Keeping Crop Insurance Strong

As lawmakers place farm policy under the microscope again, they should consider 12 essential strengths that make crop insurance the linchpin of the farm safety net programs. In this on-going series, we’ll introduce one strength of crop insurance per month and explain how the sum of these strengths has given us the successful program we have today.

Strength: Producers receive an individualized risk management solution.

Crop insurance is specifically tailored to each individual policy holder, covering the expected yield and revenue risk of each individual producer. The producer is free to select alternative levels of coverage, based on their historic or projected yield. Different rules govern new lands brought into a coverage plan or covering “risky” land. In addition, the producer may also receive coverage for prevented planting, planting losses and lower quality yields.

Crop insurance is an excellent tool for producers who want individual protection specifically matched with the risks they face and the character of their operation. In general, other safety net programs are structured to be the same, across the board, because of easier delivery and wider application. Unfortunately, with the one-size-fits all approach, payments received by producers may not adequately reflect the full degree of damage to their crops.