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In 2021, 227 farmers in cities within Bladen County received a total of $7.2 million in 534 farm subsidies, an 18.8% decrease compared to 2020, when the total was $8.9 million in 765 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 Bladen County, Year Over Year
| Farmer | Total Received in 2020 | Total Received in 2021 | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes Investment | $0 | $522,284 | -- |
| John C. Melvin | $492,843 | $197,954 | -59.8% |
| HD3 Farms of the Carolinas, LLC | $0 | $191,174 | -- |
| Paul C. Skinner | $323,306 | $176,730 | -45.3% |
| Wilbur Daniel Ward | $260,023 | $176,672 | -32.1% |
| Carter Farms, Inc. | $638,797 | $170,651 | -73.3% |
| RBG Farms, LLC | $114,379 | $169,535 | 48.2% |
| Woodrow W. Marlowe Jr. | $454,115 | $142,467 | -68.6% |
| Marlowe Farm, LLC | $201,147 | $142,344 | -29.2% |
| Cedar Bay Farms of NC, Inc. | $0 | $141,197 | -- |
| Byrdfield Farms, Inc. | $165,458 | $116,203 | -29.8% |
| Nicholas Graham Gooden | $3,290 | $113,997 | 3,365% |
| Macrae Farms, LLC | $0 | $112,816 | -- |
| David R. Gooden | $29,435 | $109,118 | 270.7% |
| Kenneth G. Kinlaw | $108,961 | $106,034 | -2.7% |
| Greenwood Livestock, LLC | $0 | $100,536 | -- |
| Susan M. Melvin | $492,843 | $98,977 | -79.9% |
| William Barry Freedman | $186,902 | $96,970 | -48.1% |
| Singletary Farms, LLC | $109,513 | $96,371 | -12% |
| Swine Relief, LLC | $0 | $93,404 | -- |
| Bricklyn W Rooks | $0 | $92,290 | -- |
| Estelle Russ | $121,463 | $89,858 | -26% |
| Big Bird Farms, LLC | $0 | $88,784 | -- |
| La Blanc Vineyard | $108,944 | $82,229 | -24.5% |
| Shannon Joe Ward | $130,815 | $80,635 | -38.4% |
| Barnes Food Company | $0 | $78,094 | -- |
| Steven C. Smith | $59,946 | $75,904 | 26.6% |
| William Mark Stanaland | $132,476 | $73,722 | -44.4% |
| Son Rise Farms, LLC | $239,602 | $73,699 | -69.2% |
| R W Skinner, LLC | $59,971 | $72,631 | 21.1% |
| William Ray Storms | $103,986 | $71,793 | -31% |
| Scott Edwards | $40,844 | $71,033 | 73.9% |
| Steven H. Dunham | $94,317 | $66,510 | -29.5% |
| Donnie Wayne Dowless | $0 | $66,295 | -- |
| Ham Right Farms, LLC | $0 | $65,753 | -- |
| Brown Marsh Farms, LLC | $0 | $64,561 | -- |
| Wade Stanaland | $332,409 | $63,760 | -80.8% |
| John David Edwards | $36,837 | $63,673 | 72.9% |
| Norman Derrick Russ | $42,553 | $54,994 | 29.2% |
| W & S Farms, Inc. | $79,699 | $53,349 | -33.1% |
| Premier Timber Harvesting, LLC | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| H&M Quality Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Merritt Logging & Chipping Company, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Southland Logging, Inc. | $0 | $52,875 | -- |
