Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2021, 260 farmers in cities within Laurel County received a total of $650,659 in 290 farm subsidies, a 68.3% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.1 million in 674 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.
Farmers and Their Subsidies in Cities Associated with Laurel County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jarrod B. Cornett | $147,008 | $64,231 | -56.3% |
| Mark Hale | $2,421 | $53,315 | 2,102.2% |
| Keller Timber Company | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Randy Maggard | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Jonas Fortney | $5,797 | $28,420 | 390.3% |
| Danny Hale | $0 | $18,675 | -- |
| James Murphy | $0 | $16,005 | -- |
| Robert Patton | $0 | $15,125 | -- |
| Gary Houston | $0 | $12,210 | -- |
| Jacob Mathis | $0 | $10,285 | -- |
| Tammy Lunsford | $0 | $10,230 | -- |
| Fallon Yaden | $0 | $9,625 | -- |
| Ronnie Patton | $11,821 | $9,410 | -20.4% |
| Lindsey Houston | $0 | $9,240 | -- |
| Jaime Vanhook | $0 | $8,800 | -- |
| Doug Bargo | $8,746 | $8,746 | 0% |
| Victor Glenn Williams | $101,086 | $8,459 | -91.6% |
| David C. Schmidt | $26,244 | $7,783 | -70.3% |
| Gary Cupp | $25,465 | $6,119 | -76% |
| Travis A. Gabbard | $59,859 | $6,095 | -89.8% |
| Terry Gabbard | $64,031 | $5,915 | -90.8% |
| Donnie Lee Massey | $33,481 | $5,843 | -82.5% |
| George Michael Calebs | $12,954 | $5,292 | -59.1% |
| Anthony Pennington | $29,303 | $4,628 | -84.2% |
| Edmond Sonny Osborne | $32,241 | $4,519 | -86% |
| Stanley Smith | $39,428 | $4,155 | -89.5% |
| John Root | $12,309 | $3,983 | -67.6% |
| Charles W. Blankenship II | $5,507 | $3,762 | -31.7% |
| Clemons Bundy | $14,054 | $3,738 | -73.4% |
| Bobby Caudill | $0 | $3,575 | -- |
| Dudley S. Gilbert | $22,322 | $3,469 | -84.5% |
| Larry Hughes | $18,479 | $3,362 | -81.8% |
| William Michael Patton | $10,857 | $3,230 | -70.2% |
| Orie Thomas | $3,927 | $2,720 | -30.7% |
| Rick Brewer | $16,418 | $2,681 | -83.7% |
| Roy B. Lincks | $11,267 | $2,660 | -76.4% |
| Joe McKnight | $66,876 | $2,599 | -96.1% |
| Roger Mark Corey | $20,070 | $2,561 | -87.2% |
| Delbert Philpot | $9,195 | $2,467 | -73.2% |
| Terry W. McPhetridge | $9,295 | $2,388 | -74.3% |
| Jerald Gilbert | $12,292 | $2,376 | -80.7% |
| Stuart House | $10,049 | $2,304 | -77.1% |
| Robert C. Storm | $10,166 | $2,294 | -77.4% |
| Charlotte D. Vaughn | $8,967 | $2,208 | -75.4% |
| Larry W. Parman | $10,089 | $2,024 | -79.9% |
| Lonnie E. Robinson Jr. | $11,179 | $1,970 | -82.4% |
| Kenneth Wilhoit | $4,500 | $1,949 | -56.7% |
| Judith Bolton Estate | $0 | $1,946 | -- |
| Kevin Osborne | $10,670 | $1,944 | -81.8% |
| Rollan Philpot | $5,566 | $1,913 | -65.6% |
| Harlan Baker | $7,815 | $1,898 | -75.7% |
| Stanley Elza | $5,516 | $1,878 | -66% |
| Clay Philpot Jr. | $7,051 | $1,870 | -73.5% |
| Brad Bailey | $10,549 | $1,869 | -82.3% |
