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In 2021, 73 farmers in cities within Charleston County received a total of $629,594 in 108 farm subsidies, an 8.5% increase from 2020, when the total was $580,290 in 190 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Meadow Nursery, LLC | $0 | $250,000 | -- |
| Shelton Farms, LLC | $0 | $58,156 | -- |
| Southeast Timber Products, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Stephanie Bullock | $0 | $28,734 | -- |
| Todd Stief | $33,926 | $28,540 | -15.9% |
| Steven Spain | $104,860 | $19,894 | -81% |
| Beth Spain | $104,502 | $19,606 | -81.2% |
| Bulls Bay Enterprises | $0 | $16,468 | -- |
| John I. Hagan | $15,941 | $15,941 | 0% |
| Whiskey Creek Ranch, LLC | $19,059 | $12,620 | -33.8% |
| David T. Belanger | $0 | $9,453 | -- |
| Shiloh Farms, LLC | $8,871 | $8,284 | -6.6% |
| Heath Farms, LLC | $0 | $7,681 | -- |
| Donna Daily | $7,273 | $7,273 | 0% |
| Black Mingo Farms, LLC | $2,795 | $7,037 | 151.8% |
| Erienna Living Trustee | $6,286 | $6,286 | 0% |
| Pocotaligo Plantation | $6,276 | $6,276 | 0% |
| Cynthia Hennigan | $5,347 | $5,347 | 0% |
| Thomas E. Cotton | $5,917 | $5,201 | -12.1% |
| Mcguire & Son, Inc. | $67,742 | $5,043 | -92.6% |
| Glen Shipway | $0 | $4,155 | -- |
| Michael Cordray | $19,079 | $4,109 | -78.5% |
| James S. Moose III | $9,640 | $3,333 | -65.4% |
| James E. King | $4,026 | $2,798 | -30.5% |
| Clarence B. Felder | $3,559 | $2,779 | -21.9% |
| Charlene M. Grice | $2,513 | $2,513 | 0% |
| Osgood D. Hamlin Jr. | $5,664 | $2,385 | -57.9% |
| Gil Harper | $4,346 | $2,372 | -45.4% |
| Jamie E. Smith | $5,120 | $2,187 | -57.3% |
| Legare D. Warren | $9,482 | $2,141 | -77.4% |
| J. W. White Jr. | $6,271 | $1,862 | -70.3% |
| Louis Richard Tumbleston | $1,563 | $1,413 | -9.6% |
| Ronell T Berttucci Trust | $2,665 | $1,280 | -52% |
| David R. Blair | $1,273 | $1,273 | 0% |
| Laura Pope Boyd | $1,202 | $1,202 | 0% |
| Mary Guess | $1,202 | $1,202 | 0% |
| David M. Shrader | $2,814 | $1,159 | -58.8% |
| Zilah N Powell Estate | $1,983 | $1,099 | -44.6% |
| Sylvia Barnhill | $1,047 | $1,011 | -3.4% |
| Thomas M. Barnhill Jr. | $1,047 | $1,011 | -3.4% |
| Carol J. Vrooman | $1,875 | $991 | -47.1% |
| Bell Family Trust | $4,851 | $990 | -79.6% |
| James J. Spangler | $5,765 | $967 | -83.2% |
| Paul Spies | $925 | $925 | 0% |
| Carolyn Mcgoogan Family Limited Partnership | $0 | $922 | -- |
| Susan I. Fitzgerald | $1,303 | $834 | -36% |
| Robert Terry McDonald Jr. | $823 | $823 | 0% |
| Scarlett Wilson | $783 | $783 | 0% |
| Hans Hinson | $3,286 | $735 | -77.6% |
| Joyce Rowe Tyler | $594 | $594 | 0% |
| Kathryn L. Davidson | $607 | $592 | -2.5% |
| Sallie J. Scott | $571 | $571 | 0% |
| Neil Carlson | $1,882 | $564 | -70% |
| Julie Holliday | $0 | $558 | -- |
| John W. Cordray Jr. | $957 | $541 | -43.5% |
| F. G. Smith | $3,904 | $520 | -86.7% |
| Matthew Bell | $2,050 | $495 | -75.9% |
| Huffman Family Farm, LLC | $228 | $492 | 115.8% |
| AL L Andrews Revocable Trust | $999 | $458 | -54.2% |
| Anne M. Clardy | $1,520 | $443 | -70.9% |
| Stephanie Wynette Bullock | $0 | $443 | -- |
| Donna Bryant | $1,118 | $418 | -62.6% |
| James O. Frye | $226 | $402 | 77.9% |
| Jonathan M. Jellema | $1,745 | $400 | -77.1% |
| Robin N. Taylor | $379 | $379 | 0% |
| Leeann Rawson | $333 | $333 | 0% |
| Steven J Spain Trust | $0 | $313 | -- |
| Steven Kerr | $781 | $290 | -62.9% |
| CBL Four Oaks, LLC | $282 | $282 | 0% |
| Perry M. Jenkins | $245 | $245 | 0% |
| Faye Elizabeth Riddle | $369 | $181 | -50.9% |
| Roland L. O'Neal | $1,729 | $62 | -96.4% |
| Stephanie Gatton | $101 | $49 | -51.5% |
| Lawrence Ford | $497 | $0 | -100% |
| George Schwuchow | $1,915 | $0 | -100% |
| William Howell | $284 | $0 | -100% |
| Margery A. Swanson | $2,022 | $0 | -100% |
| Jeffrey M. Spahr | $24,233 | $0 | -100% |
| Julia B. McClellan | $4,283 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert E. Ashley Jr. | $6,277 | $0 | -100% |
| Carolyn Mcgoogan Family Limited P | $2,341 | $0 | -100% |
| Merrill Huffman W. Tr | $281 | $0 | -100% |
| Dana Neugebauer | $1,072 | $0 | -100% |
| Jay K. Stabler | $714 | $0 | -100% |
| Patricia Stribling | $244 | $0 | -100% |
| Robin Margaret Robertson | $1,639 | $0 | -100% |
| Susan B. Brandt | $1,911 | $0 | -100% |
| Williah Hodge Randles Living Trust-Williah H Randles | $5,553 | $0 | -100% |
| Randy F Irlmeier Revocable Trust | $13,502 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $580,290 | $629,594 | 8.5% |
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