Farmers Emphasize to Congress Importance of Crop Insurance
Farmers from across the country testified last week before a House Agriculture Subcommittee hearing examining the efficacy of the farm safety net. While each grower had a unique story to share, a common thread quickly became clear: America’s farmers depend on the Federal crop insurance program. Read in their own words what crop insurance means […]
Celebrating the Incredible Women of Crop Insurance
Last week, as we celebrated Women in History Month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hosted a special conversation to honor the women who work in the crop insurance industry. Kendall Jones, chair of the National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) and president and CEO of ProAg, and crop insurance agents and industry leaders Iris Sáenz […]
Crop Insurance Basics: Available to All
In the everyday insurance world, coverage may sometimes be hard to come by. That can be true if you’ve had a disaster – such as a fire in your home – or live in an area at high risk for disaster. Car insurance coverage may be more expensive or even denied if you are a […]
Crop Insurance Basics: Actuarially Sound
Unless you’re an economist, an insurance guru, or a pension fund manager, chances are good you’re not overly familiar with the term actuarial soundness. In short, it’s a fancy way of saying “the math must work.” For example, an actuarially sound pension fund will have enough money in the bank to meet future obligations. If […]
Crop Insurance an Essential Part of Farmers’ Hurricane Preparedness Kits
June 1 marked the beginning of hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean and its already off to a roaring start. One month in and three named storms have already affected the United States – two of those storms formed before the season even officially began. Most recently, Tropical Storm Cristobal made landfall in Louisiana, and […]
Crop Insurance Backs Farmers During Unprecedented Uncertainty
Crop insurance has been there for rural America through the many uncertainties that farmers and ranchers face every single day. It’s helped agricultural producers survive droughts, tornados, blizzards, floods, low prices, prevented plantings and even volcanos. Still, over the past few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new and unprecedented challenges as farmers navigate supply […]
Farm Bureau Compares Crop Insurance to Ad Hoc Disaster
As Congress continues preparation for the 2018 Farm Bill, rural America continues to voice its support for maintaining a strong crop insurance system. One of the loudest voices in that chorus belongs to the country’s largest farm organization, the American Farm Bureau Federation. An active member of the crop insurance coalition, Farm Bureau is working […]
Former RMA Administrator Opines on Crop Insurance Critics
Kenneth Ackerman, a former Administrator of the USDA’s Risk Management Agency, recently published an article entitled Top Priority for the 2018 Farm Bill: Protect Federal Crop Insurance. We thought the piece summed up the current political debate surrounding crop insurance well, and wanted to share it more broadly. Ackerman, who currently works at OFW Law, […]
Farm Credit Services Report Touts Crop Insurance
Crop insurance saved nearly 21,000 jobs in four states during one of the worst droughts in two decades, according to a report from Farm Credit Services of America. The 20-page paper breaks down the history of the crop insurance program from the start in 1930s, with the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, to expansions in […]
ICYMI: Maine farmers know crop diversity is key to success. Our farm policies should reflect that
Bangor Daily News December 13, 2016 “Diversify, diversify, diversify.” This is the mantra of most financial advisors—a popular approach to protect investors in the face of volatile market swings. The same strategy also has served agriculture—another unpredictable market-quite well. Here in Maine, we have established one of the most diverse agriculture “portfolios” in the nation. […]
