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In 2021, 77 farmers in cities within Choctaw County received a total of $835,169 in 83 farm subsidies, a 157.8% increase from 2020, when the total was $323,988 in 133 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greg Goines | $9,502 | $54,485 | 473.4% |
| Grice Logging and Trucking, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| L Meador Forest Enterprises, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Byron Coleman | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| C & L Pulpwood, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Campbell Timber Company, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Mid Star Timber Harvesting, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Mid-Star Wood Haulers, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Mason Trucking | $0 | $49,600 | -- |
| K T Trucking, LLC | $0 | $40,682 | -- |
| C & a Timber Compay, LLC | $0 | $39,535 | -- |
| Teresa Ladner | $0 | $28,397 | -- |
| Rodney Dailey | $0 | $27,335 | -- |
| Rodney Howard | $0 | $26,736 | -- |
| Mclaughlin Trucking | $0 | $22,796 | -- |
| James Clyde Grace | $15,234 | $22,216 | 45.8% |
| Danny R Lindsey | $0 | $18,763 | -- |
| Willie Causey | $0 | $18,555 | -- |
| Sheldon Causey | $0 | $15,172 | -- |
| P&K Trucking, LLC | $0 | $14,031 | -- |
| Pushmataha Plantation, LLC | $28,478 | $12,537 | -56% |
| Ronald Oneal | $0 | $8,976 | -- |
| Houston Cunningham | $330 | $6,384 | 1,834.5% |
| Lassiter Farm, LLC | $15,477 | $4,468 | -71.1% |
| James Cecil Chadwick | $11,231 | $3,484 | -69% |
| Lanier Meador | $13,453 | $3,132 | -76.7% |
| Johnny Grice | $22,314 | $2,974 | -86.7% |
| William Lassiter | $5,274 | $2,861 | -45.8% |
| The Trimar Partnership, Ltd. | $1,950 | $2,196 | 12.6% |
| Jonathan Luke Phillips | $23,641 | $1,950 | -91.8% |
| Leroy Ladner | $6,655 | $1,753 | -73.7% |
| Arnold Joseph Singley | $7,942 | $1,676 | -78.9% |
| Willie Franklin Sykes | $3,806 | $1,673 | -56% |
| James Robert Moody | $7,644 | $1,641 | -78.5% |
| Robert Fonde Littlepage | $12,777 | $1,565 | -87.8% |
| Gary B. Cooper | $2,286 | $1,478 | -35.3% |
| Steve Jenkins | $16,143 | $1,448 | -91% |
| Leo Allen | $1,389 | $1,389 | 0% |
| Richard Grice Sr. | $5,775 | $1,382 | -76.1% |
| Gregory Robert Moody | $5,966 | $1,374 | -77% |
| Walter R. Williams | $1,357 | $1,357 | 0% |
| Steven K. Presley | $5,995 | $1,300 | -78.3% |
| Kerry S. Cornett | $3,751 | $1,268 | -66.2% |
| Steven H. Giles | $10,018 | $1,247 | -87.6% |
| Riley J. Ezell | $5,115 | $1,140 | -77.7% |
| Robert D. McIlwain | $3,384 | $1,121 | -66.9% |
| Sunny South Farm | $5,662 | $1,101 | -80.6% |
| Joseph Samuel Futral | $5,804 | $1,020 | -82.4% |
| Belinda Hearn | $3,047 | $990 | -67.5% |
| Phillip Lyles | $2,915 | $878 | -69.9% |
| William T. Clark | $828 | $828 | 0% |
| Earlrae Nealey | $742 | $742 | 0% |
| Wade Hampton | $2,101 | $713 | -66.1% |
| O. M. Becton | $713 | $713 | 0% |
| James Clay Norwood | $2,068 | $698 | -66.2% |
| Johnny L. Thompson | $3,816 | $640 | -83.2% |
| Randy McInnis | $0 | $605 | -- |
| Jane W. Green | $0 | $583 | -- |
| Thomas Lee Allen Jr. | $738 | $568 | -23% |
| Jerry G. Phillips | $462 | $462 | 0% |
| Tonya E. Johnson | $2,425 | $458 | -81.1% |
| Ryan Allen Richardson | $1,804 | $412 | -77.2% |
| Alexie Deshotels III | $1,705 | $405 | -76.2% |
| Sammie Moss | $1,661 | $400 | -75.9% |
| Howard Edwards | $891 | $359 | -59.7% |
| Debra W. Bell | $0 | $342 | -- |
| Sylvester Elaine Portis | $2,131 | $338 | -84.1% |
| Michael Lee Hearn | $1,640 | $312 | -81% |
| Jeffery Darrin Robinson | $880 | $292 | -66.8% |
| Ashley Brooke Beasley | $682 | $283 | -58.5% |
| Jerry Lee Robinson | $1,342 | $274 | -79.6% |
| Jtal Partnership, Ltd. | $478 | $220 | -54% |
| Althea Roberts | $363 | $110 | -69.7% |
| Richard Curtis Abston | $1,063 | $86 | -91.9% |
| Len Rowe Jr. | $462 | $69 | -85.1% |
| Len Autry Rowe III | $132 | $38 | -71.2% |
| Brannon Calvin Rowe | $132 | $28 | -78.8% |
| Bobby Ridgeway Sr. | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Debra W Bell Trust U/A DTD 6/28/89 Trustmark Bank Trustee | $13,036 | $0 | -100% |
| Douglas T. Shipp | $82 | $0 | -100% |
| John J. Utsey | $1,705 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Dewayne Kirksey | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Ezell Family, LLC | $8,910 | $0 | -100% |
| Towana J. Harris | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| Margaret T. Edgar | $246 | $0 | -100% |
| Otis Eugene Ray | $495 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Hinton Jr. | $2,750 | $0 | -100% |
| Seadford Marzette | $550 | $0 | -100% |
| George B. Fultz | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $323,988 | $835,169 | 157.8% |
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