December 26, 2012
Federal authorities announced last week that a North Carolina farmer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud on the federal crop insurance program for payments worth over $1 million. According to authorities, Harry Dean Canady, 63, of Lumberton, N.C., owned …
December 17, 2012
Rural lawmakers worry that $9 billion in annual federal crop insurance subsidies are an easy target for spending cuts in a “fiscal cliff” deal so they’re shopping around for a late compromise on a farm bill to protect them. The …
December 10, 2012
Congress should slash at least $100 billion in costs from the U.S. farm bill – three or four times more than cuts currently proposed – and resist calls for a hurry-up vote this week, a dozen anti-deficit and environmental groups …
December 7, 2012
With a week left to act, agricultural leaders in Congress are still deadlocked on two major issues for a new U.S. farm bill, cuts in crop subsidies and reductions in food stamps, said two of the four key negotiators on …
November 30, 2012
With time running out, agricultural leaders in Congress vowed on Thursday to do everything they can to pass a farm bill that cuts spending by at least $23 billion – savings that could assure support by lawmakers determined to reduce …
August 28, 2012
The drought in the U.S. agricultural heartland continues to deteriorate crops in the Corn Belt with no meaningful precipitation relief in sight. After the hottest July on record, insured losses from the 2012 drought are now expected to surpass losses …
June 21, 2012
The Senate approved sweeping new U.S. farm legislation on Thursday that would cut almost all traditional farm subsidies while expanding a costly crop insurance program, but odds are slim the bill will pass this year. Passed by a 2-1 margin, …
June 15, 2012
U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa. are urging the Senate to support their bipartisan amendment to end what they say are excessive federal crop insurance subsidies for large American farming operations. The Shaheen-Toomey amendment would cap crop …
March 20, 2012
U.S. farm and crop insurance subsidies would be cut by $30 billion over 10 years under a proposal made by the House of Representatives Budget Committee chairman on Tuesday, far larger reductions than agricultural-state lawmakers suggested. Budget chairman Paul Ryan …
January 25, 2012
Crop insurers paid out a record $9.1 billion in indemnities on 2011 U.S. crops, and the total could top $10 billion when all claims are settled, due to damage from drought, flooding, and freezing weather, a trade group said on …