Crop insurance expansion approved by Senate panel

Crop Insurance cuts

The farm bill that would broaden the coverage has now received the approval from a U.S. panel. The Senate Agriculture Committee has just approved its version of the farm bill – the House is debating another – which would expand the reach of the federally subsidized crop insurance program and that will cost approximately $500 billion over a period of ten years. The bill will also make some limited cuts on the spending for the food stamps that are issued to the poor. The Senate bill is one thousand pages…

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Crop insurance up for reform in the US

Crop Insurance

US lawmakers begin looking to reform crop insurance program In the U.S., federal lawmakers are working to renovate the country’s financial safety net for farmers. The federal crop insurance program is the most expensive part of this safety net and has long been a controversial subject among politicians and taxpayers alike. In 2012, the capabilities of the crop insurance program were put to the test by a severe drought that gripped much of the country. The drought caused an estimated $35 billion in damage in the Midwest, contributing to an…

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Crop insurance cuts opposed by the American Soybean Association

crop insurance program

The ASA has announced its opposition of the reductions to the coverage and restructuring of food aid. The White House budget for 2014 has proposed that the crop insurance program be reduced and that food aid be restructured, but the American Soybean Association (ASA) has released its criticisms of those decisions. The organization represents the soybean farmers across the country and has openly opposed the proposals. The budget proposal for next year included a reduction of the federal crop insurance program by $7.4 billion. The ASA has fiercely criticized that…

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Crop insurance payouts in Indiana reach new high

private Crop Insurance

The current estimate is that there have already been $1.04 billion paid out following the 2012 drought. The drought of 2012 left massive damage behind for farms throughout Indiana, and it is now estimated that the result of that devastation is over $1.04 billion in crop insurance payouts; a level that surpasses the payments from all previous years. This represents a massive loss in the state, particularly because one quarter of Indiana crops are uninsured. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released these statistics this week, highlighting the damage that…

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Crop insurance program changes are supported by some farmers

Crop Insurance cuts

Some growers in Kansas are giving the nod to a bill that would decrease newly converted land subsidies. Although it would be natural to expect that farmers would be entirely against legislation that would place a tougher limit on crop insurance subsidies, there are some that are expressing their belief that the move is indeed designed to protect their interests over the long term. The changes to the subsidies would mean a reduction for grasslands that had not previously been agriculture space. These changes have to do with the Protect…

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