The Senate Agriculture Committee recently held a series of hearings where agricultural leaders from across the country offered their perspectives on the farm safety net.

And one central theme has come up time and time again. Crop insurance is the cornerstone of modern-day farm policy and will be instrumental in rural America’s ability to weather the current economic storm.

In case you missed the three hearings held to date, here are some quotes that stood out to us:

 “Crop insurance is the cornerstone of the Farm Bill, and it needs to be continued. It is where farmers have skin in the game and pay for a premium, and the general public has skin in the game through substitute of the premium to make sure that our food system stays secure from one season to the next because of lower prices or because of natural disasters or whatever might be happening. It is the cornerstone.” – Zippy Duvall, President, American Farm Bureau Federation – Feb. 5 Hearing

“Crop insurance is a vital component that ensures the viability of my operation and is the first line of defense against natural disasters. We must work to make crop insurance more affordable as it plays the vital role in sustaining rural America.” – Keeff Felty (Altus, OK), President, National Association of Wheat Growers – Feb. 5 Hearing

 “While Title I is critical to provide assistance with market returns when market returns are below the cost of production, crop insurance is the cornerstone of tailored in-season risk management for our farmers.” – Amy France (Scott City, KS), Chair, National Sorghum Producers – Feb. 5 Hearing

“Crop insurance is the cornerstone of the farm safety net and one of the most important risk mitigation tools available to our farmers. We support the strongest possible crop insurance program, and we applaud the committee for exploring ways to enhance this vital tool to improve affordability and coverage.” – Tara Durbin, Chief Lending Officer, Agriculture, Farm Credit Mid-America – March 11 Hearing

“Crop insurance is the number one risk management tool in the belt for ag lenders. It is a tool that also puts the power back in the producer’s hands. They have the opportunity to look at different coverage levels and make those decisions about their operation. Not only on the risk management side, it also creates marketing opportunities for producers when it comes to marketing those crops proactively throughout the year.” – Caleb Hopkins, Loan Production Officer, First Dakota National Bank – March 11 Hearing

“Crop insurance basically gives me a sigh of relief that no matter what happens, I have someone that can … take care of the debt that I may have to face but also give me a starting point to be able to move forward.” – Sedrick Rowe Jr., Rowe Organic Farms – March 11 Hearing