Representatives Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Angie Craig (D-MN) introduced the Crop Insurance for Future Farmers Act. It would equip new producers, beginning farmers, and U.S. veterans with the crop insurance protections they need to be productive, profitable, and successful.
The legislation would align the definition of “Beginning Farmer” to match most other beginning-farmer programs, extending crop and livestock insurance protections to ten years for new and beginning farmers. This increase to ten years would apply to all federal crop insurance programs, including livestock policies.
“We have to do a better job of helping new farmers build successful operations,” Craig says. “We’re working to strengthen the farm safety net and ensure we’re preparing the next generation of family farmers.” Recent estimates say 34 percent of all U.S. producers are over 65 years old, while only eight percent were under 35. Forty percent of all farmlands will transfer ownership over the next 20 years.