As the United States Congress continues to stall on approving a new Farm Bill, both senators from Iowa are supporting legislation to strengthen a key element of the Farm Bill.

Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst have joined North Dakota Senator John Hoeven and introduced the Federal Agriculture Risk Management Enhancement and Resilience (FARMER) Act for crop insurance. The bill would increase premium support for higher levels of crop insurance and improve the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) to allow for expanded coverage. Additionally, the bill would direct the Risk Management Agency to conduct a study to improve the effectiveness of the SCO in larger counties and not require producers to choose between purchasing enhanced crop insurance or participating in the Agriculture Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage programs.

Grassley explains why he is putting forth considerable effort on supporting crop insurance anyway he can.

“But we want people to know that we’re thinking about whenever a five-year Farm Bill comes up, whether it’s this year or next year, that we think crop insurance is the most beneficial of all the safety nets for family farmers, and that we ought to keep it strong.”

The 2018 Farm Bill was extended by Congress for one year, after its expiration date passed on September 30, 2023.