Farm leaders reaffirm crop insurance as top priority in farm bill

Echoing the same message heard throughout the halls of Congress in 2012, a panel of farm leaders recently urged Congress to “do no harm” to crop insurance in the upcoming farm bill and to remember that crop insurance is a top priority for most of America’s farmers.

Robbie Minnich, senior government relations representative with the National Cotton Council, pointed out that one of the key strengths of crop insurance is that farmers and agents sit down and draw up a risk management strategy tailored specifically for that farm.

“Crop insurance policies come in a wide array of styles and coverage and the farmer can very closely tailor their policy to their specific farm situation and risk tolerance. It’s certainly not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy,” he said.

“It is critically important that farm policy includes avenues for farmers and ranchers to manage the risk of bad yields and wild market swings,” said Mike Stranz, a government relations representative with National Farmers Union. 

“The current system of crop insurance has done a good job of that and must to continue to improve,” he added. “Crop insurance helps ensure that the nation’s food, feed, fiber and fuel supply remains stable and affordable.”

Brooke Shupe, manager of government affairs for risk management for the National Association of Wheat Growers, noted that crop insurance is critical in wheat country, particularly given the ongoing drought. 

“Crop insurance is a critical risk management tool for wheat producers.  That’s why the vast majority of the nation’s wheat farmers purchase it every year,” she said.