News Archive

2010

May

Proposed cuts to crop insurance could hit state
Wine grape growers, other state agriculture fear losing safety net
Dan Verel, North Bay Business Journal — May 31, 2010
CALIFORNIA — Proposed cuts to federal crop insurance totaling nearly $7 billion have the potential to reduce services and various safety measures for farms and wineries throughout the state, particularly in the North Bay, according to insurers and the Crop Insurance Professionals Association....

Farmers: Strengthen crop insurance in next farm bill
Abilene Reporter-News — May 30, 2010
During the recent U.S. House Committee on Agriculture field hearing in Lubbock, several West Texas farmers who gave testimony expressed a need to strengthen federal crop insurance when the next farm bill is written....

WINDMILL COUNTRY: Farmers call crop insurance vital
Jerry Lackey, San Angelo Standard Times — May 29, 2010
SAN ANGELO, Texas — During the recent U.S. House Committee on Agriculture field hearing in Lubbock, several West Texas farmers who testified expressed a need to strengthen federal crop insurance when the next farm bill is written....

Farmer-friendly SRA alternatives
Southwest Farm Press — May 28, 2010
“What has been missing from this negotiation is a focus on what benefits the farmer,” said Ronnie Holt, Chairman of the Crop Insurance Professionals Association (CIPA), the group of independent agents that wrote the letter....

FSA helps growers to deal with disasters
St. Helena Star — May 27, 2010
With this spring’s cold morning temperatures and the possibility of frost, Oakville vintner Linda Neal, Napa County’s elected representative of the Farm Service Agency, reminds grape growers that they need to be prepared for the next disaster....

Climate Issues; Biofuels; Ag Economy; Policy Issues; and Financial Regulation
Keith Good, FarmPolicy.com — May 26, 2010
Philip Brasher reported yesterday at The Green Fields Blog (Des Moines Register) that, “A credit crunch may be starting to show up on the farm, says Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. He told a group of agribusiness lobbyists today that he is hearing anecdotally about large-scale dairy operations and other farms that are having trouble getting operating loans....

Crop-insurance cuts would hit farmers
Norm Nielsen, Ag Journal, — May 25, 2010
La Junta, Colo. — A little-known debate is going on in Washington, D.C., regarding crop insurance....

Ginseng Farmers Hope for Federal Aid After Devastating Snowstorm
Ben Zblewski, WSAW-TV — May 25, 2010
The recent snow storms wiped out nearly the entire 2010 ginseng crop in Wisconsin, and that's putting area growers out nearly 10 million dollars....

Simpler Crop Insurance Choices
Linda Smith, Farm Journal — May 25, 2010
Beginning in 2011, your crop insurance choices for grain and oilseeds got simpler. According to the Risk Management Agency (RMA), policy premiums should not differ more than 5% from what you paid in the past....

The search is on for better safety net in 2012 farm bill
High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal — May 21, 2010
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) wants to craft a better safety net for crop and livestock producers, but he faces an uphill battle on several fronts--cost, structure, actuarial soundness, delivery system, and producer attitudes, just to name a few....

Ag. Commissioner Farmer Urges Farmers Affected By Flooding To Seek Relief
High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal — May 20, 2010
Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said Thursday that Kentucky farmers may be able to utilize federal relief programs to get help for farm-related losses incurred since April 30 as a result of severe storms, flooding, mudslides, straight line winds and tornadoes....

Farm Policy Issues; and Climate Change
Keith Good, FarmPolicy.com — May 19, 2010
Farm Bill: House Ag Committee Field Hearing- Lubbock, Texas
With respect to Monday's House Ag Committee field hearing in Texas, DTN Political Correspondent Jerry Hagstrom (link requires subscription) reported that, "Texas farm leaders on Monday told the House Agriculture Committee that the traditional farm commodity programs including direct and counter-cyclical payments and marketing loans that are in the 2008 farm bill should be continued in the 2012 rewrite. But House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson said they might want changes if crop prices go down and the safety net proves it cannot cover rising production costs....

Support for crop insurance strong in South Dakota
Dan Looker, Agriculture Online — May 19, 2010
Tuesday, a House Agriculture Committee hearing on the next farm bill found at least one consistent theme: farmers there and in nearby states like USDA-supported crop insurance and don't want the program weakened. Other new programs, such as ACRE (Average Crop Revenue Election) do need changes, they were told, even though many of the farmers who testified said they decided to enroll in ACRE last year....

