News

IL Farmers Union seeking better specialty crop insurance options

The Illinois Farmers Union (IFU) wants to see better crop insurance options for specialty growers in the new farm bill.

John Williams, IFU representative and farm manager at Sola Gratia farm in Urbana, tells Brownfield…

“A lot of the larger insurance programs that we have in this country don’t really fit for, you know, the 50 different veggies that we’re growing here on this farm,” he says.

Williams says increased access to federal programs for small farmers is needed.

“Programs like the Whole Farm Revenue Protection Act can be improved to make it less burdensome on the farmer and you know,” he says, “there are insurance agents that are not able or willing to take on those policies.”

Williams says diversification of crops is currently his only real insurance against the weather.

“You know, right now my insurance policy is I grow 50 different types of vegetables and I manage if one or two of my crops fail, that’s my insurance program.”  He says, “But that’s not always the case for other diversified operations to be able to weather those challenges.”

A bipartisan group of lawmakers recently created the Congressional Specialty Crops Caucus to build support for farm bill priorities.  Williams says IFU and National Farmers Union plan to keep in close contact with lawmakers during the farm bill negotiations.

AUDIO: John Williams – representative of Illinois Farmers Union