{"id":9298,"date":"2017-11-29T14:20:17","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T20:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/72.52.184.4\/~cropinsuranceina\/?p=9298"},"modified":"2017-11-29T14:20:17","modified_gmt":"2017-11-29T20:20:17","slug":"dont-mess-crop-insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iripreviewsite.com\/cropinsuranceinamerica\/dont-mess-crop-insurance\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Don\u2019t Mess with Crop Insurance\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Don\u2019t mess with crop insurance.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The phrase has become a battle cry among farmers in the Midwest, especially as legislators headed out for listening sessions and town halls ahead of the next farm bill.<\/em><\/p>\n

And so far, legislators are hearing the message.<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the opening of a recent Farm Futures<\/a> article about crop insurance.<\/p>\n

The piece points out that crop insurance has become the most popular safety net for farmers because it replaces the costly emergency disaster relief bills of the past. Back then, when a storm destroyed crops, farmers had to ask Congress for help. The system was expensive for taxpayers and inefficient for farmers because of slow government payments.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s modern crop insurance \u2013 where farmers design their own policies, pay premiums, shoulder deductibles and only receive indemnities after losses are verified by trained adjusters \u2013 is easier to manage and more accountable. And, since farmers are paying into it, taxpayers aren\u2019t left shouldering all of the cost when disaster strikes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no wonder, as the article notes, that 83 percent of farmers in a recent survey said crop insurance was a very important part of their risk management plans.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, 75 percent also said they were worried that the next farm bill won\u2019t provide an adequate safety net, showing the angst in farm country over low commodity prices and increasing weather unpredictability.<\/p>\n

Amazingly, some lawmakers are looking to weaken crop insurance and leave farmers even more vulnerable.\u00a0 Art Barnaby of Kansas State University detailed why that would be such a mistake in a follow-up Farm Futures article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Among the consequences, he found, of making crop insurance less affordable and less available:<\/p>\n