Agriculture groups seek more protections against severe weather with insurance safety net

Extreme weather is presenting a unique and complicated problem to the nation’s farmers. With many decrying climate change as a scientific impossibility, famers have been left handling the issue of uncommonly severe weather without a place to put the blame. In fact, most farmers do not even mention climate change when discussing the issue, focusing their concerns more on the protection of their crops and mitigating any losses they experience. This has led to a rampant increase in demand for crop insurance throughout the nation. Crop insurance can help farmers…

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NM cattle ranchers battle new federal drought protection policy

Cattle ranchers in New Mexico are up in arms over a new federal insurance policy that they purchased under the belief that it would provide them with drought protection, but that isn’t helping them because satellites are reporting that there is still too much “greenness” in the state. The primary problem is that there isn’t any grass for the livestock to consume. In fact, this year the conditions are so devastating that cattle ranchers have been selling their animals in record numbers because they can’t afford to purchase their feed.…

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Reinsurer takes on microinsurance project to provide drought insurance for Ethiopian farmers

Swiss Re, a global reinsure with a focus on risk transfer and asset management, is set to provide five years worth of reinsurance to a new microinsurance project in Ethiopia. The project was developed by the United Nations World Food Program, a branch of the U.N. that confronts worldwide hunger issues, and Oxfam America, an organization concerned with climate change adaptation, food security and aid reform. This project aims to provide Ethiopian farmers with drought insurance for their crops. Swiss Re will be funneling more than $1 million toward the…

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