ProAg news featuring USDAA federal court denied an emergency request from Brisk Insurance Services LLC, a crop insurance technology vendor, seeking to block USDA Risk Management Agency bulletin MGR-26-002, (Agent Compensation – Third Party Software Payments) which could disrupt its business model selling policy administration software to approved insurance providers (AIPs) participating in the Federal Crop Insurance Program.

Brisk argued the rule change would cause immediate harm, but the court found it did not meet the legal standard required for emergency relief.

The dispute focuses on USDA guidance on how certain payments and relationships with third-party technology providers are classified within the Federal Crop Insurance Program. Brisk’s model was structured to support a specific group of agents, rather than being deployed across an AIP’s full agent network. The group of agents also funded the platform’s development and early-stage costs, with repayment through service fees partially supported by federal reimbursements tied to AIP operating expenses.

For crop insurance agents, the ruling allows the USDA guidance to remain in effect while the broader case proceeds, reinforcing increased scrutiny on third-party vendor arrangements with AIPs. Read the full article to learn more here.