4% |
| J. W. Watts | $5,203 | $1,180 | -77.3% |
| Rufus Marcel Nobles | $4,633 | $1,170 | -74.7% |
| Rodney Watts | $9,052 | $1,148 | -87.3% |
| William J. Waldroup | $5,129 | $1,141 | -77.8% |
| Chris Campbell | $5,839 | $1,134 | -80.6% |
| Jeff Fuller | $5,203 | $1,125 | -78.4% |
| Averiett H Wesson | $5,027 | $1,105 | -78% |
| Blake Dulaney | $3,333 | $1,090 | -67.3% |
| Andy Collett | $6,815 | $1,065 | -84.4% |
| Richard D. Rollins | $1,045 | $1,045 | 0% |
| James R. Hammonds | $4,290 | $1,011 | -76.4% |
| Joseph C. Tomlin | $4,895 | $1,011 | -79.3% |
| Steven A. Morris | $8,235 | $988 | -88% |
| Robert E. Pettis | $5,795 | $984 | -83% |
| Todd G. Hill | $3,399 | $982 | -71.1% |
| Twin Springs Farm, LLC | $4,395 | $980 | -77.7% |
| Jerry M. Waites | $4,366 | $978 | -77.6% |
| Stephen L. Blair | $4,423 | $966 | -78.2% |
| Linda Wilson | $3,388 | $911 | -73.1% |
| Jesse C. Lackey | $4,576 | $889 | -80.6% |
| Johnny Tubbs | $4,598 | $876 | -80.9% |
| William D. Breeden | $1,716 | $875 | -49% |
| William Scott Layfield | $869 | $869 | 0% |
| Dennis Simmons | $3,157 | $864 | -72.6% |
| Jason L. Blankenship | $6,025 | $833 | -86.2% |
| Helen S. Oglesby | $0 | $816 | -- |
| Cynthia P. Butler | $4,620 | $814 | -82.4% |
| Norman Ray Brewer | $3,289 | $806 | -75.5% |
| Stephen Mims | $2,915 | $805 | -72.4% |
| Robert G. Angles II | $4,796 | $793 | -83.5% |
| Jamie Kirkland Swaney | $2,662 | $766 | -71.2% |
| William Forrest Killough III | $3,025 | $760 | -74.9% |
| Robert O. Ford | $3,891 | $758 | -80.5% |
| Barry G. Hollingsworth | $3,036 | $752 | -75.2% |
| Tim Griffin | $4,834 | $749 | -84.5% |
| John I. Noel | $1,584 | $742 | -53.2% |
| John W. Horton | $3,069 | $736 | -76% |
| John Terry Sims Jr. | $2,970 | $715 | -75.9% |
| Jerry Colquitt | $2,702 | $706 | -73.9% |
| Katherine J. Stephens | $3,295 | $682 | -79.3% |
| Thomas Wendell Batchelor Jr. | $2,684 | $654 | -75.6% |
| William P. Patterson | $7,749 | $651 | -91.6% |
| Rodney T. Dotson | $4,227 | $640 | -84.9% |
| Mary Lackey Watts | $1,929 | $629 | -67.4% |
| James Fred Limbaugh | $3,383 | $624 | -81.6% |
| Howard E. Nowland | $10,077 | $622 | -93.8% |
| Willie L. Curry | $2,574 | $576 | -77.6% |
| Joshua P. Cantrell | $4,099 | $574 | -86% |
| William Ernest Bliss | $2,983 | $542 | -81.8% |
| Ashley Cabaniss | $2,651 | $540 | -79.6% |
| Stanley Cook | $1,784 | $538 | -69.8% |
| William D. Butler | $2,079 | $533 | -74.4% |
| Diane W. Bailes | $1,650 | $518 | -68.6% |
| Michael A. Johnson | $2,541 | $515 | -79.7% |
| Sanders Farm, LLC | $3,655 | $513 | -86% |
| Max Tyler Debardelaben | $1,760 | $512 | -70.9% |
| Terry E. Wallace | $1,771 | $505 | -71.5% |
| James W. Camp | $2,354 | $481 | -79.6% |
| Zenith Maxine Coleman | $2,769 | $470 | -83% |
| Tommy Eugene Reaves | $2,591 | $464 | -82.1% |
| Austin B. Morris | $4,167 | $464 | -88.9% |
| Jimmy R. Finn | $2,313 | $450 | -80.5% |
| M. C. English Jr. | $3,011 | $443 | -85.3% |
| George C. Burk | $655 | $441 | -32.7% |
| Matthew F West | $1,584 | $440 | -72.2% |
| Michael H. Gee | $954 | $435 | -54.4% |
| Thomas L. Turner | $1,848 | $432 | -76.6% |
| Tim Markert | $2,704 | $429 | -84.1% |
| Allen Anderson McBride | $4,151 | $426 | -89.7% |
| Deborah Pace Bussie | $1,375 | $423 | -69.2% |
