Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Lawmakers and growers press for Title I and crop‑insurance fixes: ‘‘planted acres’’ payments and acreage base concerns
Loading...
Summary
Witnesses and members said the current alignment between Title I (PLC/ARC) base acres and planted acres is out of date for many producers and urged recalibration so assistance targets current plantings and costs; crop insurance concerns and premium/rate issues were discussed for several regions.
Several members and witnesses told the committee that long‑standing mechanics of Title I commodity programs (reference prices, base acres) and the federal crop‑insurance framework no longer reflect where producers actually plant and how they manage risk.
Rodney Weinzierl and other Midwest witnesses described how base acres can remain tied to historical decisions (1980–83 base acreage or earlier elections) that do not represent current rotations, with consequences for which acres receive Title I support. Weinzierl said updating payments to ‘‘planted acres’’ would better align assistance with the costs farmers face on the acres they actually seed.
Why it matters: Title I payments paid on base acres can pay assistance for crops not grown on a farm this year, while planted‑acre payments target the crops producers actually planted and the input costs they incurred. Witnesses and members also noted regional concerns with crop‑insurance rates, loss ratios, and the need to tailor insurance tools for specialty crops and regions with atypical risks.
Testimony highlights: Newton and several producers argued that reference prices are dated and that the farm safety net needs modernization; Weinzierl said reevaluating crop‑insurance rates in the Midwest could generate savings and noted conservation practices could reduce loss ratios. Members asked for program design updates and for the committee to consider shorter review cycles if market volatility continues.
Ending: Members urged the committee to consider planted‑acre approaches and insurance adjustments in the next farm bill to better match modern rotations and regional risk patterns.
