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In 2021, 46 farmers in cities within Westmoreland County received a total of $534,983 in 80 farm subsidies, a 78.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $2.5 million in 191 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herbert Wilkerson & Son, Inc. | $238,070 | $144,798 | -39.2% |
| B & S Farms, Inc. | $266,994 | $106,054 | -60.3% |
| C Latane Bowie | $80,158 | $44,350 | -44.7% |
| Laurel Springs Grains, Corp. | $69,649 | $37,428 | -46.3% |
| Tate and Tate, Inc. | $82,700 | $32,497 | -60.7% |
| Hutt Farms | $82,989 | $28,171 | -66.1% |
| John H. Jones | $50,404 | $20,054 | -60.2% |
| J and S Farm, Inc. | $18,992 | $19,505 | 2.7% |
| Louis Fairfax Chandler | $178,617 | $18,479 | -89.7% |
| William C. Jones II | $25,604 | $10,251 | -60% |
| Monrovia Farm, LLC | $27,784 | $9,723 | -65% |
| George W. Sanford Jr. | $18,785 | $8,076 | -57% |
| Beatrice King Jones T/A F E Jones & Sons | $0 | $6,892 | -- |
| Allen Hynson | $10,797 | $5,630 | -47.9% |
| Cottage Farm, Inc. | $148,059 | $5,347 | -96.4% |
| Scott R. Jones | $6,913 | $3,982 | -42.4% |
| Windmill Farm, LLC | $11,385 | $3,979 | -65.1% |
| John H. Jenkins | $7,016 | $3,790 | -46% |
| Bryan Dylan Oliff | $2,134 | $2,588 | 21.3% |
| Robert Y. Jones | $5,467 | $2,533 | -53.7% |
| Donald Hall | $4,075 | $2,250 | -44.8% |
| W. W. Hynson Jr. | $4,870 | $2,073 | -57.4% |
| James Alexander Hinton | $1,898 | $1,898 | 0% |
| Gerald W. Mothershead | $39,547 | $1,378 | -96.5% |
| Clarence Long | $4,147 | $1,367 | -67% |
| S & T Farms | $3,750 | $1,335 | -64.4% |
| William W. Marks | $2,302 | $1,327 | -42.4% |
| Ricky H. Fogg | $1,140 | $1,140 | 0% |
| David C. Burton | $973 | $973 | 0% |
| Richard Wilkins | $3,924 | $848 | -78.4% |
| Charles Wayne Sanders Jr. | $2,959 | $707 | -76.1% |
| Julian E. Barrett Jr. | $462 | $602 | 30.3% |
| Grapewood Farm, LLC | $7,110 | $570 | -92% |
| Stanley L. Schoppe | $553 | $553 | 0% |
| Larry G. Nash | $501 | $501 | 0% |
| Myrtle L. France | $416 | $494 | 18.8% |
| David T. Hynson | $448 | $448 | 0% |
| Elgin Perry | $457 | $393 | -14% |
| William H. Hall | $681 | $382 | -43.9% |
| Jo Lu Terrell | $305 | $347 | 13.8% |
| Gary Lee Sisson | $2,672 | $272 | -89.8% |
| Joan Winter | $257 | $257 | 0% |
| Eric Kirkland | $604 | $235 | -61.1% |
| Charles N. Wilson Jr. | $212 | $212 | 0% |
| Hilda B. Wilson | $212 | $212 | 0% |
| Shirley A. Tate | $61 | $82 | 34.4% |
| Alfonso Barajas | $29,215 | $0 | -100% |
| Alma Delia Diaz | $4,509 | $0 | -100% |
| Eagle Tree Farm, Inc. | $256,433 | $0 | -100% |
| Ignacio Valencia | $12,313 | $0 | -100% |
| Ingleside Plantation, Inc. | $587,657 | $0 | -100% |
| Jesus Medina | $4,982 | $0 | -100% |
| Joyce M. Miller | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Lucas H. Valdez | $7,157 | $0 | -100% |
| Magali Maldonado | $14,100 | $0 | -100% |
| Martin Rivera | $714 | $0 | -100% |
| Omar Medina | $3,922 | $0 | -100% |
| Rodney D. Rollins | $1,158 | $0 | -100% |
| Astrid Lisbeth Pleitez | $22,000 | $0 | -100% |
| Beatrice King Jones Ta F. E. Jones | $15,667 | $0 | -100% |
| Criselda Medina | $7,052 | $0 | -100% |
| Dora Alicia Beltran | $9,398 | $0 | -100% |
| Francisco Javier Medina Jr. | $11,972 | $0 | -100% |
| Jesus Ochoa | $26,745 | $0 | -100% |
| Jose Luis Lopez-Medina | $13,948 | $0 | -100% |
| Juan Fernando Valencia | $9,879 | $0 | -100% |
| Leopoldo Beltran Jr. | $10,556 | $0 | -100% |
| Lois F. Allensworth | $33,547 | $0 | -100% |
| Maria Izaguirre | $10,075 | $0 | -100% |
| Sergio Izaguirre | $7,332 | $0 | -100% |
| Wanda Catlett | $6,637 | $0 | -100% |
| William Daniel Allensworth | $873 | $0 | -100% |
| William M France Irrevocable Trus | $78 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $2,525,412 | $534,983 | -78.8% |
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