Crop Insurance

Senate Ag members repeatedly stressed the importance of crop insurance and the need to restructure commodity programs in the 2023 Farm Bill during the panel’s latest hearing.   “Crop insurance is the number one risk management tool for producers, but historically, hasn’t been available to some farmers who are most in need of it," said Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow.  "I’m going to conti

While understanding has grown over recent years between about the Farm Bill and how all pieces of that legislation go together, many in farm country say more needs to be done.  Will Stafford with CHS Inc. says it’s important to stress that the Farm Bill has little chance of clearing Congress as a standalone farm safety net and conservation vehicle; the nutrition title he says must be included.  He

As conversations over the 2023 Farm Bill intensify in the coming months, all corners of the farming economy will watch the debate very closely for a variety of reasons.   But, what about the Ag Lending community?   Ed Elfmann Sr. Vice Pre...

USDA has made several updates to different conservation, livestock, and crop disaster assistance programs to give more farmers, ranchers, and tribes the opportunity to access them.  Ease of access is especially important after natural disasters.  Th...

After a quite 2022 policy wise, many in the farming community are prepared for a busy 12 months ahead.  Mary Kay Thatcher, Senior Manager Federal Government Industry Relations For Syngenta, says much of the past year in Washington D.C. was sp...

With debate over the 2023 Farm Bill set to pick up in the coming months, commodity groups have been building their wish lists and letting lawmakers know what they would like to see in this year’s legislation.   Representative Dan Newhouse, a central Washington farmer, said for him, he wants a Farm Bill that encourages and promotes research and development.  He said ...

Ad hoc disaster aid as a farm safety net has always been unpredictable, unreliable, and slow in arriving.  So, the American Farm Bureau says better risk management tools must be part of the 2023 Farm Bill.  The Farm Bureau says inefficient and costly disaster relief has made up nearly 80% of federal help to producers since 2018.  So, the AFBF’s Em...

FSA announced last week that dairy producers now have through the end of January to consider enrolling in either USDA's Dairy Margin Coverage or the Supplemental-DMC for program year 2023.   “We're going to extend the deadline for submission of applications for DMC and Supplemental-DMC to give our producers time to get through year end activities and to ensure that they're able to take advantage o

The top Republican on the House Ag Committee wants a stronger safety net for U.S. farmers.  Pennsylvania Republican Glenn Thompson wants Congress to strengthen crop insurance and farm subsidy programs so producers don’t have to rely on stop-gap federal aid to survive challenges like trade wars, natural disasters, and COVID-19.   “The n...

Dairy farmers have a few days left to enroll in the 2023 Dairy Margin Coverage program from USDA.  The enrollment deadline for the 2023 program is December 9th.  Chris Galen of the National Milk Producers Federation said the program is a valuable risk management tool for dairy farmers.   ...