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In 2021, 30 farmers in cities within Putnam County received a total of $82,588 in 37 farm subsidies, a 91.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1 million in 84 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palatka Cattle Company, LLC | $63,968 | $14,520 | -77.3% |
| PA Smith Ranch, Inc. | $35,871 | $8,923 | -75.1% |
| Payton S. Tilton | $37,282 | $8,216 | -78% |
| Gina Counts | $15,697 | $5,195 | -66.9% |
| Jett T. Counts | $15,697 | $5,195 | -66.9% |
| JBS Cattle, LLC | $10,725 | $4,069 | -62.1% |
| Betty Collins Family Trust Created FTB of Charles Albert Bar | $3,874 | $3,874 | 0% |
| Betty Collins Family Trust Created FTB of Karen Barrineau Su | $3,874 | $3,874 | 0% |
| Jack Burney Cattle Company, LLC | $17,420 | $3,110 | -82.1% |
| Karl Zillgitt | $11,027 | $3,104 | -71.9% |
| Theodore B Siehler JR | $12,778 | $2,743 | -78.5% |
| John Spells | $5,280 | $2,452 | -53.6% |
| James L. Padgett | $8,062 | $2,305 | -71.4% |
| Danny Tilton | $9,207 | $2,124 | -76.9% |
| 3-M | $7,766 | $1,820 | -76.6% |
| James A. Coleman | $2,457 | $1,777 | -27.7% |
| Shirley J. Motes | $0 | $1,705 | -- |
| Curtis Rudy Medlock | $13,365 | $1,590 | -88.1% |
| Gwendolyn M. Motes | $15,882 | $1,359 | -91.4% |
| James Donald Toland | $1,681 | $953 | -43.3% |
| Eric Smith | $0 | $920 | -- |
| Estate of Tommy Ray Coleman | $1,109 | $483 | -56.4% |
| Lawrence E. Sprinkle | $880 | $478 | -45.7% |
| Victoria Manser | $559 | $447 | -20% |
| Janet N. Turner | $1,014 | $352 | -65.3% |
| Jessie Prince | $1,108 | $336 | -69.7% |
| Fernando Jimenez-Cruz | $318 | $318 | 0% |
| Angela Renee Wickham Trust | $585 | $279 | -52.3% |
| Delores L. Lodahl | $0 | $51 | -- |
| Ronald L. Lodahl | $67 | $16 | -76.1% |
| Bill Newbold Ferneries, Inc. | $9,454 | $0 | -100% |
| Blueberry Hill Farm, Inc. | $4,467 | $0 | -100% |
| Causey Fern, Inc. | $18,362 | $0 | -100% |
| Forest Groves, Inc. | $91,601 | $0 | -100% |
| Ricarda Jaimes | $637 | $0 | -100% |
| Roger Lusk | $1,585 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald Harris Fern Company, Inc. | $336,223 | $0 | -100% |
| Urvano Cuevas Jaramillo | $3,376 | $0 | -100% |
| Christy R Largacci | $41,813 | $0 | -100% |
| Clayton a Largacci | $41,813 | $0 | -100% |
| Stewart Witt Farms, LLC | $144,911 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles H. Moore | $13,805 | $0 | -100% |
| Mack Windsor Gregory | $1,517 | $0 | -100% |
| Green Frog Properties, LLC | $2,695 | $0 | -100% |
| Eliud Nava | $1,989 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,011,801 | $82,588 | -91.8% |
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