Thirty-five U.S. grain origination elevators along the Mississippi River, owned by Bunge North America Inc., are about to change hands.

Last year, about 19.1 million acres were covered under prevented planting provisions in insurance policies and the indemnity payments have already reached almost $4.3 billion.

Congressmen and commodity group leaders participating in the annual Crop Insurance Industry Convention talked about the need to be proactive in addressing threats and opportunities for the crop insurance program.

The Trump Administration proposed another blow to the crop insurance industry in the president’s annual budget, but Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kans., made it clear that risk management tools should not be cut because they are crucial for both farmers and consumers.

Growers paid over $10 billion to insure almost 380 million acres in 2019. By year-end, crop insurance companies paid out almost $7.6 billion to cover losses and the numbers are expected to grow as all claims are finalized.