There is no better way to understand the value of crop insurance than to hear directly from the people who depend on it.
NCIS recently traveled through Central Illinois to visit with farmers and crop insurance professionals about the risks facing agriculture, the decisions they make every day, and the role crop insurance plays in helping them plan for the future.
Their stories are different, but they share a common theme: Crop insurance provides the confidence and stability needed to keep farming, invest in the future and pass opportunities on to the next generation.
Becky & Kyle Hanks: Magnolia, Illinois 
Fourth-generation farmers Becky and Kyle Hanks are raising corn, soybeans, livestock — and, they hope, the fifth generation on a family farm that dates to 1931. After a growing season that swung from planting in dust to 20 inches of June rain, they explain why crop insurance is one of the easiest business decisions they make and how it helps ensure their farm will be there for their son and nieces.
Doug Kirk: Georgetown, Illinois 
At Terra Plana Family Farms, Doug Kirk grows corn, soybeans and wheat — although he prefers to say they grow “tortilla chips.” Kirk discusses the unpredictability of farming and explains why crop insurance is much more than protection against a bad year. It is an important revenue-management tool that provides the certainty needed to make marketing decisions and build a strong foundation for the next generation.
Kelli Lyons: Catlin, Illinois 
Crop insurance agent Kelli Lyons has spent nearly 20 years helping farmers manage risk. She saw the program’s importance firsthand during the historic 2012 drought, when crop insurance helped young producers survive what might otherwise have ended their farming careers. Her advice to farmers is simple: Crop insurance lets you sleep at night and helps “protect the nest egg” they’ve worked so hard to build.
Blaine Hellman: Emden, Illinois 
Blaine Hellman from Emden, IL, sees crop insurance from both sides of the desk. He’s a fourth-generation farmer who works alongside his father and a crop insurance agent who helps other farmers protect their operations. Hellman says crop insurance protects against both weather and market volatility, provides a foundation for marketing decisions, and helps farmers withstand the kind of event that could otherwise jeopardize an operation’s future.
From unpredictable weather and volatile markets to rising production costs and the challenge of bringing the next generation back to the farm, America’s farmers face risks every day.
Crop insurance cannot eliminate those risks. But as these farmers and crop insurance professionals explain in their own words, it gives producers something equally important: the confidence to manage risks and keep moving forward.
Want to see more videos? Check out dozens of real stories from across the country on NCIS’s website.