Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow said she believes “the only way to get a new farm bill this year is to get a strong bipartisan bill in the Senate first.
Speaking at the Crop Insurance Industry Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona, Stabenow told participants the process ultimately boils down to the “art of the doable.”
“We have to understand and trust each other on what is doable and then let's go get it done.”
Asked about some of the obstacles to completing a farm bill yet this year, Stabenow noted that farm bills are always complicated with lots of ups and downs. “But we have to get in a room and just start slogging through” some of the toughest issues.
Stabenow says she has a great relationship with Sen. John Boozman, the committee’s ranking member, and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “G.T.” Thompson. However, Thompson faces “much more difficult situations going on in the House on so many different levels,” including battles over appropriations.
Although there are some senators interested in reforming crop insurance, Stabenow said “overwhelmingly” there is support for crop insurance, and for adding more options and addressing costs.
She encouraged all of the participants to tell the story of crop insurance, especially to the 160 or so new members of Congress who have never voted on a farm bill. A lot of people don’t understand that farmers are “purchasing something and they don't get a payout unless there's been a loss,” she added.
Also addressing the group, National Crop Insurance Services President Tom Zacharias suggested that those who want to “reform” the crop insurance program have not been paying attention to the facts on the ground.
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“The modern day crop insurance program is in reform mode, and continues to expand and to adapt to the changing landscape of US agriculture,” he emphasized. For example, he cited the industry’s outreach efforts to underserved communities in the form of risk management projects, scholarships and internships.
Zacharias also noted that farmers have dealt with immense climate and weather related challenges over the last several years.
“Farmers have survived droughts, hurricanes, derechos, floods and fires. Right through it all, farmers have kept farming and the constant in all of this is the availability of federal crop insurance.”
He said critics of federal crop insurance have asserted that the program does not encourage or require farmers to adapt to climate change.
“Such criticism ignores the evolution of the program to accommodate the integration of conservation programs and farmer initiatives to incorporate climate smart farming practices.” He noted how the guidelines for program participation, based on good farming practices, have evolved over time to incorporate more conservation practices like planting cover crops.
“The crop insurance program as private sector partners have demonstrated the flexibility to accommodate change,” Zacharias said. “These changes have been and will continue to be science-based, data-driven and provide incentive to the voluntary participation by farmers.”
NCIS Chairman Scott Arnold emphasized the tremendous growth in the crop insurance program, which now protects more than 90% of insurable farmland acres in the United States. In 2002, crop insurance protects 493 million acres. One year later, that number grew to almost 540 million acres across all 50 states, he explained.
“Much of that remarkable success was attributed to new and improved crop insurance products, including protection for livestock, PRF (Pasture, Rangeland, Forage) area plans and additional protection for specialty crops,” Arnold said. “Just last year, farmers purchased 1.2 million crop policies, spent $6.8 billion of operating capital to purchase that coverage, and the program provided $181 billion for crop production, and another $26 billion for livestock.”
Looking ahead, Arnold encourage participants to “continue to use our collective voice to advocate for a stronger, better, more inclusive crop insurance program built on the foundation framed by generations of people who can polished their crafts, while building this industry, as well as shaping continued support from Congress. America's farmers and ranchers are counting on us and crop insurance always delivers.”
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