Agricultural leaders from more than 30 nations are in America this week to discuss the challenge of feeding a growing world population and how crop insurance can help farmers rise to the task. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack was on hand to welcome the international delegation and provide his perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are few people in the world today who can say that their work touches every single person on the planet, every single day. But farmers can say that,\u201d the secretary observed today during his speech. \u201cFarmers are powerful, but their charge is not without its challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s farmer must deal with resource concerns and extreme weather, Vilsack explained, and crop insurance will be key to a farmer\u2019s ability to do so in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the wake of a devastating disaster, crop insurance offers a lifeline,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is one of the most important, reliable, and cost-effective parts of the safety net here in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crop insurance gives farmers \u201chope during tough times\u201d and \u201cthe gift of peace of mind,\u201d according to Vilsack, who also detailed policy advancements made to the U.S. crop insurance system in recent years to improve its availability and affordability.<\/p>\n
\u201cCrop insurance has expanded because it works for farmers and it works for our taxpayers,\u201d the secretary said of the public-private partnership, which is overseen by the USDA, serviced by private-sector insurance companies, and partially funded by farmers.<\/p>\n
The success of the U.S. system is one reason the International Association of Agricultural Production Insurers (AIAG) chose America as the site for its conference, marking the first time that the group has met outside of Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are here because the U.S. crop and revenue insurance program is the most developed and the most efficient system for farmers in the world,\u201d AIAG President Kurt Weinberger said during his opening remarks.<\/p>\n
Weinberger also noted that participants in this week\u2019s summit will be busy discussing how farmers can use new technologies, new insurance products, new government policies, and new farming practices to deal with climate change and market volatility. The outcome of those discussions will be vitally important.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgriculture was, agriculture is, and agriculture will be the most important sector in the world because farmers are feeding the world\u2019s population,\u201d he concluded. \u201cIt is the future for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Agricultural leaders from more than 30 nations are in America this week to discuss the challenge of feeding a growing world population and how crop insurance can help farmers rise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,1,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-headlines-and-media","category-news","category-press-releases"],"yoast_head":"\n