Fires in Oregon wheat fields have claimed thousands of crop acres and taken the life of a farmer seeking to stop a blaze from spreading, and the damage to pocketbooks might not be over yet.

Leaders of the Senate Agriculrure Committee are working this week to protect their farm bill from floor amendments that could cut crop insurance or other key programs.

The Senate farm bill offers changes to crop insurance that could benefit the largest as well as the smallest farms while also clearing the way for research that could lead to premium discounts for conservation practices.

The USDA's Risk Management Agency will allow farmers who purchased a supplemental hail policy from Crop Pro Insurance to switch their federally subsidized multi-peril crop insurance back to their previous provider after the firm abruptly cancelled hundreds of policies.