| Edgar Jay Fields | $0 | $52,429 | -- |
| Herbert Colon Roberts IV | $8,734 | $51,317 | 487.6% |
| Oran Wade Young | $95,289 | $49,994 | -47.5% |
| Douglas Bryan Roberts | $36,727 | $49,939 | 36% |
| Murrie Wayne Long | $13,091 | $49,838 | 280.7% |
| Kasey Wicker Twisted Timber Company | $0 | $48,504 | -- |
| Ernie Freeman | $90,282 | $48,503 | -46.3% |
| Alex N. Jordan | $84,560 | $48,069 | -43.2% |
| Melvin Swine Production, LLC | $0 | $44,434 | -- |
| Paul Glenn Harrelson | $54,521 | $43,908 | -19.5% |
| Barry D. Billups | $0 | $43,843 | -- |
| Victor Darrell Russ | $63,855 | $41,823 | -34.5% |
| Edward R. Hester | $91,177 | $40,692 | -55.4% |
| George D. Harrelson | $58,819 | $40,323 | -31.4% |
| Shane Harrelson | $55,445 | $39,867 | -28.1% |
| Harold J. Pait | $29,334 | $38,826 | 32.4% |
| Jonathan Coleman Hester | $7,565 | $37,518 | 395.9% |
| Murphy Smith | $90,616 | $37,505 | -58.6% |
| MBJ Farms, LLC | $0 | $36,034 | -- |
| Nelson Davis Blueberry Farm, Inc. | $133,897 | $35,864 | -73.2% |
| John Herbert Cox | $96,786 | $35,097 | -63.7% |
| Cindy Pait | $4,328 | $35,038 | 709.6% |
| John Moore Lennon II | $32,338 | $34,633 | 7.1% |
| David Ellis Jordan | $63,719 | $33,618 | -47.2% |
| Clarkton Grain Company, Inc. | $100,400 | $33,092 | -67% |
| Terry Spaulding | $49,558 | $32,935 | -33.5% |
| Big C's Farms, LLC | $0 | $32,280 | -- |
| Quality Farms | $0 | $32,005 | -- |
| R H Jessup Swine Farm, Inc. | $0 | $31,425 | -- |
| Hen Haven Farm, Inc. | $0 | $31,120 | -- |
| Jordans Farms | $55,241 | $30,388 | -45% |
| William Dale Brisson | $42,746 | $30,153 | -29.5% |
| Murdock M. Butler III | $33,227 | $30,141 | -9.3% |
| Nelson Brisson Jr. | $42,584 | $30,060 | -29.4% |
| Joyce M. Walters | $37,204 | $29,601 | -20.4% |
| John W. Peterson Jr. | $0 | $28,765 | -- |
| Stanley Craig Campbell | $53,480 | $28,706 | -46.3% |
| Stewart Ryan Young | $38,642 | $28,629 | -25.9% |
| Melvin Bros Farms, LLC | $0 | $28,445 | -- |
| Robert Joshua Vendrick | $43,523 | $28,398 | -34.8% |
| Mark Kinlaw | $37,710 | $27,530 | -27% |
| Joseph M. Hayes | $64,760 | $26,458 | -59.1% |
| Christopher L. Tatum | $31,841 | $26,454 | -16.9% |
| Ronnie Earl Skinner | $43,202 | $26,055 | -39.7% |
| Kendal Kinlaw | $40,114 | $25,472 | -36.5% |
| Kenneth Neil Moore Jr. | $0 | $25,332 | -- |
| A J Bordeaux Trucking, LLC | $0 | $24,700 | -- |
| W Shoul Singletary | $22,430 | $22,621 | 0.9% |
| Channing R. Gooden | $6,234 | $21,640 | 247.1% |
| Travis L. Sellers | $0 | $21,496 | -- |
| Robert S. Hester | $6,177 | $21,468 | 247.5% |
| Big Time Farms, LLC | $0 | $21,404 | -- |
| Israel Lee Cromartie | $29,112 | $21,234 | -27.1% |
| Travis G. Walters | $24,023 | $20,023 | -16.7% |