| Earl Bailey | $6,178 | $1,849 | -70.1% |
| Daniel Trent Prewitt | $7,862 | $1,847 | -76.5% |
| David Hammons | $9,626 | $1,826 | -81% |
| Rebecca Vanourney Evans | $15,373 | $1,800 | -88.3% |
| Bobby G. Mathis Jr. | $8,228 | $1,775 | -78.4% |
| David A. Hansen | $6,871 | $1,574 | -77.1% |
| Robert D. Jennings | $6,215 | $1,568 | -74.8% |
| Kendall K. Kilbourne | $5,136 | $1,518 | -70.4% |
| Tommy C. Young | $11,967 | $1,496 | -87.5% |
| Gary Wayne Woods | $7,205 | $1,401 | -80.6% |
| Brent Collier | $7,791 | $1,398 | -82.1% |
| Walter Hulett | $7,704 | $1,354 | -82.4% |
| Randy Chesnut | $5,016 | $1,325 | -73.6% |
| Rick Cornett | $0 | $1,320 | -- |
| Paul Cheek | $14,130 | $1,300 | -90.8% |
| James E. McDaniel | $4,862 | $1,276 | -73.8% |
| Thomas A. Jones | $8,359 | $1,259 | -84.9% |
| Winton Nicholson | $4,631 | $1,243 | -73.2% |
| Thomas Melvin McKnight Jr. | $5,192 | $1,239 | -76.1% |
| Darrell Eddie Wilhoit | $7,412 | $1,238 | -83.3% |
| Jarred Lundy | $2,937 | $1,234 | -58% |
| James L. Johnson | $4,488 | $1,227 | -72.7% |
| Sammie Hurley | $4,763 | $1,225 | -74.3% |
| Evan C. Yaden | $10,131 | $1,198 | -88.2% |
| Stanley Reed | $3,011 | $1,191 | -60.4% |
| Doug House | $7,482 | $1,177 | -84.3% |
| John D. Evans | $7,165 | $1,173 | -83.6% |
| Mike Philpot | $4,653 | $1,156 | -75.2% |
| David Hensley | $5,236 | $1,138 | -78.3% |
| James Mullins | $3,977 | $1,135 | -71.5% |
| Jordan C. Whitis | $2,266 | $1,132 | -50% |
| David Westerfield | $5,115 | $1,097 | -78.6% |
| Denver Ray Parker | $5,291 | $1,097 | -79.3% |
| Martin F. Cox | $9,677 | $1,087 | -88.8% |
| Sam Fouts | $5,038 | $1,087 | -78.4% |
| Jimmy Parker | $5,079 | $1,073 | -78.9% |
| Glenna Kilburn | $4,598 | $1,070 | -76.7% |
| A. H. McPhetridge | $14,053 | $1,055 | -92.5% |
| Robert E. Vaughn | $3,773 | $1,052 | -72.1% |
| Douglas M. McWhorter | $5,069 | $1,044 | -79.4% |
| Herman Benge | $3,361 | $1,044 | -68.9% |
| Randall Brewer | $5,737 | $1,044 | -81.8% |
| Lonnie Bowling | $5,866 | $1,041 | -82.3% |
| Joseph Lovingood | $7,323 | $1,038 | -85.8% |
| Phillip Jackson | $2,184 | $1,035 | -52.6% |
| Roger Hughes | $4,603 | $1,035 | -77.5% |
| William R. Bailey | $5,955 | $1,018 | -82.9% |
| Jeff North | $6,196 | $1,012 | -83.7% |
| Richard Bales | $4,774 | $1,012 | -78.8% |
| Corey A. Blankenship | $5,736 | $1,008 | -82.4% |
| Philip Bundy | $5,510 | $1,000 | -81.9% |
| Jerry Neil McDaniel | $3,971 | $974 | -75.5% |
| Robert McCollum | $1,980 | $974 | -50.8% |
| Dean Johnson | $4,509 | $972 | -78.4% |
| Randy Darrell Deaton | $36,773 | $938 | -97.4% |
| James Schell | $4,422 | $932 | -78.9% |
| Eddie Joe Likins | $3,993 | $917 | -77% |
| Jacob A. Edwards | $4,778 | $897 | -81.2% |
| Randall Burkhart | $5,258 | $891 | -83.1% |
| Robert Helton | $4,157 | $880 | -78.8% |
| Curtis Chesnut | $4,346 | $880 | -79.8% |
| John Y. Parsley | $2,530 | $869 | -65.7% |
