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In 2021, 60 farmers in cities within Macon County received a total of $346,727 in 72 farm subsidies, a 66.2% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $1 million in 144 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Segrest Farms | $351,055 | $109,774 | -68.7% |
| Morris & Morris | $314,994 | $106,530 | -66.2% |
| Auburn University | $35,629 | $29,103 | -18.3% |
| Roy S. Morris Jr. | $73,702 | $21,064 | -71.4% |
| Michael S. Sims | $1,562 | $13,030 | 734.2% |
| Larry R. Rowlison | $22,192 | $6,006 | -72.9% |
| Charles Brent Thomas | $5,449 | $4,663 | -14.4% |
| Willie L. Kirk Jr. | $0 | $4,410 | -- |
| Harold J. Noble Jr. | $19,853 | $3,894 | -80.4% |
| Lindsey R. Jones Jr. | $13,143 | $3,595 | -72.6% |
| James C. Cunningham Jr. | $2,293 | $2,832 | 23.5% |
| Robert H. Story | $2,478 | $2,478 | 0% |
| Harry E. Noble III | $0 | $2,406 | -- |
| Thomas J. Hill III | $10,487 | $2,164 | -79.4% |
| Wiley Dougherty | $13,779 | $1,939 | -85.9% |
| Alfonza Menefee | $8,316 | $1,937 | -76.7% |
| Spencer K. Segrest | $8,404 | $1,918 | -77.2% |
| Joe Calloway Jr. | $6,666 | $1,806 | -72.9% |
| Christopher Davis | $4,235 | $1,547 | -63.5% |
| Edward B. Raymon | $1,495 | $1,495 | 0% |
| Harold D. Bradford | $5,397 | $1,487 | -72.4% |
| William Pete Davis | $6,367 | $1,462 | -77% |
| Chan Segrest | $8,705 | $1,366 | -84.3% |
| David Turberville | $8,104 | $1,149 | -85.8% |
| Roy Shepherd Morris Sr. | $1,152 | $1,129 | -2% |
| Claudia V. Devaughn | $7,413 | $1,082 | -85.4% |
| Bryant Poole | $2,926 | $1,056 | -63.9% |
| Robert Anderson Jeter | $0 | $935 | -- |
| Robert Warren | $2,046 | $916 | -55.2% |
| Jack Dicks | $4,748 | $858 | -81.9% |
| Tracie D. Turk | $4,634 | $817 | -82.4% |
| John Kennebrew | $1,956 | $770 | -60.6% |
| Arthur L. Boyd Sr. | $3,756 | $754 | -79.9% |
| Virnetta Ann Bone | $3,267 | $747 | -77.1% |
| James Scott Davis Jr. | $2,849 | $709 | -75.1% |
| Tony Oswalt | $2,409 | $704 | -70.8% |
| Alonzie Kidd JR | $2,615 | $616 | -76.4% |
| Daniel Segrest Jr. | $2,508 | $609 | -75.7% |
| Gregory Smith | $6,329 | $564 | -91.1% |
| Earl Ledbetter | $0 | $550 | -- |
| Justin D. Hill | $2,629 | $547 | -79.2% |
| George McCants | $2,200 | $506 | -77% |
| Valeria Sims Brown | $1,122 | $500 | -55.4% |
| Randy Turberville | $1,210 | $479 | -60.4% |
| James Beacher | $2,508 | $457 | -81.8% |
| Douglas Milford Moore | $3,498 | $442 | -87.4% |
| Pamela Lett | $924 | $434 | -53% |
| Robert McKenzie | $1,850 | $312 | -83.1% |
| Matthew Toland | $1,815 | $294 | -83.8% |
| Archie J. Hill | $647 | $293 | -54.7% |
| James R. Perry Jr. | $660 | $271 | -58.9% |
| Tim Griffin | $2,372 | $259 | -89.1% |
| Christopher McKinley | $1,485 | $208 | -86% |
| Judy A. McKenzie | $1,131 | $208 | -81.6% |
| Michael Turberville | $495 | $208 | -58% |
| Douglas L. Rowell | $682 | $114 | -83.3% |
| Darnell Mitchell | $1,416 | $104 | -92.7% |
| Ledger Penn | $275 | $86 | -68.7% |
| Larry Fitzpatrick | $132 | $86 | -34.8% |
| Cody Allen Longshore | $518 | $48 | -90.7% |
| Eric Leatherwood | $17,890 | $0 | -100% |
| Ausby Mitchell | $686 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Shane Whatley | $1,265 | $0 | -100% |
| Roy M. Johnson | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| Willie Jason Kirk | $3,378 | $0 | -100% |
| Winston Moss | $275 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $1,024,526 | $346,727 | -66.2% |
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