When you think of farming, you might first think of fields of corn sprawled across the Midwest. But America\u2019s farmers grow many different types of fruits and vegetables, requiring a crop insurance program that is as diverse as the crops it protects.<\/p>\n
Crop insurance is a customizable tool that allows America\u2019s farmers and ranchers to create a risk management plan tailored to their needs. That means growers can be covered:<\/p>\n
Crop insurance has become the cornerstone of the farm safety net and provides every farmer with access to an affordable risk management tool. A new report<\/a> from the Economic Research Service (ERS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that over the past two decades, the value of specialty crops protected by crop insurance has tripled. Total specialty crop liabilities have grown from $7 billion in 2000 to $21 billion in 2020. As ERS points out in their report, all farmers face risks, \u201cbut the nature of specialty crop production and marketing may heighten exposure to some of these risks.\u201d<\/p>\n Crop insurance has expanded and improved over time, particularly for specialty crops or growers not adequately served by other risk management tools. For example, the 2014 Farm Bill included a new policy specifically meant to expand coverage options for diversified farming operations: Whole-Farm Revenue Protection. The introduction of Whole-Farm Revenue Protection offers diversified farmers \u2013 such as fruit and vegetable growers, and organic growers \u2013 more flexible, affordable risk management options.<\/p>\n Brian Campbell is a diversified produce farmer<\/a> in Pennsylvania who credits crop insurance and the protection afforded by Whole-Farm Revenue Protection for his success. \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for whole farm revenue protection today, you know, I may not be at the size that I am,\u201d Brian told National Crop Insurance Services.<\/p>\n Across the country, Lupe Guzman in California<\/a> also relies on crop insurance to protect his family farming operation, which includes 1,300 acres of certified organic crops, such as avocados, lemons, mandarins, and Valencia oranges.<\/p>\n \u201cBy having the crop insurance, we\u2019re able to guarantee that if for some reason we do have a bad freeze, we\u2019ll be able to fall back on that insurance so that we can keep farming the following years,\u201d Lupe said.<\/p>\n Another organic grower, Michael Sahr in Michigan<\/a>, agrees that crop insurance is important to protecting his farm and our food supply. \u201cWithout crop insurance, we’d have so much devastation that the farmers would go out of business, and you would be paying a lot more money for your food,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could have a beautiful crop one day, and the next day, a big weather event happens, and you don\u2019t have that anymore,\u201d Michigan blueberry grower Shelly Hartmann<\/a> said. \u201cCrop insurance is really a big tool that we use here to help us offset any unexpected weather events.\u201d<\/p>\n An untimely freeze, for example, can destroy a crop of table grapes growing at the Kirschenmann Brothers Farming Company in California. \u201cCrop insurance gives us a little safety net,\u201d Kenneth Kirschenmann said<\/a>. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t solve all the problems if we had a 100 percent wipeout, but it does keep us in business.\u201d<\/p>\n