Roger Johnson, National Farmers Union (NFU) President, issued the following statement following a new round of criticisms that federal crop insurance programs chiefly benefit insurance companies and large farmers:


“Last summer’s drought was devastating for many farmers around the country, but the damage was not as catastrophic as it was in other bad years, like the 1988 drought, largely because the crop insurance system provided a vitally necessary backstop. Only 55.8 million acres of major crops were covered by crop insurance in 1988, while in 2011, a total of 265.4 million were insured. More farmers carry crop insurance coverage today so that they might be able to stay in business through tough times.

“NFU also believes that crop insurance subsidies, like other safety net programs, should be targeted to family-sized farmers.
