crop insurance News

West Texas Ranchers Face Losses After Historic Wildfires

There are burned spots on Jay O’Brien’s ranch outside Stinnett that predate the Smokehouse Creek fire. Over the last several months, small fires — ones that weren’t pushed by strong winds or grew out of control — scarred his pastures …

Colorado Farmers Must Pay $6.5M for Defrauding Federal Crop Insurance Programs

Two Colorado Farmers must pay more than $6.5 Million for defrauding federal crop insurance programs, according to U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. Finegan’s office announced that Patrick Esch and Ed Dean Jagers of Springfield, Colorado, agreed to pay the sum to …

Small Farmers Hit by Extreme Weather Could Get Assistance From Proposed Insurance Program

Since catastrophic flooding hit Vermont in July and waterlogged crops, some farmers are trying to figure out how to get through the next season. Water washed away seeds planted in the summer at Bear Roots Farm, which grows about 20 …

Extreme Weather Can Hit Farmers Hard. Those With Smaller Farming Operations Often Pay the Price

MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Justin Ralph estimates he`s made about 200 trips delivering grain from the fields he farms with his brother and uncle this year. They`re accustomed to using their four semi-trucks to take the harvest from a total …

How Satellites Are Helping Farmers Adapt to Climate Crisis

When to harvest is one of the most crucial decisions a winemaker can make. Too early, and the result is bitter. Too late, and it’s overly sweet. It’s a delicate balance—one that’s increasingly being upended by the climate crisis. In …

Two Farmers Indicted in Kentucky Crop Insurance Fraud

Two Kentucky farmers and a relative have been indicted for falsifying crop damage and exaggerating the size of their fields in order to reap crop insurance benefits. A federal grand jury last week charged Randall Taulbee and James McDonald, of …

US Crop Insurance Payouts Rise Sharply as Climate Change Worsens Droughts, Floods

Insurance payments to U.S. farmers for crops lost to droughts and flooding have risen more than threefold over the past 25 years, according to an analysis of federal data by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released on Thursday. The report …

U.S. Initiates Emergency Crop Insurance Procedures in States Hit by Extreme Drought

Responding to extreme drought conditions in parts of the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is authorizing emergency procedures to help agricultural producers. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is working with crop insurance companies to streamline and accelerate the …

Wine ‘Smoke Taint’ Disputes Linger 2 Years After Wildfires

Recent wildfires in California Wine Country, particularly those that devastated parts of Napa and Sonoma counties in October 2017, have focused attention on whether insurance covers smoke taint damage to grapes and wine. Many wineries and grape growers have notified …

Another Kentucky Farmer Admits Crop Insurance Fraud

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Another Central Kentucky farmer has pleaded guilty in a crop insurance fraud scheme that a federal prosecutor has called “pervasive and severe” in that region. Daniel Arvin pleaded guilty on Dec. 19 in federal court in Lexington …