WASHINGTON (June 20, 2019) – Today, the U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Chairman Filemon Vela held a hearing on Crop Insurance, Risk Management, and Federal Disaster Programs, “How Farm Policy Helps Farmers in Adverse Conditions.” The hearing included six witnesses discussing the economic hardships and extreme weather conditions farmers and ranchers face and how current farm policies help address those challenges. Last week, the World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report described this year’s planting delays as “unprecedented.”  Federal farm programs and risk management systems are structured to assist farmers at times like these when they are most in need. 

“Through multiple hearings in several subcommittees, we have well-documented the pain currently in the farm economy,” said Congressman Vela. “Farm bankruptcies are up, farm profits are down, prices are in the tank, credit is tight, and the weather has been not only terrible, it is compounding the already-present hardships for farmers. At a time when every federal dollar is scrutinized, I appreciate the challenge facing the industry to explain how crop insurance works and why it is such an indispensable part of the farm safety net. If there is a silver lining to this economic storm, it is that there’s never been a clearer need for programs like these that help to keep our farm families in operation.”