Local foods producers invited to share feedback on crop insurance

By Kate Hansen and Andrea Hartman, former staff members

For farmers and ranchers who sell to local markets, crop insurance options are limited. This leads many operations to forego crop insurance as a risk management strategy, or to only insure a portion of their crops.

If you are a local foods producer who would like to offer feedback or ideas about your crop insurance options, consider attending an upcoming virtual listening session.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), the agency that administers federal crop insurance, will hold a series of virtual listening sessions in the coming weeks. The discussions will focus on insurance options for local foods producers. Any and all feedback is welcome, including ways existing crop insurance programs can be improved, as well as exploring the possibility of a new crop insurance program.

Sessions are divided by region and industry, and will be held from mid-August through early September. Local foods producers in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota are invited to join a listening session at noon CT, Aug. 24.

There will also be a listening session on livestock at noon CT on Aug. 27. All other meeting times can be found in the table below. 

Those unable to attend a listening session are invited to submit feedback via phone or email until Sept. 10. Comments can be sent to Andre Williamson at [email protected] or 240.432.0308. If sending an email, please put  “Local foods insurance” in the subject line.

The listening sessions are required as part of the 2018 farm bill, so RMA can hear feedback from local producers about crop insurance. Local foods include, but are not limited to, farmers markets, community-supported agriculture (CSAs), schools, restaurants, retailers, roadside stands, and other institutions.

Since its creation, federal crop insurance has been best suited for only a handful of types of crops and operations. While changes have been made in recent years to provide coverage for more producers—such as adding to the list of eligible crops, the creation of Whole Farm Revenue Protection, and introducing organic prices for multi-peril coverage—many farms are still left out.

Local foods encompass a broad range of products, yet corn, soybeans, cotton, and wheat alone accounted for more than 75 percent of federal crop insurance subsidies last year. Producers selling to local markets face a variety of risks that insurance may be able to assist with.

Feedback received during the listening sessions will help RMA identify potential changes or additions to crop insurance options. This is why it is important for farmers’ and ranchers’ voices to be heard.

Meeting schedule

Participants are invited to join the sessions via Zoom, or call in by telephone.