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Growers say current crop insurance fails specialty crops; urge pilots and program fixes
Summary
Nursery and diversified specialty crop producers told lawmakers Whole Farm and other federal insurance tools often fail them because high diversity and thresholds (50% loss) prevent payouts; witnesses asked for targeted pilots, advisory input to RMA, and alternative relief mechanisms.
WASHINGTON — Specialty crop growers and state leaders told the House Agriculture Committee the current federal risk‑management tools do not fit the production realities of diversified specialty crop operations and perennial plant producers.
Michael Fraunce, co‑owner of Fraunce Wholesale Nursery, said many nursery crops are too diverse for existing Title I programs and described how catastrophic programs with a 50% loss trigger "rarely work well for us because of our extreme crop diversity." He testified that…
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