Crop insurance is essential to the success of farmers and the country because crop insurance supports American farmers, American families, and the American economy. And because crop insurance is so important, farmers have no problem expressing how much they need and rely on it.

“I want Congress to know that we have to have crop insurance,” said Delaware farmer Cory Atkins.

National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) recently spoke with Corey and other farmers along the East Coast to hear more about how and why crop insurance is so vital to farming operations. You can hear these farmers’ video stories, as well as video stories from ranchers and agents, by clicking on their names below.

“Crop insurance is the best protection we have and to me the cheapest because Congress pays a little bit of it and the USDA pays a little bit of it and the farmer pays a portion of it. It’s fair. It covers everybody. To me, it is the best tool we have for making sure that farmers are protected when they have problems.” William Layton, Maryland Farmer

“The feeling I get as an agent when I can see the farmer can breathe again…that they’ve chosen the right coverage to say, okay, I can get up, I can make this work, I can do another day.” Jules Hendrix, Crop Insurance Agent

“We buy crop insurance primarily as a safety net for the what if.” Mark Wilson, Delaware Farmer

“Crop insurance now allows the farmer to decide what kind of protection they want.” Roy Crow, Maryland Farmer

“We buy crop insurance so we can farm next year.” Larry Jester, Delaware Farmer

“If [farmers and ranchers] couldn’t afford to have crop insurance, they probably wouldn’t be able to afford to farm. And when that happens, then our food is coming from somewhere else that we have no control over.” Donna King, Crop Insurance Agent.