USDA announces double crop insurance expansion
This crop insurance expansion is an attempt by the Biden administration to increase supply and lower food costs.
On July 12, the Biden Administration announced that in response to rising food costs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) will take steps to increase production by reducing the economic risk of double cropping – raising two crops on the same land in a year – and expanding double crop insurance availability in around 1,500 counties.
According to a release from the USDA, changes implemented by their recent actions include:
- Double crop coverage for soybeans will be expanded to/streamlined in at least 681 counties.
- Double crop coverage for grain sorghum will be expanded to/streamlined in at least 870 counties.
- The RMA will work with crop insurers and farm organizations to “highlight the availability and improvements in written agreements as an option for any farmer that grows a crop outside the area where a policy is automatically offered.”
After further review with farmers throughout the summer, the USDA says they will finalize the details and requirements of obtaining this insurance by November 30, 2022.
“In May, I joined President Biden at the O’Connor farm in Kankakee, Illinois, to announce a series of actions to help farmers do what they do — grow food for American families and the rest of the world. Today, USDA is making good on one of those commitments and making it easier to plant double crops and sharing some of the financial risk by making crop insurance more available in over 1,500 counties,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a release. “We live in a challenging time, but I put my trust in the American farmer and U.S. agriculture to help keep the food we need affordable and available. The Biden administration and USDA will continue to find ways to ease burdens on American farmers and lower costs for American families such as expanded double crop options through crop insurance.”
Maps of the included counties, as well as a list of frequently asked questions, are available on the USDA’s RMA website.