South Dakotans voice concerns for 2012 farm bill
Steve Young, Argus Leader — May 18, 2010
South Dakota farmers told Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., and her colleagues they wanted more crop insurance protection, less confusion in commodity programs and expanded use of corn and cellulosic ethanol at a meeting dealing with the 2012 farm bill today in Sioux Falls....

Severe weather emphasizes need for strong crop insurance program
Richard Porter, Plainview Daily Herald — May 18, 2010
It was a bit ironic that farmers from Plainview and the surrounding area saw storm clouds in their rearview mirrors as they drove to Lubbock for Monday's House Ag Committee Field Hearing....

Direct Aid Program For Farmers Opposed By Crop Insurers
Arthur Postal, National Underwriter Property And Casualty Insurance News — May 17, 2010
WASHINGTON—Officials from the crop insurance industry are voicing opposition to a proposal by an Iowa State University professor that the current system be replaced with a direct subsidy program....

Snow slams ginseng farms
Robert Imrie, Wausau Daily Herald — May 13, 2010
Gov. Doyle on Wednesday requested a federal disaster declaration for ginseng growers in Marathon County after a spring snowstorm collapsed the shade covers that protect the crop from the sun....

Ask the ACRE Specialists
Marcia Zarley Taylor, DTN/The Progressive Farmer — May 12, 2010
I know academics don't all have "skin" in the game like you real farmers, but most land grant university economists who've put the Average Crop Revenue Election program under the microscope conclude that you get a lot of protection for the money when you enroll. Giving up 20 percent of your direct payment (typically about $2 to $5 per acre for wheat, corn and soybean producers) buys you roughly $519 per acre in corn revenue protection in 2010 based on national averages, versus $339 per acre for the traditional Counter Cyclical Program. For soybeans it's $368 under ACRE, vs. $230 under CCP. For wheat it's $219 vs. $148. If you're in a high yield state, you can up the ante....

Hail Insurance Rates Down
Jacob Kaucher, KFYR-TV, — May 12, 2010
As spring rolls on, the season of hail storms is fast approaching. And for farmers who plan to buy hail insurance this year, there`s good news....

Look more carefully at the farm subsidies
DesMoinesRegister.com — May 12, 2010
In regard to the article in the May 8 Register, "Tighter Rules Fail to Rein in Farm Subsidies": If one will take the time to research and look at yearly subsidies, one will find the numbers are not nearly as frightening....

USDA will offer aid for tree farms
Sam Wyzan, Tallahassee.com — May 12, 2010
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans Tuesday to assist tree nurseries and orchardists who have suffered damages as a result of weather conditions....

Congress starts to work early on 2012 Farm Bill
Christine Souza, California Farm Bureau Federation — May 11, 2010
Don't get too comfortable with the policies and programs contained in the current federal farm bill: That was the message that the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee brought to farmers and ranchers attending a field hearing in Fresno last week....

California farms lead U.S. in subsidies
Michael Doyle, Miami Herald — May 5, 2010
WASHINGTON — Fresno County farmers lead the nation in harvesting farm subsidies, collecting nearly $1 billion since 1995, newly available Agriculture Department records show....

FSA: Report Prevented, Failed Acreage & Crop Losses
Wisconsin Ag Connection — May 5, 2010
Prevented planting acreage, or acreage that could not be planted because of wet field conditions or other natural disaster, should be reported to your local Farm Service Agency office within 15 days of the final planting date of the crop. The agency says crops covered by crop insurance or the Non-insured Assistance Program and crops without insurance coverage need to be reported to the FSA or crop insurance agent to verify final planting dates for all crops since they vary among counties and crop types....

Rethink Antipathy Toward ACRE
Marcia Zarley Taylor, DTN Progressive Farmer Minding Ag's Business Blog — May 4, 2010
Report cards are going out on ACRE's performance for 2009 crops--the Average Crop Revenue Election program designed as an alternative safety net in case prices and yields go bust. Antipathy toward ACRE ran deep during the first signup last August, thanks to its newness and complexity. But growers may want to rethink their attitude once they see farmers from dozens of states who stand to collect $50 per acre and up wheat payments later this month. (The 2010 ACRE signup ends June 1, but you'll have a chance to hear several sides to ACRE at a free DTN webinar May 6 with Farm Service Agency's ACRE expert Brent Orr and Ohio State University economist Carl Zulauf.)...

Sunflower industry happy with crop insurance rule
KCAU-TV — May 2, 2010
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Sunflower industry officials have long fought for better crop insurance. They say final rules for a simplified crop insurance plan might mark the end of the battle...