Grassroots victory  Terry Holdren

May, 2010

No changes for 2011. Future changes will be kept to a minimum.

With this decision, the Topeka Regional Office of the RMA (Risk Management Agency) has heard from, and listened to farmers, landowners, suppliers and others vested in agriculture on its proposed elimination of crop insurance on continuous planting of some non-irrigated acres.

            The Topeka Regional Office of RMA had proposed cancelation of insurance products that provide coverage for these second crops in 18 counties in western Kansas and also parts of eastern Colorado and western Nebraska. RMA had originally concluded this practice was too high risk to warrant insurance coverage.

            In its own words, the Topeka office of RMA it, “is accepting the recommendation for taking it slow (RMA’s bold emphasis). The first step in analysis to determine if any changes should be made, will be to include the 2009 crop year experience and as many previous years as possible. This will allow us to make another look at the non-irrigated crop insurance experience.”

            A large number of the recommendations RMA is talking about came from more than 100 producers who attended two meetings held in Goodland and Ulysses in late February. Kansas Farm Bureau organized the two meetings and the results were forwarded to the Topeka Regional Office.

            “This announcement is reason for celebration,” says Steve Baccus, KFB president and Ottawa County farmer. “Through the leadership of our farm producers, at the grassroots level, we were able to persuade the Topeka Regional Office to find workable solutions for our members in western Kansas and the surrounding states of Colorado and Nebraska.”

            Specifically what Baccus was referring to was RMA’s decision in its own words to: “… to look more into the fact that effective no-till operations may be in a better position to carry out continuous planting in areas with limited precipitation. Many suggested that we separate out practices for continuous planting of spring crops and/or no-till, and conventional till. We are looking into the feasibility of putting these separate practices in place.”

            It’s not often in today’s skirmishes with the government where they not only listen but implement recommendations from those who have the most on the line. In this case, not only did the Topeka Regional Office listen but also thanked those who commented and offered possible solutions.

            And most importantly through 2011, and the future, RMA will work with producers to find workable solutions. As in this case eliminating crop insurance would not have worked for crop producers in western Kansas.

            For those interested in reading the entire text of the response from the Topeka Regional Office of RMA, go to www.kfb.org/news/newsimages/rmainsurance.pdf.

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