News Archive

2010

February

Specialty Soybeans Get Separate Crop Insurance Treatment
Wallace's Farmer — February 26, 2010
FAQ: We grow specialty soybeans. I've been told we will be able to separate these soybean acres from our conventional soybeans for crop insurance purposes beginning in 2010. What is the benefit of doing this?...

Agents' groups oppose changes to Federal Crop Insurance Program
Keith L. Martin, Insurance and Financial Advisor — February 25, 2010
Three national insurance agents' groups are voicing their opposition to proposed agent commission soft caps and profit-sharing proposals as part of the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP)...

Climate Issues; Biofuels; Food Security; Farm Bill; Crop Insurance; Animal Agriculture; Trade; and CFTC Issues
Keith Good, FarmPolicy.com — February 24, 2010
The "Washington Insider" section of DTN noted in part yesterday (link requires subscription) that, "One of USDA's most important programs provides a broad range of insurance coverage for farmers. The program is carried out by USDA with on-ground operations by private firms through a massive agreement with the crop insurance industry, the Standard Reinsurance Agreement."...

Ag budget cuts could be reduced
Jerry Hagstrom, AgWeek — February 23, 2010
SAN DIEGO — The Obama administration, which had proposed a $8.4 billion cut in the federal crop insurance program in the next 10 years, is offering to reduce that cut by $1.5 billion to $6.9 billion, a key Agriculture Department official said Feb. 17 in San Diego...

Kansas Farmers Could Lose Crop Insurance
Kara Sewell, KSCW-TV — February 19, 2010
Amid downtown Wellington and the fields of Sumner County, Robert White spends much of his time shuttling between the two.

A crop insurance agent during the week, a farmer on the weekend...

USDA releases crop insurance agreement
Southeast Farm Press — February 18, 2010
The first draft was released Dec. 4, 2009. The new draft includes a series of significant changes, including many discussed during negotiations between the RMA and the participating crop insurance companies...

Crop insurance carries the day for otherwise good crops
Mike Corn, Hays Daily News — February 18, 2010
It wasn't a bumper wheat crop, but the yields were respectable nonetheless. In some cases, in fact, they were darn good, beating out county averages...

Crop Insurance; Biofuels; CRP; Food Security; Climate Issues; and Animal Agriculture
Keith Good, FarmPolicy.com — February 18, 2010
DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton reported yesterday (link requires subscription) that, "Potential cuts to the crop insurance industry would be about 20 percent less than originally proposed, but agent commissions would be capped under a new draft of the standard reinsurance agreement between USDA and the crop insurance industry, USDA officials said Wednesday."...

Four Weeks And Counting Down: Are You Ready For The Crop Insurance Deadline?
Stu Ellis, CattleNetwork.com — February 16, 2010
Don't look now, but you are only one month away from the March 15 crop insurance deadline, to either sign up, change the type of insurance you have, cancel your automatically renewing coverage, or switch back and forth among your choices on units. You are either ready for the sign up or not at all ready, and your silent response is obvious. So let's start thinking about your production risk management plan for 2010...

Crop Insurance Basics
AgWeb Blog — February 16, 2010
Anything can be insured today; let it be a cat, car, or crop. Crop insurance has been in existence since the early 1930s. Federal crop insurance was established to combat the effects of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. If a farmer were to pick out crop insurance today, they would have many different options to choose from...

Crop Insurance Decisions For 2010
Wallace's Farmer — February 16, 2010
FAQ: What are the main changes I should be aware of regarding crop insurance for 2010?
Answer: Provided by Steve Johnson, Iowa State University Extension farm management specialist.

You have until March 15 to make any changes in your coverage and to notify your crop insurance agent regarding spring planted crops. But don't wait. You need to contact your agent soon...

Unharvested crop means more hoops for insurance
Mikkel Pates, Agweek — February 9, 2010
MINOT, N.D. — There are a number of evolving issues in crop insurance these days, especially as farmers deal with prevent-plant cropping situations that involve the unplanted acreage from the previous year...

Crop Insurance Industry and Iowa's Biggest Farms Face Cuts in Proposed Federal Budget
Wallace's Farmer — February 8, 2010
President Barack Obama's proposals for the 2011 federal budget were released February 1, and they met swift criticism from key farm-state lawmakers. The Obama administration is calling for reducing the planned growth of soil and water conservation programs that are popular in Iowa and other farm states. The programs help curb pollution from farms and feedlots...

Biofuels; EPA Regulations ("Tailoring Rule"); Climate Change; and Crop Insurance
Keith Good, FarmPolicy.com — February 4, 2010
DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton reported yesterday (link requires subscription) that, "Although the crop insurance industry has been negotiating for weeks with USDA on a new contract for expenses and underwriting gains, it wasn't until President Barack Obama released his budget that crop insurers knew USDA was looking to move $8 billion out of the industry's government payments over 10 years...

Polk Farmers Get Federal Help for Freeze Damages
USDA disaster relief offers up to $100,000 and low-interest loans for freeze damages
Kevin Bouffard, The Ledger — February 2, 2010
HAINES CITY | In the face of a ballooning federal deficit, Uncle Sam will come to the rescue of Florida farmers struggling to recover from last month's brutal freezing weather...

Obama Seeks Farm Payment, Insurance Support Cuts
Corn and Soybean Digest — February 2, 2010
President Obama's fiscal 2011 budget proposal, which was made public on Monday, calls for lower income caps on eligibility for federal farm programs, a reduction in the maximum amount of direct payments that producers can receive annually and a cut in federal support for crop insurance...

Farm, Insurance Loss Estimates from Florida Freeze Still Weeks Away
Andrew G. Simpson, Insurance Journal — February 2, 2010
It will still be weeks, into March and April, before the full extent of crop damage and insurance payments from Florida's recent extended freeze will be known...

Obama Seeks to Trim Farm, Insurance Subsidies
Bill Tomson, Wall Street Journal — February 1, 2010
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration wants to save billions of dollars by putting new limits on farm subsidies and cutting back on government support for crop-insurance companies, according to the fiscal year 2011 budget proposal released Monday by the White House...

Crop Insurance; Budget; Climate Issues; Sec. Vilsack on Rural America; Ag Economy; Trade; CFTC Issues; and Political Notes
Keith Good, FarmPolicy.com — February 1, 2010
Crop Insurance: The Standard Reinsurance Agreement

On Friday January 29, FarmPolicy.com spoke with former USDA Chief Economist Keith Collins and Bob Parkerson, the president of National Crop Insurance Services about the federal crop insurance program. Specifically, the conversation focused on the current renegotiation of the Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA) that is underway between the crop industry and the USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA)...