| Basil C. Floyd | $3,036 | $864 | -71.5% |
| Robert W. Cole | $4,521 | $862 | -80.9% |
| Jennifer Harris | $10,121 | $861 | -91.5% |
| Bobby Anders | $3,366 | $855 | -74.6% |
| Glendon Asher | $4,344 | $845 | -80.5% |
| James L. Brock | $3,322 | $845 | -74.6% |
| Dennis Rudder | $4,235 | $844 | -80.1% |
| Kelvin Bundy | $3,058 | $833 | -72.8% |
| Arvel Coots | $1,980 | $830 | -58.1% |
| Earl Mays | $4,125 | $808 | -80.4% |
| Tammy Crook | $6,318 | $795 | -87.4% |
| Donald Chesnut | $3,003 | $794 | -73.6% |
| Colin D. Honchell | $2,112 | $794 | -62.4% |
| Carman A. Reams | $3,751 | $778 | -79.3% |
| Jordan Houston | $5,841 | $778 | -86.7% |
| Glae Walden | $3,362 | $776 | -76.9% |
| George R. Campbell | $4,055 | $768 | -81.1% |
| Michael E. Harris | $4,097 | $762 | -81.4% |
| Wayne Robert Kirby | $4,384 | $758 | -82.7% |
| Gregory L. Boggs | $3,696 | $752 | -79.7% |
| Heather Smith | $3,806 | $742 | -80.5% |
| Edward McFadden | $0 | $729 | -- |
| Jerry Cupp | $3,808 | $714 | -81.3% |
| Larry A. Jones | $1,353 | $707 | -47.7% |
| Kenneth Schott | $1,474 | $701 | -52.4% |
| J. D. Peters | $1,320 | $690 | -47.7% |
| Gary McWhorter | $2,893 | $677 | -76.6% |
| Bobby Houston | $5,132 | $675 | -86.8% |
| James Lewis | $2,824 | $673 | -76.2% |
| Glenda Jones | $2,233 | $670 | -70% |
| Kevin Houston | $2,596 | $663 | -74.5% |
| Jackson Morgan | $3,179 | $658 | -79.3% |
| Bobby Jones | $2,706 | $657 | -75.7% |
| Ralph Cloud | $1,804 | $656 | -63.6% |
| Shawn Boroviak | $1,804 | $656 | -63.6% |
| William J. Bennett | $5,106 | $656 | -87.2% |
| Heather Tabor | $4,394 | $654 | -85.1% |
| Johnny Sibert | $3,912 | $647 | -83.5% |
| Danny Evans | $2,728 | $630 | -76.9% |
| Virgil Blankenship | $2,123 | $621 | -70.7% |
| Charles Begley | $2,195 | $618 | -71.8% |
| Sarah Marie Shemenski | $3,017 | $611 | -79.7% |
| Barkley Parsley | $2,585 | $604 | -76.6% |
| Kelley Collier | $2,408 | $604 | -74.9% |
| Steve Alexander | $2,904 | $602 | -79.3% |
| James W. Bowling | $1,584 | $598 | -62.2% |
| Ben Vice | $3,463 | $586 | -83.1% |
| Gary Elliott | $3,542 | $586 | -83.5% |
| James A. Pennington | $4,697 | $584 | -87.6% |
| Charles E. Black | $4,227 | $546 | -87.1% |
| Roy C. Grubb | $3,069 | $537 | -82.5% |
| Douglas Day | $8,368 | $537 | -93.6% |
| Leslie Helton | $2,123 | $535 | -74.8% |
| Paul Vaughn | $6,566 | $535 | -91.9% |
| Steven Tate II | $1,023 | $535 | -47.7% |
| Don Cornett | $2,720 | $532 | -80.4% |
| Dustin McKinney | $1,998 | $530 | -73.5% |
| Gertrude Reams | $990 | $518 | -47.7% |
| Roscoe Smith | $1,452 | $505 | -65.2% |
| Stephanie Hammons | $957 | $500 | -47.8% |
| Rodney Thompson | $3,810 | $495 | -87% |
| Sydney Fawbush | $0 | $495 | -- |
| Helen Bruner | $2,167 | $494 | -77.2% |
| Douglas Shane Wilhoit | $1,818 | $480 | -73.6% |
| Ron Miller | $2,034 | $473 | -76.7% |
| Cleamon Hammons | $2,693 | $470 | -82.5% |
| Legacy Farms, LLC | $3,028 | $468 | -84.5% |
