Obama signs relief bill for hurricane Sandy but that’s just the start

US Congress Hurricane Sandy Relief Plan

Hurricane Sandy Aid – congress to vote on more funds The $9.7 billion flood relief bill for insurance claims was signed into law by Pres. Obama while House waits to vote on a larger Sandy relief deal worth up to $51 billion. Pressure from FEMA The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had pushed for Sandy relief, stating that without addition funding they money to help will quickly run out. The White House reports that over 100,000 claims could not be paid out without more funding from Congress. John Boehner, Speaker…

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Crop insurance push made by farmers to U.K. government

crop insurance policy

The National Farmers Union has estimated that last year’s rains came with a £1.3 billion price tag. The record breaking rainfall that was experienced in the U.K. in 2012 has cost farmers across the country an estimated £1.3 billion as a result of poor harvests and the more expensive price of feed for cattle that ensued, leading farmers to ask the government for crop insurance against extreme weather events. This request is meant to help the country to be able to uphold its national food security. Data from the National…

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Crop insurance teetering on the “fiscal cliff”

crop insurance program

The farm bill has been pushed to help to save the protection subsidies from the axe. Lawmakers from rural areas who are concerned that the $9 billion in annual federal subsidies for crop insurance may be considered to be an easy target for cutting spending in order to avoid the looming fiscal cliff. They are now seeking a new way to compromise on the farm bill in order to continue protecting farmers. The House and Senate Agriculture Committee chairpersons had already been prepared to use a new farm bill in…

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Crop insurance payouts show modest damage

Crop Insurance

Drought spurs moderate crop insurance payouts this year The ongoing drought that has gripped much of the U.S. may not be as economically calamitous as had been predicted, according to insurance payouts to farmers in some of the most drought-stricken states. Earlier this year, farmers had expected to lose the vast majority of their produce due to severe drought. While the drought proved to be one of the worst the country has experienced in its history, spurring the federal government to purchase stocks of fish and produce, the economic impact…

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Crop insurance placed back in the spotlight following election

Crop Insurance

Attention for farm bill has become an important target for lawmakers. Now that the election is behind us, crop insurance federal subsidies will return to the spotlight as a major target for lawmakers who are seeking to slash the budget deficit in Congress’s first week of the lame duck session. Experts in agricultural policy feel that this is a typical week following a general election. Many doubt, however, that lawmakers will be able to make their way through the deadlock they have been facing regarding the enacting of a $500…

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