Oklahoma Wheat Farmers Seek Drought Loss Relief from USDA

October 13, 2014

Oklahoma wheat farmers want the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement now a policy that’s scheduled to start in 2016 that farmers say would help ease the financial pain of ongoing drought.

The policy is part of the 2014 Farm Bill.

The amount of crop insurance a farmer is eligible for depends on actual production history. Farmers who lose crops to drought several years in a row have to report lower yields, meaning their insurance coverage decreases each year.

The new policy allows farmers to omit records for years in which their crop yields are less than 50 percent of their county’s 10-year average.

A USDA spokesman declined comment to The Oklahoman but U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said the change is complex and would take time to work through.

Topics Profit Loss Agribusiness Oklahoma

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