Federal crop insurance, the Farm Bill’s biggest agricultural program, has transformed from a key safety net for our nation’s farmers to a system that consolidates land ownership, shifts billions of dollars in public funding to large corporations, and harms the land and water. The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) today published a special report on federal crop insurance–“A Torn Safety Net.” For more information visit LSP’s Crop Insurance page or read this important report.
The release of the LSP report comes at a time when Congressional agriculture leaders, including five members of Minnesota’s Congressional delegation, are beginning to draft the 2018 version of the Farm Bill. This provides a prime opportunity to reform crop insurance by placing limits on premium subsidies and ending the exorbitant profit-making insurance corporations enjoy as a result of the publicly funded program.
It’s great to learn that crop insurance is a program that ensures land ownership. My wife and I are wanting to live on a farm and we were wondering what kind of insurance we should get if we move to one. I’ll be sure to tell her that we should consider crop insurance if we move to a farm.