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In 2021, 73 farmers in cities within Meigs County received a total of $671,766 in 113 farm subsidies, a 30.7% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $969,810 in 204 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max E. Hill Jr. | $13,674 | $129,432 | 846.6% |
| Elizabeth V. Jenkins | $43,717 | $93,311 | 113.4% |
| Horizonz, LLC | $57,247 | $68,376 | 19.4% |
| Jason L. Runyon | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Maria Guadalupe Espana Villagomez | $4,173 | $50,744 | 1,116% |
| Williams Logging, LLC | $0 | $47,510 | -- |
| Green Hills Farm | $26,684 | $29,907 | 12.1% |
| Wally Hatfield | $18,467 | $29,891 | 61.9% |
| Howard R. Ervin III | $21,913 | $25,874 | 18.1% |
| Roland E. Will | $0 | $21,483 | -- |
| Wesley T. Karr | $28,682 | $18,382 | -35.9% |
| Edward J. Holter | $79,304 | $15,990 | -79.8% |
| Gary Michael | $26,396 | $11,698 | -55.7% |
| David Watson | $11,412 | $9,907 | -13.2% |
| Roger L. Beegle | $21,217 | $8,919 | -58% |
| Philip M. Webb II | $28,183 | $7,778 | -72.4% |
| Anthony Kopec | $13,668 | $3,521 | -74.2% |
| Parker Grain Farm, LLC | $22,101 | $3,481 | -84.2% |
| David Williams | $11,495 | $3,095 | -73.1% |
| Michael Holter | $4,202 | $2,769 | -34.1% |
| Robert Hoffman | $5,080 | $2,623 | -48.4% |
| Nancy Wells | $8,728 | $2,347 | -73.1% |
| Rex Allen Thornton | $0 | $1,993 | -- |
| Keith Bentz | $9,866 | $1,887 | -80.9% |
| Zachary Manuel | $0 | $1,669 | -- |
| Alan Holter | $1,667 | $1,667 | 0% |
| George Albert Parker | $11,842 | $1,651 | -86.1% |
| Howard Ervin Jr. | $8,171 | $1,583 | -80.6% |
| Ronald Butcher | $0 | $1,375 | -- |
| Jennifer L. Sheets | $0 | $1,148 | -- |
| Woodrow Engle | $4,004 | $1,028 | -74.3% |
| Brian Windon | $3,135 | $896 | -71.4% |
| James Sheets | $2,403 | $793 | -67% |
| Shirley Coleman | $750 | $750 | 0% |
| Aaron S. Hoback | $3,190 | $713 | -77.6% |
| Sammie Brown | $2,365 | $645 | -72.7% |
| Edward L. Nottingham | $1,399 | $628 | -55.1% |
| James R. Cotterill | $3,684 | $609 | -83.5% |
| Charles E. Yost | $2,108 | $603 | -71.4% |
| Mike Elberfeld | $2,865 | $592 | -79.3% |
| James P. Will | $3,200 | $589 | -81.6% |
| Edward Gibbs | $2,860 | $580 | -79.7% |
| Charles Frecker | $4,525 | $578 | -87.2% |
| Roger Cotterill | $3,081 | $569 | -81.5% |
| Paul Lambert | $1,045 | $548 | -47.6% |
| Brayden Ervin | $528 | $527 | -0.2% |
| Ben F. Cotterill | $4,779 | $525 | -89% |
| Tim Ihle | $1,705 | $510 | -70.1% |
| Elizabeth Harris | $2,512 | $474 | -81.1% |
| Virginia Jenkins | $10,345 | $451 | -95.6% |
| Marshall Roush | $22,720 | $436 | -98.1% |
| Donna M. Ihle | $2,646 | $403 | -84.8% |
| Ray Parsons | $957 | $394 | -58.8% |
| Mark Grossnickle | $3,434 | $391 | -88.6% |
| Marc Smith | $2,361 | $366 | -84.5% |
| Michael B. Markins | $594 | $366 | -38.4% |
| Linda A. Turley | $1,361 | $360 | -73.5% |
| Kenneth R. Workman | $825 | $339 | -58.9% |
| Brent Buckley | $825 | $308 | -62.7% |
| Brett A. Jones | $964 | $308 | -68% |
| Donald Martin | $2,195 | $291 | -86.7% |
| Jackie T. Cummins | $1,321 | $280 | -78.8% |
| Rachel Kline | $1,003 | $267 | -73.4% |
| Steve Peckham | $1,430 | $253 | -82.3% |
| Roy Bailey | $874 | $224 | -74.4% |
| Brian Duffy | $1,635 | $220 | -86.5% |
| James H. Smith | $495 | $208 | -58% |
| Teri Roush | $7,395 | $190 | -97.4% |
| Phillip Radford | $396 | $186 | -53% |
| Jack M. Gibbs | $495 | $167 | -66.3% |
| Steve Lambert | $820 | $138 | -83.2% |
| Betty Oliver | $0 | $108 | -- |
| Debra F. Drake | $1,324 | $69 | -94.8% |
| Emery Haggy | $385 | $0 | -100% |
| Clinton R. Kennedy | $491 | $0 | -100% |
| Melody Holler Farm, LLC | $10,621 | $0 | -100% |
| Robert M. Blackston | $2,090 | $0 | -100% |
| Rodney Frecker | $1,650 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas McMahon | $545 | $0 | -100% |
| Adam Roush | $3,289 | $0 | -100% |
| Alyssa Webb | $240 | $0 | -100% |
| Christopher T. Hamm | $1,061 | $0 | -100% |
| Darrell Norris & Son Greenhouses | $250,000 | $0 | -100% |
| Scott J. Hill | $17,331 | $0 | -100% |
| John K West | $1,265 | $0 | -100% |
| John Roush | $46,168 | $0 | -100% |
| Kati Loree Hubbard | $5,657 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Roush | $27,345 | $0 | -100% |
| Peggy Cummins | $3,985 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald Wagner | $2,200 | $0 | -100% |
| Whitney Camp | $220 | $0 | -100% |
| James Birchfield | $825 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $969,810 | $671,766 | -30.7% |
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