| Billy G. Alsip | $1,771 | $466 | -73.7% |
| Wilma Parsley | $891 | $466 | -47.7% |
| Gene Bundy | $1,692 | $460 | -72.8% |
| Harold Jason Rawlings | $1,327 | $442 | -66.7% |
| Dean Cornett | $1,815 | $440 | -75.8% |
| Bill Buckles | $1,668 | $438 | -73.7% |
| Larry Bundy | $1,430 | $431 | -69.9% |
| Mark Jackson | $1,485 | $431 | -71% |
| Coy Gilliam | $1,056 | $419 | -60.3% |
| Flecia Howard | $2,750 | $415 | -84.9% |
| Bobby Proffitt | $1,408 | $412 | -70.7% |
| Larry D. Messer | $2,488 | $400 | -83.9% |
| Gary Lawson | $1,529 | $397 | -74% |
| Steve Blankenship | $2,235 | $397 | -82.2% |
| Roger Brock | $990 | $394 | -60.2% |
| Lisa L. Whicker | $1,463 | $393 | -73.1% |
| Dillion G. Blevins | $1,352 | $392 | -71% |
| J C Blunschi | $1,529 | $391 | -74.4% |
| J. C. Parsons | $1,584 | $391 | -75.3% |
| Gary Kevin Amburgey | $4,179 | $386 | -90.8% |
| Jean Blunschi | $3,216 | $380 | -88.2% |
| Robert Southard | $1,672 | $377 | -77.5% |
| Gilbert Hodge | $1,797 | $374 | -79.2% |
| Jerry Houston | $1,144 | $366 | -68% |
| Basil D. Humfleet | $3,860 | $362 | -90.6% |
| Charles E. Smith Jr. | $1,167 | $356 | -69.5% |
| Robert Fondaw | $1,265 | $345 | -72.7% |
| Jason Brown | $935 | $345 | -63.1% |
| Ray Roundtree | $1,155 | $345 | -70.1% |
| Timmy Hale | $1,374 | $345 | -74.9% |
| Wendy Smith | $660 | $345 | -47.7% |
| Jewel Buckles | $1,472 | $342 | -76.8% |
| Brandon Baker | $1,380 | $339 | -75.4% |
| Donald L. Langley | $1,313 | $332 | -74.7% |
| Lowell Grubb | $0 | $330 | -- |
| Bobby Rush | $0 | $320 | -- |
| Daniel Muncy | $1,727 | $319 | -81.5% |
| Earl Reynolds | $1,254 | $310 | -75.3% |
| Berlin Whitis | $1,254 | $310 | -75.3% |
| Doug Parker | $979 | $310 | -68.3% |
| Lonnie Robinson | $1,803 | $310 | -82.8% |
| Lowell Jones | $3,463 | $310 | -91% |
| Larry D. Harris | $1,170 | $309 | -73.6% |
| Loyd Johnson | $1,144 | $302 | -73.6% |
| Nelson Jones | $1,421 | $296 | -79.2% |
| Jeff Baker | $495 | $292 | -41% |
| Todd Claiborne | $1,558 | $284 | -81.8% |
| Aaron Hurley | $1,081 | $280 | -74.1% |
| Bill Prewitt | $693 | $280 | -59.6% |
| Harold Helton | $858 | $276 | -67.8% |
| Edward Minton | $2,959 | $276 | -90.7% |
| Joey Baker | $627 | $276 | -56% |
| James Glenn Reed | $1,848 | $270 | -85.4% |
| James Gary Nunn | $1,375 | $259 | -81.2% |
| Lane Williams | $16,732 | $255 | -98.5% |
| Larry Neil Fowler | $627 | $246 | -60.8% |
| Randy Philpot | $1,084 | $218 | -79.9% |
| Danny Muncy | $1,486 | $190 | -87.2% |
| Randall Rudder | $780 | $190 | -75.6% |
| Steve Foley | $6,963 | $175 | -97.5% |
| Steve Patton Jr. | $823 | $171 | -79.2% |
| Wesley Benge | $396 | $166 | -58.1% |
| Greg Arnold | $2,803 | $152 | -94.6% |
| Katherine J. Vaughn | $0 | $129 | -- |
| Angela Harris | $484 | $126 | -74% |
| Michael Jackson | $1,888 | $124 | -93.4% |
| Chris Robinson | $451 | $121 | -73.2% |
| Frances Jeanette Parrett | $341 | $121 | -64.5% |
