Throughout the year, CIRB will spotlight members of the 2018-19 Emerging Leaders Program and share about their experience in the program.
Blog
WASHINGTON (March 11, 2019)–The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released President Trump’s FY 2020 budget proposal which includes significant cuts to crop insurance. The cuts this year total $25.83 billion over 10 years. Click here to read a joint statement from the six crop insurance industry organizations in response to the proposal.
This is only the fourth ELP class for CIRB and the program is already paying dividends to the organization and the industry, as well as the more than 30 participants. Previous ELP participants have become active recruiters for the program which is designed to help professionals in the crop insurance industry increase their knowledge and hands-on experience with key issues.’
Listen to interviews with some of the participants of this year’s class:
Interview with Cole Patrick, COUNTRY Financial
Interview with Ryan Kramer, Farmers Mutual Hail
Interview with Amy Zeik, Rural Community Insurance Services
Interview with Bryce Benson, American Farm Bureau Insurance Services
Throughout the year, CIRB will spotlight members of the 2018-19 Emerging Leaders Program and share about their experience in the program.
Throughout the year, CIRB will spotlight members of the 2018-19 Emerging Leaders Program and share about their experience in the program.
John Haldy
Assistant Vice President, Guy Carpenter
WASHINGTON (February 19, 2019)– A group of around 60 national farm, lending, ag input, conservation, and crop insurance and reinsurance organizations, led by the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB), sent letters to the Administration and key lawmakers opposing cuts to crop insurance during the upcoming budget process.
- Click here for letter to the House and Senate Budget Committees
- Click here for letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue
“USDA has projected that 2018 farm profitability will be the lowest in over a decade, and farm income dropped more than 45% in five years. An overreliance on budget savings from the agriculture community and from crop insurance more specifically will undermine rural economies. It’s also important to note that in a time of uncertainty in the farming and ranching community – from natural disasters to trade wars to government shutdowns – the public-private partnership that is crop insurance has been a consistent and reliable risk management tool. The certainty of federal crop insurance also offers lenders the assurances they need to continue to provide capital to America’s hard-working farmers and ranchers,” the letters explain.
Please contact CIRB Federal Affairs Vice President Tara Smith at tsmith@torreydc.com with any questions about the letters or the Crop Insurance Coalition.
Throughout the year, CIRB will spotlight members of the 2018-19 Emerging Leaders Program and share about their experience in the program.
WASHINGTON (December 20, 2018)—President Donald Trump today officially signed the 2018 Farm Bill, making the five-year bill a law.
The American Association of Crop Insurers, Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau, Crop Insurance Professionals Association, Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, and National Crop Insurance Services issued the following joint statement in response:
It’s been a difficult year for farmers and ranchers from coast to coast, but rural America is ending 2018 on a high note with this farm bill. The new law keeps crop insurance affordable and widely available for agriculture, and it provides much-needed certainty heading into 2019.
President Trump and Secretary Sonny Perdue have been vocal supporters of agriculture, and they helped deliver in a big way for farmers and ranchers with this new law. Likewise, congressional leaders from both parties should be commended for their dedication in passing a bipartisan bill that provides the tools farmers need to manage their unique risks.
Senators Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Congressmen Mike Conaway (R-TX) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) worked tirelessly throughout this farm bill process to make U.S. agriculture stronger. On behalf of the entire crop insurance industry and the customers we serve, thank you.
Crop insurance, which is delivered by the private sector, has become a key component of U.S. farm policy. Each year, farmers spend between $3.5 and $4 billion to purchase protection on the crops they grow, ensuring taxpayers are not shouldering all the risk. When disaster strikes, insurance aid is distributed quickly to help farmers pick up the pieces and plant again.
This year, 1.1 million crop insurance policies provided $106 billion in protection on more than 130 types of crops covering 311 million acres.
Efforts by farm policy critics to weaken agriculture’s primary risk management tool were soundly rejected by lawmakers, who heeded farmers’ advice to “do no harm to crop insurance.”
