Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 64 farmers in cities within Chowan County received a total of $2.6 million in 156 farm subsidies, a 36.6% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $4 million in 296 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proctor Farms | $51,858 | $227,404 | 338.5% |
| Adrien J Smith JR and Sons, Inc. | $319,969 | $226,363 | -29.3% |
| Albemarle Beach Farms, Inc. | $377,389 | $204,108 | -45.9% |
| Layton Farms Partnership | $307,708 | $180,923 | -41.2% |
| Parrish Farms, Inc. | $140,961 | $178,784 | 26.8% |
| Russell T. Byrum | $198,937 | $137,907 | -30.7% |
| Fenton Towe Eure IV | $237,635 | $128,407 | -46% |
| Beech Fork Farms, LLC | $160,924 | $119,964 | -25.5% |
| Poplar Neck Farms, LLC | $286,518 | $117,785 | -58.9% |
| Ward Brothers | $164,655 | $91,782 | -44.3% |
| Parrish Brothers, LLC | $119,437 | $83,974 | -29.7% |
| J M Parrish & Son, Inc. | $145,821 | $80,674 | -44.7% |
| Turkey Neck Farm | $145,724 | $72,194 | -50.5% |
| Forehand Farms, LLC | $16,596 | $66,704 | 301.9% |
| A Jasper Evans | $85,793 | $60,577 | -29.4% |
| Bayside Farms, LLC | $0 | $57,525 | -- |
| Joseph V. Parrish | $106,800 | $57,177 | -46.5% |
| C & R Farms | $91,122 | $50,770 | -44.3% |
| Byrum Farms, Inc. | $80,463 | $46,897 | -41.7% |
| Joel C. Nixon Jr. | $73,486 | $45,618 | -37.9% |
| A W Bunch Farms, LLC | $126,400 | $45,431 | -64.1% |
| Dale & Bryant White | $77,333 | $29,991 | -61.2% |
| Johnson Acres, Inc. | $78,642 | $24,671 | -68.6% |
| Edward Craig Overton | $51,136 | $24,144 | -52.8% |
| William C. Tarkington | $37,093 | $21,049 | -43.3% |
| Ricky E. Toppin | $40,213 | $20,267 | -49.6% |
| Paul A. Bryant | $40,155 | $19,643 | -51.1% |
| Mark E. Bunch | $59,567 | $15,888 | -73.3% |
| Richard L. Brabble | $24,123 | $15,572 | -35.4% |
| Michael Louis Evans | $38,995 | $14,858 | -61.9% |
| Edward W. Jordan Jr. | $16,156 | $10,022 | -38% |
| Forehand Farms | $111,005 | $9,259 | -91.7% |
| Green K Farms, LLC | $10,933 | $8,017 | -26.7% |
| Raymond Earl Davenport | $6,437 | $5,879 | -8.7% |
| Frederick D. Inglis | $4,533 | $5,366 | 18.4% |
| Joey C. Byrum | $9,037 | $5,325 | -41.1% |
| William Barrow Jr. | $950 | $4,829 | 408.3% |
| Cottonman.com, LLC | $7,613 | $4,636 | -39.1% |
| Eure Farms, LLC | $11,806 | $4,426 | -62.5% |
| W R Farms, LLC | $0 | $3,269 | -- |
| Lee Anthony White | $0 | $2,974 | -- |
| William L. White | $3,977 | $2,474 | -37.8% |
| Henry Lindley Jordan | $3,872 | $2,451 | -36.7% |
| Michael D. Nixon | $3,639 | $2,129 | -41.5% |
| Sammy Morris | $2,103 | $2,103 | 0% |
| Peele Brothers, Inc. | $21,537 | $1,630 | -92.4% |
| Thomas Michael Cahoon | $4,469 | $1,430 | -68% |
| Wyatt Yates Bland | $4,469 | $1,430 | -68% |
| Charles Michael Perry | $1,267 | $1,267 | 0% |
| Jimmy Kirby | $1,846 | $1,134 | -38.6% |
| Christopher Ray Goodwin | $302 | $974 | 222.5% |
| Johnnie Howell Jr. | $1,584 | $783 | -50.6% |
| Cecil Anthony Hall | $3,678 | $737 | -80% |
| Joseph Wallace Goodwin III | $2,024 | $734 | -63.7% |
| Calvin Capehart Sr. | $1,412 | $649 | -54% |
| Ellis Eugene Lawrence | $0 | $552 | -- |
| Fenton T. Eure Jr. | $490 | $490 | 0% |
| Margie C. Eure | $490 | $490 | 0% |
| Jonathan Dodd Floyd | $914 | $455 | -50.2% |
| Anthony W. Evans | $884 | $439 | -50.3% |
| George A. Keeter III | $1,342 | $404 | -69.9% |
| Joseph E. Harrell | $1,254 | $397 | -68.3% |
| Lake Brinson Byrum | $170 | $333 | 95.9% |
| Tabatha I. Toppin | $1,575 | $254 | -83.9% |
| Dennis Allen Lassiter | $1,121 | $0 | -100% |
| Ellis Lawrence | $1,036 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency | $2,319 | $0 | -100% |
| Alan G. Smith | $694 | $0 | -100% |
| Herbert M. Hoop | $216 | $0 | -100% |
| Intracoastal Agent, LLC | $8,855 | $0 | -100% |
| John W Van Duyn | $804 | $0 | -100% |
| Lois A. Parrish | $303 | $0 | -100% |
| Mary Bunch Evans | $813 | $0 | -100% |
| Penny P. Byrum | $40,022 | $0 | -100% |
| Pigs Plus Farms, Inc. | $4,722 | $0 | -100% |
| Southern Bank and Trust Company | $21,161 | $0 | -100% |
| Sherwood T. Bass | $2,447 | $0 | -100% |
| Willis Ray Byrum Jr. | $16,020 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $4,027,754 | $2,554,792 | -36.6% |
Alerts Sign-up