| Herschel S. Edge | $53,832 | $19,582 | -63.6% |
| Jordan Cotton Company, LLC | $39,575 | $19,577 | -50.5% |
| Russ Boys Farms | $0 | $19,007 | -- |
| Leroy Adams | $1,514 | $18,773 | 1,140% |
| Thrifty Hog, LLC | $0 | $18,649 | -- |
| Ben Brisson | $22,423 | $18,459 | -17.7% |
| White Lake Blueberry Farm, LLC | $43,642 | $17,381 | -60.2% |
| K & L Farm, LLC | $0 | $16,716 | -- |
| George Broughton Hall III | $22,002 | $16,413 | -25.4% |
| Timothy W. Walters | $16,475 | $16,296 | -1.1% |
| Steven W. Tatum | $22,839 | $15,894 | -30.4% |
| James Mark Britt | $23,489 | $14,935 | -36.4% |
| Allen Brothers Plantation, Inc. | $19,157 | $14,803 | -22.7% |
| Tanner C. Singletary | $6,692 | $14,607 | 118.3% |
| Curtis Montgomery | $0 | $14,561 | -- |
| Joseph Dawson Singletary | $32,137 | $14,446 | -55% |
| Roderick H. Morris Jr. | $9,817 | $13,314 | 35.6% |
| Mary S. Edge | $42,712 | $11,770 | -72.4% |
| Paul Skinner Farms, LLC | $11,252 | $11,505 | 2.2% |
| Richard Shaw | $0 | $10,797 | -- |
| Kendrick Eason Farms, LLC | $0 | $9,873 | -- |
| Ashley B. Harrelson | $3,765 | $9,578 | 154.4% |
| Michael Bennett Russ | $8,330 | $9,335 | 12.1% |
| Edwards Farms, Inc. | $2,245 | $9,299 | 314.2% |
| Donnie Dale Norris | $10,285 | $9,082 | -11.7% |
| Upland Southeast, LLC | $9,291 | $8,880 | -4.4% |
| Alvin W. Walters | $12,750 | $8,867 | -30.5% |
| Jrock Farms, LLC | $0 | $8,706 | -- |
| Edward S. Miller | $20,846 | $8,529 | -59.1% |
| Gary M. Brisson | $5,693 | $8,408 | 47.7% |
| Chris Hester | $105,105 | $8,194 | -92.2% |
| Edward Ross Lewis | $0 | $8,119 | -- |
| L H Mote Fruit Farms, Inc. | $25,460 | $8,023 | -68.5% |
| Ethan Alex Jordan | $9,705 | $8,019 | -17.4% |
| Elroy Sasser | $11,508 | $7,980 | -30.7% |
| Walter T. Gillespie Jr. | $0 | $7,140 | -- |
| Fredrick Jay Burney | $13,948 | $7,121 | -48.9% |
| Edward E. Bryan Jr. | $8,999 | $6,442 | -28.4% |
| Nicken Farms, LLC | $0 | $5,678 | -- |
| Howard H. Rainey III | $8,555 | $5,233 | -38.8% |
| Boyce Lennon Jr. | $3,916 | $5,169 | 32% |
| Matthew B. Edwards | $5,732 | $4,919 | -14.2% |
| Riley S. Evans Jr. | $4,635 | $4,635 | 0% |
| Jeffrey Scott Beard | $9,181 | $4,564 | -50.3% |
| William Alexander Clark | $5,544 | $4,564 | -17.7% |
| James D. Wright | $23,546 | $4,437 | -81.2% |
| Ronald Taylor | $6,918 | $4,018 | -41.9% |
| Delois Ann MCK Wright | $5,860 | $3,775 | -35.6% |
| Joseph Landon Bordeaux | $4,081 | $3,759 | -7.9% |
| Hot Dog Farms, LLC | $0 | $3,635 | -- |
| Garrett Brisson | $1,530 | $3,574 | 133.6% |
| Hester Farms, Inc. | $12,025 | $3,433 | -71.5% |
| Patricia M. Squires | $18,260 | $3,222 | -82.4% |
| Steven T. Russ | $3,297 | $2,961 | -10.2% |
| Alicia L. Lanier | $0 | $2,957 | -- |
