Crop insurance industry leaders, former congressmen and commodity groups gathered recently for their annual industry conference to highlight the importance of their public-private partnership, the need for continued advocacy and underscored the importance of a federal risk management system that gives farmers piece of mind.
Farm country is under “real strain” as input costs remain elevated, commodity prices are soft and global markets remain uncertain, noted Andy Caruso, vice president and general manager at American Farm Bureau Insurance Services, Inc. He also serves as chairman of National Crop Insurance Services. “Against this backdrop, we are entering a critically important year for crop insurance. In times of both weather and economic uncertainty, crop insurance remains farmers primary line of defense to manage risk.”
Caruso pointed out that crop insurance is a “stabilizing force” that provides indemnity payments for losses quickly, as opposed to federal ad hoc disaster assistance. For example, he cited Hurricane Helene that tore through Georgia’s key agricultural regions in 2024.
“The losses were widespread, affecting every major crop grown in the state. Crop insurance protected more than $2.8 million and delivered nearly $600 million in indemnities to Georgia farmers, often within days or weeks—long before other assistance could arrive.”
Beyond the numbers, Caruso said one Georgia farmer “told us that the speed of his claims process and indemnity payment was, ‘like manna from heaven.’” The farmer told him it was a lifeline that arrived when his entire crop was on the ground and his future was uncertain.
In 2025, National Crop Insurance Services conducted its first ever national satisfaction survey and farmers from across the country rated crop insurance as the most important component of farm policy, ranking it above direct payments and conservation assistance. Satisfaction and trust levels were also exceptionally high, particularly with how claims were handled.
“Farmers are counting on us to deliver protection and to preserve confidence, stability and hope for the future,” Caruso said.
Crop insurance currently protects more than 130 commodities and covers roughly 540 million acres of farm and range land across the country, but the industry continues to look for more ways to provide diversified and affordable risk protection.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that passed Congress earlier this year delivered “several important improvements,” noted Dale Perry, chairman of Great American Insurance Group and the American Association of Crop Insurers. For example, he said that package:
- Continued to make crop insurance more affordable for our producers.
- Allowed for higher coverage options
- Strengthened support for beginning farmers and ranchers helping the next generation gain access to protection at a time when capital constraints are often their biggest barrier.
- Helped remove some program conflicts between the Agricultural Risk Coverage and the Supplemental Coverage Option.
He described the changes as “a significant achievement that the industry should be proud of. But we all know that the job is not finished.”
Perry said one of AACI’s top priorities moving forward must be to continue to educate in “a rapidly changing political environment.
“The 119th Congress included 78 new members, many of whom came in lacking some institutional knowledge of farm policy, or first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing us agriculture. “
In a separate panel, former members of Congress Cheri Bustos, a five-term Illinois Democrat and Mike Conaway, an eight-term Texas Republican, discussed crop insurance’s public-private delivery, the need for bipartisan support, and the importance of educating new members.
As of Feb. 6, Conaway said 51 members of Congress are either retiring this year or running for different office, while another nine have either died or quit so there will be at least 60 new members next year.
Bustos described those changes as an “opportunity to build those relationships, to tell your story.” She pointed out that most members are “generalists” who serve on multiple committees and need to learn a lot of different topics.
Asked about the potential to also have new committee leaders at the helm of the House and Senate Ag Committees, such as Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., or Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, both Bustos or Conaway suggested they could grow into those leadership roles—despite their lack of agricultural backgrounds.
Bustos pointed out that Brown represents Cleveland, “an area not known for its agricultural prowess.” But at a recent fundraiser, Brown told crop insurance leaders she was “open to learning more about what you want me to know.”
Bustos predicted that the House is likely to flip to Democratic control in the midterms and that Brown has a good shot at being the next chair of the House Agriculture Committee.
Editor’s note: Sara Wyant is publisher of Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc., www.Agri-Pulse.com.
