NCIS Unveils First in Series of Videos On Nuts and Bolts of Crop Insurance

(OVERLAND PARK, Kan.) — National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) today released a new educational video on crop insurance – what it is, how it works and why it has become the risk management tool of choice for America’s farmers. The video, titled “Crop Insurance 101,” is the first in a series that will be released over the next few months.

The video is being released as the Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled tomorrow to draft a Farm Bill. “Crop insurance is at the forefront of modern-day farm policy,” said Tom Zacharias, NCIS president. “For the vast majority of Americans who have very little to do with agriculture, this video could be their introduction to crop insurance,” he said.

Zacharias noted that it is important for the public to fully understand how the agricultural sector was able to bounce back from the most destructive weather year in modern history – with farmers receiving $10.6 billion in indemnities for the policies they had purchased – and are back in their fields this spring, planting food feed, fiber and fuel crops for consumers across the country.

In the first video, Zacharias explains that crop insurance has evolved as a way to limit taxpayer risk exposure by shifting it to private business. Other videos detailing the importance of crop insurance to agriculture and the role it has played in mitigating the long term damage to farmers and their livelihoods caused by natural disasters will be released in the future, complementing the existing video.

“Today’s popular crop insurance system has proven time and time again to be the most efficient way to deliver assistance to farmers quickly after a disaster to help them recover,” said Zacharias. “Best of all, the public-private partnership has been lauded from all major farm groups, elected officials, and most importantly, farmers themselves.”

To watch the new video, which only lasts a few minutes, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TixSJuOh6YM

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