| Jennifer L. Joyner | $3,204 | $415 | -87% |
| Anita A. Arnold | $4,057 | $414 | -89.8% |
| Trey Peel | $1,771 | $398 | -77.5% |
| John Watts | $1,221 | $392 | -67.9% |
| Matthew Kay | $2,505 | $378 | -84.9% |
| Gary L. Morris | $1,683 | $366 | -78.3% |
| Jared Wallace Bussie | $1,584 | $360 | -77.3% |
| Melvin J. Watts | $2,020 | $356 | -82.4% |
| Cecil French Floyd Jr. | $5,448 | $353 | -93.5% |
| Judy Turner Smith | $1,562 | $352 | -77.5% |
| Alan L. Heathcock | $2,193 | $351 | -84% |
| Anthony Ricks | $2,158 | $347 | -83.9% |
| Timothy S. Denton | $1,738 | $344 | -80.2% |
| Ben Lee Roberson | $1,463 | $344 | -76.5% |
| Anthony Maurice Bryars | $1,100 | $337 | -69.4% |
| Stephen H. Newell | $1,199 | $335 | -72.1% |
| Robert O'neal Draper | $1,406 | $335 | -76.2% |
| Arthur D. Nunn | $1,573 | $334 | -78.8% |
| Robert N. Warren | $1,254 | $332 | -73.5% |
| Bobby R. Holmes | $1,430 | $318 | -77.8% |
| Laverne Phillips | $1,001 | $318 | -68.2% |
| Tim Conn | $1,023 | $297 | -71% |
| Wayne D. Hammonds | $1,639 | $294 | -82.1% |
| Scott Sirmon | $2,938 | $292 | -90.1% |
| Thomas W. Vincent | $858 | $288 | -66.4% |
| Erica Estell Hammonds | $1,594 | $283 | -82.2% |
| Ben Haynes | $1,243 | $278 | -77.6% |
| Latham Korreckt | $1,012 | $276 | -72.7% |
| Alicia N. Beal | $1,650 | $263 | -84.1% |
| Donna C. Fuller | $1,210 | $263 | -78.3% |
| Milton A. Blakely | $1,122 | $236 | -79% |
| Henry R. Swain | $6,691 | $235 | -96.5% |
| Martin L. Jacks | $902 | $225 | -75.1% |
| Douglas J. Blair | $990 | $208 | -79% |
| Terry Deloach | $913 | $204 | -77.7% |
| Katherine L. Griffin | $1,269 | $183 | -85.6% |
| Larry Michael Carden | $792 | $180 | -77.3% |
| Joan W. Miller | $748 | $176 | -76.5% |
| Christopher W. Roland | $396 | $166 | -58.1% |
| Samuel Earl Taylor | $1,146 | $159 | -86.1% |
| Jerry Montgomery Sr. | $1,299 | $138 | -89.4% |
| Bobby J. Newsome | $586 | $128 | -78.2% |
| Cole Vincent | $517 | $124 | -76% |
| Katherine Jane Vincent | $539 | $107 | -80.1% |
| Matthew Lawrence | $16,742 | $102 | -99.4% |
| Paul Samuels | $3,629 | $93 | -97.4% |
| Rodney Staples | $165 | $86 | -47.9% |
| Audrie Caroline Carmack | $683 | $14 | -98% |
| George S. Wills | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Don Michael Preston | $520 | $0 | -100% |
| Jennifer Wilson | $1,265 | $0 | -100% |
| David M. Moore | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Albia Steers | $1,760 | $0 | -100% |
| Bruce Campbell | $1,808 | $0 | -100% |
| Earl Erwin | $1,401 | $0 | -100% |
| Ray Guy | $2,200 | $0 | -100% |
| Taylor W. Wesson | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Verlon Quesenberry | $605 | $0 | -100% |
| Burford Cattle Company, LLC | $22,770 | $0 | -100% |
| Clifford Collett | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Danny R. Morrison | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Jana K. Gunter | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Ray F. Robbins II | $770 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert D. Luker | $258 | $0 | -100% |
| Sandra Simone | $62 | $0 | -100% |
| Steven Dwight Hoffman | $1,705 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $3,550,486 | $981,245 | -72.4% |
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