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.