The below statement was issued by the American Association of Crop Insurers (AACI), the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB), the Crop Insurance Professionals Association (CIPA), the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA), the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA), and the National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) following the release of the farm bill conference report:
“Farmers and ranchers have seen their fair share of challenges in 2018 – from hurricanes, drought and wildfires to depressed commodity prices. The farm bill conference committee took a huge step today in helping rural America cope with these challenges by releasing a bipartisan package. We urge Congress to pass the Farm Bill immediately.
The 2018 Farm Bill maintains a strong crop insurance system because lawmakers knew that agriculture’s top risk management tool would be needed during these difficult times. They ensured that private-sector crop insurance would remain affordable and widely available for producers despite attempts by opponents of crop insurance to weaken this critical component of the farm safety net.
We applaud the leaders and members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, and the farm bill conferees, for crafting a comprehensive piece of legislation that has earned the backing of the agricultural community. We also thank our customers, who told lawmakers from Day 1 that protecting crop insurance was a top priority throughout this process.
Once Congress passes the new farm bill, we ask that the president quickly sign it into law, so America’s farmers and ranchers will have some certainty heading into the new year.”
Throughout the year, CIRB will spotlight members of the 2018-19 Emerging Leaders Program and share about their experience in the program.
Marketing Representative, ARMtech Insurance Services
Claims Supervisor, American Farm Bureau Insurance Service
Benson lives in Alva, Oklahoma and oversees claims in seven states. He and his wife, Sherrie, have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and one grandchild. Follow him on twitter @brycebenson915.
The Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) named 10 industry professionals to its 2018-2019 Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) class. The program increases participants’ knowledge of key policy issues and prepares them with the skills they need to be effective advocates for the crop insurance industry. All participants are employees of CIRB’s growing membership, which includes both crop insurance and reinsurance companies.
“The Emerging Leaders Program is an established curriculum that provides a great experience for professionals to learn how to tackle the challenges and opportunities facing federal crop insurance,” said Ron Rutledge, Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Chairman. “CIRB has been leading the way with its advocacy and communications efforts in Washington, D.C. and it is essential to educate our rising leaders on best practices for the future.”
The 2018-2019 CIRB Emerging Leaders Program class includes: Chelsea Abrahamson, Farm Bureau Financial Services, Bryce Benson, American Farm Bureau Insurance Services, Kevin Boeckenstedt, Crop Risk Services, RJ Brinkmeyer, Farmers Mutual Hail, John Haldy, Guy Carpenter, Bret Keeler, ARMtech, Tracy Klever, Farmers Mutual Hail, Ryan Kramer, Farmers Mutual Hail, Cole Patrick, COUNTRY Financial, Amy Zeik, Rural Community Insurance Services.
Washington, D.C.- Today, the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) named 10 industry professionals to its 2018-2019 Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) class. The program increases participants’ knowledge of key policy issues and prepares them with the skills they need to be effective advocates for the crop insurance industry. All participants are employees of CIRB’s growing membership, which includes both crop insurance and reinsurance companies.
The Senate farm bill was approved by a vote of 86-11. Notably, there were no votes on harmful crop insurance amendments, including Durbin-Grassley Amendment #3103, which would have imposed an AGI limit on crop insurance. Click here to read a joint statement from six crop insurance industry organizations in response.
This week, CIRB’s work building the weekly #ProtectCropInsurance social media campaign was honored at the annual Agricultural Relations Council “Golden ARC” Awards. The campaign received first place in the social media tactic category. The #ProtectCropInsurance effort provides turnkey content for crop insurance allies to customize and share on social media. In 2017, CIRB created a total of 39 weekly toolkits that were shared with CIRB members and coalition partners, with a potential reach to 440,000+ Twitter users. The campaign to protect crop insurance in the farm bill continues – please contact Kerry Lynch to receive future toolkits.
The Senate Agriculture Committee introduced the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, other wise known as the farm bill. Click here to read a joint statement from six crop insurance industry organizations in response.