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In 2021, 86 farmers in cities within Benton County received a total of $561,285 in 131 farm subsidies, a 59.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1.4 million in 213 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C & S Skelton Farms, LLC | $264,413 | $113,217 | -57.2% |
| David H. Bennett Jr. | $183,116 | $73,285 | -60% |
| Ormon Farms, Inc. | $153,992 | $59,626 | -61.3% |
| B & T Farms | $117,792 | $58,797 | -50.1% |
| Wayne Wilson | $110,371 | $44,785 | -59.4% |
| M and a Farms | $65,628 | $29,465 | -55.1% |
| Ayres Farms, Inc. | $73,691 | $22,638 | -69.3% |
| Samples Farms | $71,406 | $19,341 | -72.9% |
| Larry Whiteside | $20,439 | $10,034 | -50.9% |
| Whiteside Investment Company, LLC | $17,556 | $10,032 | -42.9% |
| Larry Goolsby | $15,844 | $9,830 | -38% |
| Trent Skelton | $27,922 | $9,010 | -67.7% |
| Jane P Springfield Land Trustee | $0 | $6,256 | -- |
| Springfield Farms, Inc. | $16,277 | $5,508 | -66.2% |
| Hope S. Stone | $5,236 | $5,236 | 0% |
| Ormon Properties L P | $6,744 | $5,164 | -23.4% |
| Terry Roberson | $21,453 | $5,145 | -76% |
| Nelson Kirk Childers | $31,552 | $4,165 | -86.8% |
| Gail Gresham | $3,739 | $3,739 | 0% |
| Lynn Lunsford | $3,693 | $3,693 | 0% |
| Brandon D. Norton | $14,327 | $3,207 | -77.6% |
| Terry Cook | $9,504 | $3,178 | -66.6% |
| Cynthia J. Simpson | $2,926 | $3,015 | 3% |
| Randy D. Wilburn | $2,639 | $2,980 | 12.9% |
| Jeffrey A. Young | $2,933 | $2,933 | 0% |
| Jim May | $2,328 | $2,328 | 0% |
| Christian G. Shoup | $7,678 | $2,156 | -71.9% |
| Don Taylor | $2,144 | $2,144 | 0% |
| Teresia Roberson | $4,579 | $2,039 | -55.5% |
| Charles Norwood | $3,994 | $1,992 | -50.1% |
| Swain Farms, LLC | $7,924 | $1,947 | -75.4% |
| Everett B. Shoup | $6,655 | $1,929 | -71% |
| Molly G. Byers | $1,912 | $1,912 | 0% |
| Randy Samples | $6,411 | $1,898 | -70.4% |
| Jim W. Randolph | $3,411 | $1,596 | -53.2% |
| Sidney N. Ayres | $0 | $1,366 | -- |
| Davie L. Kennedy | $1,467 | $1,346 | -8.2% |
| Kevin L Simpson Estate | $0 | $1,185 | -- |
| H. C. Moorehead Jr. | $1,172 | $1,172 | 0% |
| Cary Whitten | $13,627 | $1,150 | -91.6% |
| William Mark Anderson | $4,103 | $1,059 | -74.2% |
| Goddard Family Farms, LLC | $2,098 | $1,058 | -49.6% |
| Kenneth W. Rhea | $1,691 | $1,048 | -38% |
| Joseph Aden Gurley | $6,251 | $997 | -84.1% |
| Joyce M. Simpson | $1,539 | $935 | -39.2% |
| Ollice Massengill JR | $4,913 | $922 | -81.2% |
| Carolyn H. Scott | $1,021 | $881 | -13.7% |
| Marc T Sredonja | $900 | $822 | -8.7% |
| James W. Bradford | $2,585 | $726 | -71.9% |
| Ernestine Simpson | $2,210 | $721 | -67.4% |
| Cherryl L. Hubbard | $693 | $693 | 0% |
| Brian W. Overall | $4,551 | $636 | -86% |
| Michael Ormon | $2,894 | $613 | -78.8% |
| Melvin G. Gresham | $1,991 | $612 | -69.3% |
| L. A. Rhea | $2,387 | $601 | -74.8% |
| Donnie Holbrook | $3,219 | $540 | -83.2% |
| Jerry Estes | $930 | $531 | -42.9% |
| Mitchell Ormon | $2,839 | $530 | -81.3% |
| Emmons Richards Jr. | $5,190 | $518 | -90% |
| Melinda Joyner | $511 | $511 | 0% |
| Bobby Gray | $2,910 | $443 | -84.8% |
| Matt Ormon | $379 | $379 | 0% |
| William Plowman | $930 | $374 | -59.8% |
| Billy Roy Box | $544 | $360 | -33.8% |
| Sarah L. Byers | $357 | $357 | 0% |
| Steven Weatherly | $355 | $355 | 0% |
| Robert Earl Malone Sr. | $2,330 | $342 | -85.3% |
| Charles D. Jackson | $781 | $319 | -59.2% |
| Aaron R. Goolsby Jr. | $1,492 | $297 | -80.1% |
| Bonnie Campbell | $775 | $265 | -65.8% |
| Ricky Wayne Pipkin Jr. | $1,422 | $263 | -81.5% |
| Jerry D. Childers | $652 | $259 | -60.3% |
| April Joyner | $255 | $255 | 0% |
| Jessica Joyner | $255 | $255 | 0% |
| Ruby Childers | $242 | $242 | 0% |
| John D. Ginn | $913 | $225 | -75.4% |
| Josephine S. Box | $176 | $176 | 0% |
| Cleveland | $462 | $133 | -71.2% |
| Thomas C. Campbell | $307 | $120 | -60.9% |
| Eugene Brown | $431 | $104 | -75.9% |
| Martha Hardy | $211 | $103 | -51.2% |
| Meg S. Thomas | $151 | $78 | -48.3% |
| Mark K. Autry | $519 | $74 | -85.7% |
| Martha Stewart | $165 | $66 | -60% |
| Clark Ormon | $276 | $24 | -91.3% |
| Mark M. Ormon | $276 | $24 | -91.3% |
| Ben Treloar | $68 | $0 | -100% |
| Brian Edward Jeanes | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Danny Lanier Simpson Family Trust | $729 | $0 | -100% |
| Josephine A. Alexander | $11,817 | $0 | -100% |
| Kyle Mathis Simpson | $822 | $0 | -100% |
| Lori Simpson Vanderburg | $822 | $0 | -100% |
| Wyatt Anderson Weeks | $1,320 | $0 | -100% |
| Aaron Goolsby | $332 | $0 | -100% |
| Dimple L. Patterson | $358 | $0 | -100% |
| Donald Felon Thompson | $990 | $0 | -100% |
| Joshua N. Rakestraw | $110 | $0 | -100% |
| Walter T. Skelton | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,395,320 | $561,285 | -59.8% |
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