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C r o p I n s u r a n c e
today
By Laurie Langstraat, NCIS
The 2022 Crop Insurance Industry Annual Convention
was held February 13-16 in Indian Wells,
Calif., with approximately 280 people from the industry
in attendance. The event, hosted by National
Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) and the American
Association of Crop Insurers (AACI), provided educational
and informational sessions, and allowed
attendees the opportunity to network with their
peers. Many attendees expressed their pleasure at
having the event held in person; one of the first industry
events to do so since March of 2020.
Speakers and panelists provided a variety of
unique perspectives on American agriculture and
the role of crop insurance as the cornerstone of risk
management tools for farmers and ranchers.
In her opening remarks at the convention, Kendall
Jones, chair of NCIS and president and CEO of
ProAg, credited crop insurance's integral role in the
farm safety net for its increasing popularity. " The
scale and size of crop insurance further demonstrate
that farmers have come to rely upon our industry
when the going gets tough, " she said. " We
need to build on that credibility as the environment
farmers operate in continues to evolve. We are in
position to continue to modernize and improve -
adapting risk management tools to the risk. "
Among the most highly discussed topics of
the conference was how the industry is improving
to meet the changing needs of agriculture.
Jones praised the data-driven nature of crop insurance,
explaining that it has made crop insurrole
in supporting agriculture in my home state and
throughout farm country, " said Senator Tina Smith
(D-Minn.)
Smith joined Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.),
Representative Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), and Representative
Adrian Smith of (R-Neb.) in discussing
the critical role crop insurance plays in rural
communities.
Moran said he decided to run for Congress, in
part, to make sure rural communities like his home
Kendall Jones, Chair of the NCIS Board of
Directors addressed the convention attendees
Monday morning.
ance uniquely adept at helping America's farmers
respond to climate change.
" As farmers deal with new challenges, it is important
to maintain the integrity and credibility of
the Federal crop insurance program, but we need
to acknowledge it will not stay the same, " she said.
Jones pointed to the work that the crop insurance
industry has done alongside the U.S. Department
of Agriculture to facilitate the voluntary
adoption of climate-smart agriculture and champion
more diversity and equity within agriculture.
Following Jones' remarks, four Congressional
representatives spoke either virtually or via a
pre-recorded message saying that the public-private
partnership of crop insurance should be maintained
and expanded in the 2023 Farm Bill.
" The crop insurance industry plays an essential
of Plainville, Kansas, have a bright future.
" It is important to recognize the success of rural
communities is directly tied to agriculture and
the ability for farmers to stay in business is dependent
on a strong Federal crop insurance program, "
he said.
Carbajal said farmers in his district often tell
him they rely on crop insurance.
" I can't tell you how often I hear from the growers
in my district how important crop insurance
can be to them, " he said. " And we can continue to
work to improve and expand the program. "
Representative Smith said crop insurance alleviated
the blizzard and flooding devastation that
took place in Nebraska in 2019.
" What you guys work on is so incredibly important
not just in my district but across the country, "
he said.
A panel featuring representatives from commodity
and conservation organizations said that
crop insurance is a vital risk management tool that
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2022 Crop Insurance Industry
Convention A Great Success
Commodity and conservation organization panelists told attendees that crop insurance was very important to their members.
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