U.S. Department of Agriculture Archives

Crop insurance available for winter wheat

August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 Julie Campbell

The Department of Agriculture has now given its approval for coverage in all South Dakota counties. A new decision has been made with regards to the availability of crop insurance in South Dakota, as growers in all counties of the state can now obtain coverage for winter wheat, which is good news to them as well as other industries, as well. In fact, pheasant and duck hunters may also be quite pleased by this new insurance coverage decision. The departments of Agriculture and of Game, Fish, and Parks, in South…

Crop insurance payouts in Indiana reach new high

March 15, 2013April 30, 2013

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…

Livestock insurance to receive a boost from USDA

August 31, 2012August 31, 2012 Julie Campbell

Farmers to obtain additional help this year due to severe drought. Tom Vilsack, the Agriculture Secretary, has announced a number of efforts that are being made in order to help farmers who have been impacted by the worst drought that has been seen in 50 years, including alterations to the livestock insurance program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will modify its emergency loans. This will allow loans to be made earlier on in the season in order to allow producers to purchase livestock insurance, as well as to offset…

2012 U.S. Drought Worsens, Claims from Crop Insurance Expected to Exceed $13 billion: AIR

August 28, 2012 Guest Author

BOSTON, August 28, 2012 – According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, the drought in the U.S. agricultural heartland continues to deteriorate crops in the Corn Belt with no meaningful precipitation relief in sight. After the hottest July on record, insured losses from the 2012 drought are now expected to surpass losses of other historical droughts. AIR estimates that losses resulting from farmer claims for the crop insurance industry may exceed USD 13 billion with potential losses as high as USD 20 billion. Although the 2012 growing season began on…

Hawaii’s volcanic gases spur renewed disaster declaration for the agriculture industry

February 14, 2012February 14, 2012 Marc

The U.S. department of Agriculture has renewed a disaster claim for Hawaii regarding lingering volcanic gasses that are causing damage to agriculture. The state is well known for its many volcanoes, which have become an attraction for tourists around the world. While the volcanoes are famously beautiful and awe inspiring, they are also the source of dangerous emissions that can kill plant life and cause serious health problems. The renewed disaster declaration concerns gasses coming from Kilauea Volcano, which began spewing fumes late last year. The declaration will allow farmers…