A new analysis from the Environmental Working Group reports more than $143.5 billion in federal crop insurance payments were made to farmers from 1995 to 2020, but USDA didn’t require farmers to adapt to climate change or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The EWG would like to see that changed. EWG Midwest Director Anne Schechinger says new pilot programs that encourage an expansion of cover crops and other practices are good first steps. “We think they should be expanded and made more permanent. We also think a good place to start in looking at how crop insurance can better is looking into these policies for higher risk areas. What can we do about premiums or premium subsidies in high-risk areas to help encourage farmers to adapt to the extreme weather conditions from climate change?” The EWG says drought and excessive moisture are becoming more common due to climate change. The highest total amount of excess moisture payments went to Brown County in South Dakota and the other top nine counties were in North Dakota.
News Categories
Latest RRFN Podcasts
Subscribe to RRFN
Get a weekly digest from RRFN to stay up-to-date on all the latest news in agriculture.