The USDA is getting ready for sizeable funding cuts for social and rural programs. With the proposed Trump administration budget has come a threat to many USDA services, including the crop insurance program. That coverage risks significant reductions, as do food stamps, and rural development programs, among others. The proposed cuts to the crop insurance program and others operated through the USDA are far from modest. “I don’t think there’s any reason to try to sugar coat this,” said Sonny Perdue, USDA secretary. “I’ve communicated with our team at USDA…
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Private crop insurance companies see shrinking returns
These insurers have experienced a notable drop in their returns since the SRA was renegotiated in 2010. Private crop insurance companies are experiencing a notable downward trend in their return figures. This has been a consistent situation since the Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA) was renegotiated in 2010. The SRA renegotiation between insurers and the federal government marked a significant change in the direction of that business. The change in returns have also aligned smoothly with the Risk Management Agency’s benchmarks. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency laid out…
Read MoreLast year saw crop insurance payments plummet
Since 2014 saw pretty good production throughout the year, the federal program had to make far fewer payouts. In terms of the overall 2014 growing year, the calculations by the Risk Management Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture with regards to the federal crop insurance program have shown that last year saw a reduction in payments by 26 percent when compared to the figures from the year before. The agency report showed in 2014, there was a total of $8.8 billion in payments for yield and price loss coverage.…
Read MoreCrop insurance report criticizes federal incentives
An environmental group has released the data which has indicated FCIP’s structure is flawed. A report has just been released by the National Resources Defense Council, which has criticized the very structure of the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP), despite the fact that the payments that the program has been making are vital to the financial survival of farmers across the country. Last year’s drought brought about payments that reached record heights, breaking the $17.3 billion mark. The National Resources Defense Council report contained the results of a study. It…
Read MoreCrop insurance payouts break records and spark debates
Widespread drought across Iowa and other Midwest states lead to massive payments from the program. The droughts throughout the 2012 growing season will have generated an estimated record level of payments, reaching $16 billion, which has led critics to call for changes to the government subsidy system. They feel that the taxpayers are paying for an inefficient subsidy and the government can’t afford it. Farmers and growers purchase their crop insurance from private insurers. That said, those policy premiums are subsidized by the federal government, and losses over certain levels…
Read MoreCrop insurance study shows coverage saved thousands of jobs
It is believed that employment was maintained for 17,000 people in Iowa and Nebraska due to the protection. The results of a recent study have shown that the payouts from farms that had federally subsidized crop insurance generated an economic impact of an estimated $2.2 billion across a region of four states, and that it saved 17,000 jobs in Iowa and Nebraska, alone. The researchers who conducted the study were seeking to define the impact of the coverage on the state economies. The purpose of the research was to find…
Read MoreCrop insurance fraud ring bust made, worth $100 million
A North Carolina scam involved 41 people who have either pleaded guilty or reached plea agreements. Federal investigators have now discovered the truth behind a massive crop insurance bust that involved dozens of farmers, brokers, claims adjusters, and agents in eastern North Carolina, which had intended to defraud their policies for at least $100 million. Authorities have said that the investigation is ongoing, but it has already proved to be the largest scam ring in the U.S. So far, there have been 41 defendants that have either pleaded guilty to…
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