Lucas Echoes Position of Farmers: Leave Crop Insurance AloneFarmers across the country say crop insurance program is a critical risk management tool
Washington, DC,
April 12, 2012
Chairman Frank Lucas, of the House Agriculture Committee, released a statement reiterating his support for America's farmers and ranchers and rejecting the premise of a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
MEDIA CONTACT: Today, Rep. Frank Lucas, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, released a statement reiterating his support for America's farmers and ranchers and rejecting the premise of a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report suggests crop insurance program supports should be limited for farmers. "Over and over again we have heard from our farmers about the importance of crop insurance because it forms the backbone of the safety net. I do not support the repeated attacks on an actuarial sound risk management program that serves as a good example of a public-private partnership where producers pay for coverage. This proposal would discourage participation in the crop insurance program and as a result endanger its integrity," said Chairman Frank Lucas. Last month, the House Agriculture Committee began a series of field hearings across the country to learn how agricultural programs are working for producers. Below are excerpts of hearing testimony from farmers who explained how important the crop insurance program is to their operations. John Mages, corn and soybean producer, Belgrade, Minnesota: Craig Adams, corn, soybean, wheat, hay, and beef producer, Leesburg, Ohio: "We need an insurance program that's affordable to all crop producers across the U.S. Commodity markets are cyclical and our self-produced food is a national asset." John Williams, sorghum, corn, wheat, and soybean producer, McLeansboro, Illinois: Adam Sullivan, apple producer, Sullivan Orchards, Peru, New York: "No crop insurance program will make a grower devastated by a natural disaster financially 'whole,' but it will allow them to survive a devastating loss and continue to support the economic engine of rural America." Tim Burch, cotton and peanut producer, Burch Farms, Newton, Georgia: Walter Corcoran, Jr., cotton, corn, peanut, soybean, grain sorghum, and cow calf producer, Eufaula, Alabama: ### |