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Concern over budget crop insurance cuts

President Obama’s proposal to cut crop insurance in his 2016 budget does not sit well with ag leaders on Capitol Hill.

Senate Ag Committee Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas says the president’s budget would cut the very tool farmers and ranchers need.

In explaining the ag budget, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters Monday the proposal will continue some of the changes and reforms of crop insurance proposed last year while maintaining a strong safety net, “But, consistent with the OIG (Office of Inspector General) audit, we’re proposing some suggested changes in the prevented planting, resources and focus, as well, on the harvest price coverage.”

Senate Ag Committee member Chuck Grassley of Iowa says the proposed cuts would be disruptive. Grassley told reporters today, “The principle here that we want to live by is that you want to bring certainty to agriculture. And, it takes so long, like in this case, a couple years to write a Farm Bill. Farmers are planning on it. If you want agriculture to advance you want certainty in agriculture.”

Chairman Roberts says the president is “especially hard on farmers, again placing a disproportionate share of federal budget cuts on the shoulders of producers.”