Today, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) Program Improvement Act alongside Senators Booker (D-NJ), Fetterman (D-PA), Smith (D-MN), and Welch (D-VT). If incorporated into the 2023 Farm Bill, this bill will expand insurance access to producers historically left out of the federal crop insurance program. Strong bipartisan interest exists to expand voluntary access to crop insurance to include underserved producers. This Act is the moving vehicle to do that…. Read More →
WFRP
Senate Hears Commodity and Industry Perspectives on Farm Safety Net and Credit
This week, the Senate Agriculture Committee held two hearings featuring commodity and industry perspectives on the farm safety net and credit…. Read More →
NSAC’s Top 10 of 2022: A Year in Review
The end of a year signifies a time to reflect on all the most important accomplishments and tribulations of the past year. At NSAC, we had the opportunity to celebrate and find new reasons to expand our advocacy to support sustainable agriculture practices, small-scale producers, diversified farming, local food systems, and beginning and underserved farmers and ranchers. This post shares NSAC’s Top 10 accomplishments of 2022. … Read More →
Big Wins on Whole-Farm Revenue Protection
The Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently announced significant changes to improve the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program…. Read More →
Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Analysis: A Few Bad Apples
Due to complicated rules, farmer skepticism, and insurance agent disinterest, the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program is not performing near its optimal potential. … Read More →
Whole Farm Revenue Protection Program: 2017 – 2018 Trends
It has been five years since the 2014 Farm Bill created Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) – a new crop insurance policy championed by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) for its potential to level the playing field for producers underserved by other federal crop insurance options. WFRP replaced two former policies – Adjusted Gross Revenue […]
Is Organic Farming Risky? New Report Suggests No More So Than Non-Organic Farms
NCAT’s new report suggests organic farming is no more risky than non-organic farming. The report was funded by a research and education grant from NIFA. … Read More →
COMMENT: New Changes to Whole Farm Revenue Protection Will Make Program More Accessible
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net New Changes to Whole Farm Revenue Protection Will Make Program More Accessible Washington, DC, August 20, 2019 – Following approval by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) Board in June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) today announced important […]
Much Needed Improvements to Whole Farm Revenue Protection
All farmers deserve access to a farm safety net that protects against the inherent risks of farming. However, the vast majority of federal crop insurance policies sold in the U.S. today are designed for farmers who grow a single crop – leaving diversified grain, livestock, and produce operations with few options to manage risks on […]
The Federal Crop Insurance Program: Status and Sustainability
Editor’s Note: This is a guest blog written by Jeff Schahczenski, an agricultural and natural resource economist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program (ATTRA). A substantial update to his 2012 ATTRA publication, Crop Insurance Options for Specialty, Diversified, and Organic Farmers, will be available this December. Federal […]
Senate Agriculture Committee Holds Confirmation Hearing for USDA Secretary
Since January, the Senate has been holding confirmation hearings for President Trump’s cabinet nominees. On Thursday, March 23, the Senate Agriculture Committee held its confirmation hearing for Trump’s pick for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary, Sonny Perdue, the last of Trump’s cabinet nominees to be vetted by the Senate. The Committee will soon schedule […]
More Farmers Are Seeking Risk Management Options That Encourage Crop Diversity
In only its second year on the market, sales of Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) insurance have nearly doubled – from 1,110 policies in 2015 to 2,143 in 2016. This is great news for a relatively new risk-management product still technically in its pilot phase. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) was a major proponent of […]
Have Access Improvements to the Federal Crop Insurance Program Gone Far Enough?
If you’re an onion farmer in Louisiana or a blueberry farmer in Iowa, the answer is most likely – no. The Federal Crop Insurance Program has gone through a host of changes since 2000 (the last time Congress passed a major stand-alone overhaul of the program), including several as part of the 2014 Farm Bill, […]
Inter-Agency Blockages Threaten to Halt Further Progress on Organic Crop Insurance
Editor’s Note: For more information on the state of organic agriculture, see this article’s sister post: “Consumer Sentiment and Supply Scalability Will Determine Future of Organic Price Premiums“ In just one year’s time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) has more than doubled the number of organic crops that are able to […]
$8.7 Million Available for Risk Management Education and Targeted States Programs
The Federal Crop Insurance Program, managed by the Risk Management Agency (RMA), provides subsidized coverage through private insurance companies to over $100 billion worth of agricultural products across 298 million acres. Despite a seemingly high level of farmer participation overall, many underserved, organic, diversified, and specialty crop farmers lack information about and access to insurance […]