Items Tagged with 'crop insurance'

The House Agriculture Committee unveiled a draft farm bill Friday that would revamp a key international food aid program, boost risk management options for specialty crop growers and nullify California's controversial Proposition 12 standards for animal welfare. The bill also would address pesticide labeling and raise USDA loan limits.

When Iowa farmer and crop insurance agent Pat Swanson was named to lead USDA’s Risk Management Agency in March of 2025, she developed a list of things she thought should be streamlined and improved. Within weeks, she started checking things off at a speed which seems almost unheard of for such a large federal agency that supports risk management from coast to coast.

The farm economy is strained as input costs remain elevated, commodity prices are still soft, and global markets remain uncertain, making this an especially important year for crop insurance, members of the industry were told at their annual conference. .

Corn, soybean and rice producers in regions prone to spring flooding are criticizing an Agriculture Department decision to eliminate buy-up coverage for prevented planting crop insurance.

USDA is seeking comment on a final rule aimed at boosting the safety net for farmers, broadening access to crucial risk protection programs and cutting red tape in the federal crop insurance program. 

Republicans in the House and Senate are closely aligned on the farm bill provisions in their budget reconciliation bill, although the Senate version is more favorable to corn and soybean growers who dominate Midwest farming.

The Senate Agriculture Committee developed a reconciliation plan similar to the House version passed last month, but with a scaled-back state cost-share for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and less restrictive work requirements for parents of school-age kids. 

House Republicans took a major step toward enacting President Donald Trump's policy agenda and boosting spending for commodity programs and crop insurance by winning passage Thursday morning of the GOP's sweeping budget reconciliation bill.

Longtime Illinois Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin announced Wednesday that he would not seek re-election. 

Bill Beam, Aubrey Bettencourt and Pat Swanson have been named to lead USDA's Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Risk Management Agency, respectively.