| Wallena Bowling | $286 | $121 | -57.7% |
| Tim Anders | $132 | $102 | -22.7% |
| Charles B. Wyatt | $0 | $87 | -- |
| David W. Lemley | $0 | $70 | -- |
| Lisa Asher | $533 | $66 | -87.6% |
| Monty Turner | $66 | $51 | -22.7% |
| Mark Warren Jones | $92 | $47 | -48.9% |
| Judith Bolton | $3,976 | $46 | -98.8% |
| Toni L. Gambrel | $0 | $18 | -- |
| Edward Reid | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Jenny Lynn Houston | $8,755 | $0 | -100% |
| John W. Scoville | $12,521 | $0 | -100% |
| Johnny Martin | $94 | $0 | -100% |
| Maria M. Storm | $78 | $0 | -100% |
| Roy Virgil McWhorter Jr. | $1,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Todd Fields | $660 | $0 | -100% |
| William R. Evans | $605 | $0 | -100% |
| Albert Huff | $1,485 | $0 | -100% |
| Alice Cupp | $40 | $0 | -100% |
| Anthony R. Rush | $320 | $0 | -100% |
| Barry Jeffrey | $2,024 | $0 | -100% |
| Ben Nunley | $10,470 | $0 | -100% |
| Benjamin Corry | $5,005 | $0 | -100% |
| Betty McDaniel | $167 | $0 | -100% |
| Bill Fouts | $283 | $0 | -100% |
| Billy Darren Day | $789 | $0 | -100% |
| Billy Morris | $2,078 | $0 | -100% |
| Bryan Fouts | $1,680 | $0 | -100% |
| Carol Wilhoit | $18 | $0 | -100% |
| Devin Ford | $1,167 | $0 | -100% |
| Don Jeffrey | $804 | $0 | -100% |
| Don Lane Young | $233 | $0 | -100% |
| Donna Joyce Rains | $344 | $0 | -100% |
| Eddie L. Lawson | $1,045 | $0 | -100% |
| Elizabeth G. McDaniel | $101 | $0 | -100% |
| Eva C. Asher | $273 | $0 | -100% |
| Gary Nantz | $1,306 | $0 | -100% |
| Harold O. Bales | $722 | $0 | -100% |
| Homer Lee Bundy | $120 | $0 | -100% |
| Ivan Reed | $334 | $0 | -100% |
| James E. Cass | $724 | $0 | -100% |
| James Joseph | $1,155 | $0 | -100% |
| James Puckett | $6,545 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry Lee Dotson | $363 | $0 | -100% |
| Jimmy Joseph | $880 | $0 | -100% |
| Joyce Ann Dotson | $2,300 | $0 | -100% |
| Judy Boggs | $80 | $0 | -100% |
| JW Livestock, LLC | $45,518 | $0 | -100% |
| Kenny Day | $1,320 | $0 | -100% |
| Lindsey B. Sizemore | $605 | $0 | -100% |
| Louella Hughes | $145 | $0 | -100% |
| Madeline Murray | $146 | $0 | -100% |
| Marjorie Gaines Massie | $307 | $0 | -100% |
| Mark Roark | $330 | $0 | -100% |
| Mary Fee | $4,785 | $0 | -100% |
| Norma Watkins | $198 | $0 | -100% |
| Patrick Angel | $742 | $0 | -100% |
| Patrick Murphy | $13,511 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert Durham | $664 | $0 | -100% |
| Sandy Minton | $31 | $0 | -100% |
| Sustainable Harvest Farm, LLC | $19,354 | $0 | -100% |
| Sylvia McCarty | $1,265 | $0 | -100% |
| Tommy Westerfield | $1,555 | $0 | -100% |
| Truman Broughton | $1,760 | $0 | -100% |
| Vedath Cornett | $17 | $0 | -100% |
| Vernon Peters | $126 | $0 | -100% |
| Williams & Son Livestock, LLC | $227,032 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,054,865 | $650,659 | -68.3% |
Alerts Sign-up