| William Mcallister Council | $2,836 | $2,836 | 0% |
| Raymond J. Irvine | $7,668 | $2,798 | -63.5% |
| Clyde A. Bordeaux | $3,153 | $2,762 | -12.4% |
| Singletary Farm, LLC | $0 | $2,503 | -- |
| Larry Michael Britt | $1,671 | $2,486 | 48.8% |
| Candice N. Wright | $0 | $2,471 | -- |
| John D. Taylor | $1,124 | $2,374 | 111.2% |
| Andrea J. Carroll | $14,568 | $2,347 | -83.9% |
| Isaac B. Singletary | $7,519 | $2,297 | -69.5% |
| Patricia B. Suggs | $2,297 | $2,297 | 0% |
| Taylor Family Farms, Inc. | $3,575 | $2,200 | -38.5% |
| William Ervin Burney | $2,259 | $2,083 | -7.8% |
| Bruce C. Atkins | $2,022 | $2,022 | 0% |
| Tracy J. Taylor | $68 | $2,021 | 2,872.1% |
| Linwood Moore | $3,632 | $2,014 | -44.5% |
| Leslie W. Johnson Jr. | $4,101 | $1,957 | -52.3% |
| Daniel A. Malpass | $19,029 | $1,918 | -89.9% |
| Wendell Garner | $2,135 | $1,917 | -10.2% |
| David Ellis Spaulding | $1,865 | $1,865 | 0% |
| Wilfred T. Cromartie | $6,557 | $1,727 | -73.7% |
| Steven C. Fields | $1,702 | $1,702 | 0% |
| Mr. Willie L. Beard | $0 | $1,650 | -- |
| Norris Farms Incorporated | $4,402 | $1,594 | -63.8% |
| Charles W. Gillespie | $1,768 | $1,472 | -16.7% |
| Raymond C. Marlowe II | $3,454 | $1,288 | -62.7% |
| William A. Jackson | $1,758 | $1,280 | -27.2% |
| William Alexander Hair | $972 | $1,268 | 30.5% |
| Jerry Freeman | $1,247 | $1,247 | 0% |
| Roosevelt Robinson | $0 | $1,156 | -- |
| Lynda Porter King | $2,657 | $1,133 | -57.4% |
| Dale Thomas Taylor | $2,032 | $1,016 | -50% |
| Mark H. Allen Jr. | $243 | $996 | 309.9% |
| Kenneth Edgar Inman | $4,990 | $944 | -81.1% |
| Sylvia J. Garner | $1,002 | $932 | -7% |
| J. D. Melvin | $986 | $927 | -6% |
| Stella Batton | $972 | $914 | -6% |
| Clarkton Cotton Company | $33,587 | $900 | -97.3% |
| Stephen Edison Dowless Jr. | $5,591 | $876 | -84.3% |
| Emily Marie Averitte Cash | $864 | $864 | 0% |
| Robert Evans | $844 | $844 | 0% |
| Elaine H. Potter | $1,303 | $840 | -35.5% |
| Alford Ronald Daniel | $963 | $808 | -16.1% |
| Hubert M. Davis | $1,192 | $801 | -32.8% |
| Clayton Dowless | $1,566 | $782 | -50.1% |
| Patricia James Averitte Council | $384 | $780 | 103.1% |
| Ruth Rogers | $3,590 | $765 | -78.7% |
| James S. Mize | $5,394 | $738 | -86.3% |
| Franklin Adams | $0 | $734 | -- |
| Lorraine E. Bass | $2,087 | $724 | -65.3% |
| M. K. Dennis Jr. | $744 | $699 | -6% |
| Cedric Pernell Bryant | $2,929 | $603 | -79.4% |
| Fredrick H. Burney | $1,914 | $601 | -68.6% |
| W. R. Livingston Jr. | $884 | $554 | -37.3% |
| Kaleb Sargent | $1,122 | $552 | -50.8% |
| Timothy W. Ransom | $535 | $535 | 0% |
| W and W Farms | $1,122 | $509 | -54.6% |
| Mavis Singletary | $509 | $509 | 0% |
| Jane H. Ross | $449 | $449 | 0% |
| Leroy Hester | $1,386 | $358 | -74.2% |
