NCIS president says crop insurance saw growth in ’21

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NCIS president says crop insurance saw growth in ’21

The president of the National Crop Insurance Services says U.S. crop insurance saw tremendous growth in 2021.

And, Tom Zacharias says the program has continued to serve farmers during the pandemic.

“Premium volume was up. A lot of that was due to higher corn and soybean prices which is an opportunity for farmers to have more coverage,” he says. “…The strength of the program is such that adjusters are able to go across state lines and work these claims, so we have no bottlenecks there. We’ve worked with the Risk Management Agency since March of 2020 working around COVID restrictions and making sure there are flexibilities in the program so farmers have the coverage they need.”

He tells Brownfield crop insurance continues to be a critical risk management tool for farmers and ranchers

“Particularly we want to make sure things are working smoothly as they can now with supply chain disruptions,” he says. “So, making sure farmers have the tools they need to get the crop in the ground and manage their situations and crop insurance is fundamental to that.”

He says some new risk management tools were made available including hurricane coverage in the southeast and additional opportunities for livestock producers.

“In general, we continue to roll up our sleeves and provide the risk management tools necessary for American agriculture to succeed,” he says.

Brownfield interviewed Zacharias during Trade Talk at the 2021 NAFB Convention in Kansas City.

Audio: Tom Zacharias

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