National Crop Insurance Services, or NCIS, is encouraging farmers, policymakers, and ag professionals to check out its Keep America Growing podcast. The latest episode features former Congressman Mike Conaway, who previously chaired the House Agriculture Committee.
In the interview, Conaway reflects on how crop insurance has evolved during his time in politics, and why it has never been more important.
“I think on balance, where we are today, crop insurance is better off. It’s never been more needed than where we find ourselves today, given the combination of stunningly higher input costs, trade ruckus that’s been going on, and lower commodity prices. Things are really difficult in agricultural America right now, and crop insurance is that one piece of the safety net that can be counted on. Ad hoc disaster comes and goes, but the importance of crop insurance, I don’t think can be overstated. For the borrower as well as the lender, banks just won’t lend unless you’ve got a backstop of crop insurance.”
Conaway also points to recent legislative wins — including improvements included in last year’s budget reconciliation package — as meaningful, long-term investments in the farm safety net.
“GT Thompson and John Bozeman – the chairmen – did a really good job of working in a difficult environment to get something done on a bipartisan basis. They were able to order billions of investments in crop insurance over the ten-year budget window with increased discounts on premiums, really significant investments on the client customer side, but I think they also made some great investments in the private sector delivery system to make sure that it’s fair to not only the crop insurance agents but the companies themselves, because the private sector delivery system is such an integral part of the success.”
The conversation also touches on how crop insurance performed during last year’s federal government shutdown, and continued to deliver for farmers when other programs stalled.
“Well, first off, nobody enjoys the shutdown. It’s a terrible tool. Both parties, when they’re a minority, try to use it, take advantage of it to get policy wins that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to, do given the votes on things. So, it’s an awful tool. Dreadful. It’s very disruptive to most everything, but it did not disrupt crop insurance. Adjusters stayed in the fields. Claims were being processed. Farmers received the assistance. The private sector delivery system stood tall and deliberate throughout that entire six weeks.”
NCIS President Tom Zacharias says conversations like this help put today’s policy debates into context — and remind listeners why crop insurance remains the cornerstone of the farm safety net.
The full interview with former Chairman Mike Conaway is available now as part of the Keep America Growing podcast. Episodes can be found at CropInsuranceInAmerica.org or wherever podcasts are available.