crop insurance : NPR

For every $1 that farmers spent on crop insurance premiums over the past 15 years, they got more than twice that much back in payouts, according to a new report. Andrew Baker/Ikon Images/Corbis hide caption

toggle caption

Andrew Baker/Ikon Images/Corbis

The Salt

Buy Crop Insurance, Double Your Money

February 11, 2016 • The nation's crop insurance program is really a lottery, says one economist. And it's rigged so that farmers win. In fact, farmers typically get back double the money they pay for premiums.

Congress Poised To Make Crop Insurance Subsidies More Generous

An Illinois corn and soybean farmer walks to his tractor while cultivating his field. Seth Perlman/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Seth Perlman/AP

The Salt

Congress Poised To Make Crop Insurance Subsidies More Generous

May 30, 2013 • Farmers have been getting these government checks for years. Essentially, insurance allows farmers to lock in price guarantees — while taxpayers foot 60 percent of the premiums. Critics say such subsidies help the rich get richer and minimize risk so much, they incentivize farming on marginal lands.

Congress Poised To Make Crop Insurance Subsidies More Generous

Listen · 5:10 5:10

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/187346726/187346715" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Big Ag Agrees to Conserve Cropland, But At What Cost?

Peanut plants grow on a Halifax, N.C., farm that received federal subsidies in 2011. Robert Willett/MCT /Landov hide caption

toggle caption

Robert Willett/MCT /Landov

The Salt

Big Ag Agrees to Conserve Cropland, But At What Cost?

May 9, 2013 • Farmers say they are ready to compromise with some environmental groups on the issue of conservation compliance. But critics say the price tag for the taxpayer may be too high.

Who Paid For Last Summer's Drought? You Did

Corn plants dry in a drought-stricken farm field near Fritchton, Ind., last summer. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Scott Olson/Getty Images

The Salt

Who Paid For Last Summer's Drought? You Did

May 1, 2013 • Corn and soybean farmers not only survived last year's epic drought — thanks to crop insurance, they made bigger profits than they would have in a normal year, a new analysis finds. And a big chunk of those profits were provided through taxpayer subsidies.

Meat Producers And, Ultimately, Consumers Hurt By Drought

These piglets on the Hardin farm in Danville, Ind., are going to cost more to feed than they will fetch at market. Dan Charles/NPR hide caption

toggle caption

Dan Charles/NPR

The Salt

Meat Producers And, Ultimately, Consumers Hurt By Drought

July 25, 2012 • The crops taking the worst hit from the current drought are the ones we feed to animals, like corn. Higher corn prices mean it can cost more to feed pigs and cattle than they will fetch at market, meaning higher meat prices for all.

Meat Producers And, Ultimately, Consumers Hurt By Drought

Listen · 4:15 4:15

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/157355792/157382513" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Government Takeover Of Farm Subsidy Would Save Billions, Economist Says

The Yazoo River floodwaters inundate crops last year in Yazoo County, Mississippi Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Salt

Government Takeover Of Farm Subsidy Would Save Billions, Economist Says

April 20, 2012 • Crop insurance is a sticky issue in the debate over the shape of the farm bill this year. But what if a simplified version of the program could save taxpayers billions of dollars? One economist says it could.