Principles for an Effective Farm Safety Net
Crop insurance is the cornerstone of the farm safety net. But why is crop insurance such an effective tool for farmers to manage their risks and recover from crop losses?
Modern crop insurance brings together the efficiencies of a private-sector delivery system with the regulatory oversight and financial support of the government.
Following the farm crisis of the 1980s, a government report prepared for the House Agriculture Committee outlined several principles for an effective farm safety net. Since this report was published, the crop insurance industry and Congress have worked together to strengthen crop insurance and ensure the program meets these principles.
- Crop insurance provides timely financial assistance to help farmers withstand and recover from crop loss weather events. The public-private partnership between the Federal government and private crop insurers increases efficiency and ensures that aid is delivered quickly. Farmers receive help in just days or weeks.
- Crop insurance is consistently available to give farmers certainty for long-range planning. When farmers purchase a crop insurance policy, they and their bankers know that they can count on timely assistance should they need it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sets rates and rules for the plans that can be sold by private insurance agents, and farmers purchase the appropriate crop insurance policy for their individual risk.
- Crop insurance provides assistance as determined by an individual farmer’s actual loss, not by the severity of the overall disaster event. Following a weather disaster, private-sector claims adjusters quickly and accurately assess damages and calculate losses. Delivering aid based on actual losses protects farmers, ranchers, and taxpayers alike.
- Crop insurance requires that farmers invest in their own protection, ensuring farmers are receiving assistance commensurate with the verified amount of their losses. The Federal crop insurance program requires farmers to invest in their own protection and share in the risk. Last year, America’s farmers collectively paid $5 billion to purchase crop insurance premiums and shouldered losses through deductibles.
- Crop insurance does not create incentives to encourage farming practices that increase the likelihood and extent of losses. In fact, just the opposite. Following Good Farming Practices is a requirement of each crop insurance policy. These practices are based on sound data, science, and are constantly evolving to keep pace with new technologies and changes in the market, weather, and land management.
- Crop insurance has predictable costs and is required to be actuarily sound. By law, the amount of money in the crop insurance system over time must be sufficient to meet the cost of paying claims when disasters strike. In other words, the math must work.
- Crop insurance works efficiently to meet its purpose of improving the economic stability of agriculture while maintaining high levels of program integrity. Working closely with USDA, America’s crop insurers have made program integrity a top priority. Crop insurers have invested millions in data collection, education and training, and new research and technology to better serve America’s farmers.
By consistently fulfilling these principles of an effective farm safety net, crop insurance has given our farmers stability. They overwhelmingly trust crop insurance to help them manage their risks.
Let’s fulfill our promises to America’s farmers by ensuring that crop insurance remains available and affordable. Do no harm to the farm safety net.