The debate over climate policy usually includes some discussion about whether the U.S. crop insurance system should be changed to either incentivize more conservation or better address weather threats. Yet two experts said this public-private partnership is already reflecting changes in climate and new innovations in agriculture, with the potential for more targeted improvements to come.

Ask a farmer about the most important farm bill provisions for his or her operation and you’ll likely hear the words “crop insurance.” The public-private partnership continued to expand last year, covering more than 334 million acres of farmland in 2018 — a 20 million-acre increase over 2017.