4 ms·

> The federal crop insurance program is based on farmers planting the same crop in the same place each year to have a record for production, and it is not flexi

> The federal crop insurance program is based on farmers planting the same crop in the same place each year to have a record for production, and it is not flexible enough to account for practices like cover crops. If you want to take an actionable item away from this article that fits (potentially) the skillsets of your friends and neighbours on Hacker News, it is this one. This is a data problem and an actuarial problem. Solving it can result in net social benefit disproportionate to the investment in infrastructure, politicial capital (to change legislation), and (already existing) government programs required. I don't know if, politically, there are any groups who would be organized to swing into action in opposition to federal crop insurance reform, but they or any who may shake out of the math (presumably there's some practices and crops cough corn that benefit from less information, relatively speaking) have an uphill battle to fight against a variety of constituent-motivating narratives. It's hard to argue against big government spending when tens of millions of dollars is at stake.

24gttghh 9y ago
So, after the Dust Bowl, there were all kinds of things promoted by the Federal Gov't like crop rotation, contour farming, and planting wind breaks to keep the soil from blowing away. When did we forget that lesson? And I looked up what I think is an actual rule regarding Crop Rotation when it comes to the FCIC[0]: >(B) ASSIGNED YIELD.—If the producer does not provide satisfactory evidence of the yield of a commodity under subparagraph (A), the producer shall be assigned— (i) a yield that is not less than 65 percent of the transitional yield of the producer (adjusted to reflect actual production reflected in the records acceptable to the Corporation for continuous years), as specified in regulations issued by the Corporation based on production history requirements; (ii) a yield determined by the Corporation, in the case of— (I) a producer that has not had a share of the production of the insured crop for more than two crop years, as determined by the Secretary; (II) a producer that produces an agricultural commodity on land that has not been farmed by the producer; or (III) a producer that rotates a crop produced on a farm to a crop that has not been produced on the farm; Just search the doc for "rotate". It is only mentioned once. I think the FCIC only applies to wheat and some other grains. [0]https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/75-30%20-%20Agricultural%20Adjustment%20Act%20Of%201938%20&%20Federal%20Crop%20Insurance%20Act1.pdf https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/75-30%20-%2...

24gttghh 9y ago

So, after the Dust Bowl, there were all kinds of things promoted by the Federal Gov't like crop rotation, contour farming, and planting wind breaks to keep the soil from blowing away. When did we forget that lesson? And I looked up what I think is an actual rule regarding Crop Rotation when it comes to the FCIC[0]: >(B) ASSIGNED YIELD.—If the producer does not provide satisfactory evidence of the yield of a commodity under subparagraph (A), the producer shall be assigned— (i) a yield that is not less than 65 percent of the transitional yield of the producer (adjusted to reflect actual production reflected in the records acceptable to the Corporation for continuous years), as specified in regulations issued by the Corporation based on production history requirements; (ii) a yield determined by the Corporation, in the case of— (I) a producer that has not had a share of the production of the insured crop for more than two crop years, as determined by the Secretary; (II) a producer that produces an agricultural commodity on land that has not been farmed by the producer; or (III) a producer that rotates a crop produced on a farm to a crop that has not been produced on the farm; Just search the doc for "rotate". It is only mentioned once. I think the FCIC only applies to wheat and some other grains. [0]https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/75-30%20-%20Agricultural%20Adjustment%20Act%20Of%201938%20&%20Federal%20Crop%20Insurance%20Act1.pdf https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/75-30%20-%2...