Crop insurers say USDA’s proposed funding cuts to its crop-insurance program will cause their industry to downsize and shed jobs. USDA’s Risk Management Agency introduced a proposal in December for altering the agreement by which insurers deliver government-backed crop insurance. National Crop Insurance Services, an industry association, released its counter-proposal on Jan. 20, along with a critique of the cuts that RMA wants. “The industry is deeply concerned with RMA’s initial draft of the 2011 (Standard Reinsurance Agreement) and is proposing a number of changes to reduce the highly detrimental impacts of the RMA proposal,” the association said in a statement.