Agricultural Coalition Sends Letters Urging Federal Leaders to Protect Crop Insurance

With a new Administration taking control in Washington, D.C., and many new members joining Congress, it’s more important than ever to remind elected leaders the crucial role crop insurance plays in protecting farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

That’s why a group of 58 farming, banking, and conservation organizations sent letters last week to House and Senate budget and appropriations committees, as well as to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and leaders at the Office of Management and Budget, asking them to protect crop insurance and avoid any harmful budgetary reductions.

The letters, which arrived in the respective chambers just as leaders turn to the FY2022 budget, highlight the fact that the past several years have been incredibly challenging for farmers and ranchers because of drastic weather extremes, the disruption of international markets, the COVID-19 pandemic and numerous other unforeseen challenges.

“Even in good years, farmers need access to a strong and secure Federal crop insurance program,” the letter states. “The strength and predictability of the program is only more critical given uncertainty that characterizes the production agriculture sector. USDA and Congress have taken extraordinary ad hoc measures over the past three years to ensure the financial security of rural America.

“It would only serve to undercut these efforts to propose harmful changes to a crop insurance program that provides predictable, within-budget assistance to farmers in a way that helps lenders continue to support America’s farmers and ranchers. It is the certainty of the crop insurance program that provides critical reassurance to lenders.”

The letters, which were signed by groups ranging from the American Farm Bureau Federation to the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture to the National Farmers Union, close by asking lawmakers to continue supporting farmers’ most important risk management tool.