Crop Insurance

Farmers say Title One — a farm bill program that sends money when crop prices or harvests get low enough — isn’t working as a buffer against tough years. Yet others argue the nearly 100-year-old safety net is costing billions of dollars with few strings attached.

The Farm Bill, which sets important policy on matters such as crop insurance and SNAP benefits, is up for renewal next year. The results of the midterm elections may not shed much light on how that legislation will end up.

Some farmers and environmentalists say the federal program, which is heavily subsidized by U.S. taxpayers, discourages growers from adapting to climate change and should be redesigned.

Reporting from Harvest Public Media’s Bill Wheelhouse.Farmers across the country received more than $17 billion in federal crop insurance payouts after…

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