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.”

Click here to read more.

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.

Today, the House of Representatives soundly defeated an amendment by a vote of 380-34 that would have devastated federal crop insurance and other critical components of the farm safety net. CIRB would like to thank those who voted to protect crop insurance in the farm bill.

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This week 418 local, state and national organizations and individual companies signed on to a petition urging Congress to do no harm to the crop insurance program in the farm bill. This includes broad support from across the country, from Hawaii to Maine, representing everyone from farmers to lenders to conservation organizations to agricultural input providers. This petition was sent to the House of Representatives, as H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, heads to the House floor for a vote this week.

Click here to read more.

Approximately 65 organizations of the crop insurance coalition sent a letter to Members of Congress. The group asked Members to oppose harmful amendments to crop insurance specifically those that would reduce participation in crop insurance, make insurance more expensive for farmers during a time of economic downturn in agriculture, or harm private-sector delivery. “Given the importance of crop insurance, the undersigned organizations urge you to support America’s farmers, ranchers, rural economies and national security by opposing amendments that would harm crop insurance.” the letter explains. Click here to read the full letter.

Please contact CIRB Federal Affairs Vice President Tara Smith at tsmith@torreydc.com  with any questions about the letter or the crop insurance coalition.

The House Agriculture Committee introduced the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, otherwise known as the farm bill. Click here to read a joint statement from six crop insurance industry organizations in response to the draft bill.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released President Trump’s FY 2019 budget proposal which includes $26 billion in cuts to crop insurance over ten years. Click here to read a joint statement from six crop insurance industry organizations in response to the proposal.

More than 135 crop insurance leaders gathered for the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau’s 2018 Annual Meeting, which ended Friday in Scottsdale, AZ. During the program, expert speakers provided a glimpse ahead at the upcoming farm bill debate.

“It is going to take everyone who cares about crop insurance working together for us to succeed in protecting the program during the 2018 Farm Bill,” said current CIRB Chair Ron Rutledge of Farmers Mutual Hail.

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CIRB announced that seven industry professionals will participate in the 2017-2018 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 crop insurance.

“Now in its third year, there is no equivalent to CIRB’s Emerging Leaders Program. It provides a unique opportunity to gain real-world advocacy experience and learn about the challenges and opportunities facing federal crop insurance,” said Ron Rutledge, Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Chairman. “Our future leaders also build relationships with influencers across the industry and from other trade associations, federal agencies and Members of Congress.”

The 2017-2018 CIRB Emerging Leaders Program class includes:
Sheila Backer, Farmers Mutual Hail, Joshua Bright, ARMtech, Brad Clow, COUNTRY Financial, Chad Groen, Farmers Mutual Hail, Heather Horne, Rural Community Insurance Services, Justin Newman, ADM/Crop Risk Services, Daniel Potts, Crop Risk Services

Click here to read more.

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing titled “Commodities, Credit, and Crop Insurance: Perspectives on Risk Management Tools and Trends for the 2018 Farm Bill.” Ron Rutledge, President and CEO of Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa (FMH), provided testimony showcasing the vital role that federal crop insurance plays for America’s farmers and the rural economy.

“Crop insurance provides farmers, ranchers, and their lenders with certainty that ad hoc disaster assistance cannot provide,” Rutledge said. “It provides assistance in a timely manner when disaster strikes. And importantly, farmers are always expected to pay for the protection of crop insurance, unlike ad hoc disaster assistance which is fully-funded by taxpayers.”

Click here to watch a video archive of the hearing, including testimony from 16 other agriculture stakeholders including many who turn to crop insurance during times of natural disaster. Click here to read the full press release.

The White House today released details of its FY2018 proposed budget, which included steep cuts to crop insurance and other farm policies. Click here for the joint statement made by the 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 in response.

Please contact CIRB Federal Affairs Vice President Tara Smith at tsmith@torreydc.com with any questions.

A group of 60 national farm, lending, ag input, conservation, and crop insurance and reinsurance organizations, led by the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau, sent a letter to the Administration and key lawmakers opposing cuts to crop insurance during the upcoming budget and appropriations processes and in the 2018 Farm Bill.

Click here for letter to the House and Senate Budget Committees

Click here for letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committees

Click here for letter to USDA Secretary-Designate Sonny Perdue

Click here for letter to OMB Director Mick Mulvaney 

“All told, the 2014 Farm Bill is a careful balance of priorities and should not be reopened before its expiration in 2018 to achieve additional budget savings. Moreover, even in the 2018 Farm Bill, cuts to crop insurance during this difficult time for rural America should be avoided. Farmers and lawmakers agree that crop insurance is a linchpin of the farm safety net and is crucial to the economic security of rural America,” 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.