| Joseph Stephen Britt | $371 | $345 | -7% |
| Mark Garner | $1,122 | $336 | -70.1% |
| Norman Leroy Tatum | $697 | $305 | -56.2% |
| Jeromy Keith Singletary | $2,588 | $304 | -88.3% |
| Joyce P. Burney | $462 | $276 | -40.3% |
| Andrew M. Pait | $700 | $255 | -63.6% |
| Albert Roy Shaw | $411 | $255 | -38% |
| Dixie Harris | $228 | $228 | 0% |
| Isaac M. Hester | $279 | $200 | -28.3% |
| Ronald J. Allen | $18,361 | $186 | -99% |
| Arnold Lee Bryan | $357 | $172 | -51.8% |
| Lawrence Stephen Alley II | $517 | $156 | -69.8% |
| Mitchell D. Bordeaux | $860 | $128 | -85.1% |
| Dorothy Thomas Brown | $129 | $98 | -24% |
| Deanna P. Tatum | $1,489 | $6 | -99.6% |
| Bernard Bass | $1,297 | $0 | -100% |
| Bobby R. Lennon | $1,124 | $0 | -100% |
| Craig Walters | $630 | $0 | -100% |
| Gloria G. Griffin | $225 | $0 | -100% |
| Horace Ronnie Hester | $4,785 | $0 | -100% |
| Jerry L. Tatum | $578 | $0 | -100% |
| Joel Guyton | $1,298 | $0 | -100% |
| Joyce Walters | $18 | $0 | -100% |
| Michael Burney | $390 | $0 | -100% |
| Mr. Joel Ivan Guyton | $7,588 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronnie McLean | $165 | $0 | -100% |
| Ross A. Lennon | $1,845 | $0 | -100% |
| Thomas E. Hales | $1,483 | $0 | -100% |
| William B. Leggett | $366,857 | $0 | -100% |
| Librado Calles Tello | $287 | $0 | -100% |
| Pearl Freedman | $65,507 | $0 | -100% |
| Travis L. Sellers | $27,341 | $0 | -100% |
| Whitehall Vineyards, Inc. | $28,565 | $0 | -100% |
| Alan Keith Kinlaw | $1,485 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles D. Hilton | $746 | $0 | -100% |
| Daniel M. Clark | $4,160 | $0 | -100% |
| David Ray Allen | $5,787 | $0 | -100% |
| Dennis C. Mize | $440 | $0 | -100% |
| Elton Russ | $1,402 | $0 | -100% |
| Everett W. Campbell | $2,205 | $0 | -100% |
| Farm Service Agency/Commodity CRE | $9,789 | $0 | -100% |
| Kory Hair | $1,632 | $0 | -100% |
| Laura Peterson | $24,353 | $0 | -100% |
| Lu Mil Vineyard, Inc. | $18,721 | $0 | -100% |
| Mona H. Clark | $1,079 | $0 | -100% |
| Nathan Tatum | $4,871 | $0 | -100% |
| Ralph C. Carter Jr. | $189,468 | $0 | -100% |
| Ronald W. Huggins | $992 | $0 | -100% |
| Savanna Tatum | $4,871 | $0 | -100% |
| Seth Alexander Hair | $1,320 | $0 | -100% |
| Walter C. McDuffie | $2,468 | $0 | -100% |
| Charles M. Russ Jr. | $8,860 | $0 | -100% |
| Dean Robinson | $7,203 | $0 | -100% |
| Jack Singletary III | $11,728 | $0 | -100% |
| James L. Allen Jr. | $288 | $0 | -100% |
| Chester S. Barnhill | $11,398 | $0 | -100% |
| James Russell | $3,905 | $0 | -100% |
| James W. Russell | $10,394 | $0 | -100% |
| Total subsidies | $8,858,075 | $7,195,249 | -18.8% |
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