Crop insurance is a critical component to the success of a farming operation. Recent climate disasters such as droughts, derechos, flooding, wildfires and more have further proven how crop insurance is an important tool in weathering the unpredictable challenges of weather and modern-day agriculture. As the Crop Insurance Coalition wrote letters to the Biden Administration and congressional leaders this week, they shared the fact that crop insurance is a farmer’s first line of defense against climate change and other disasters.

As some critics try to establish a link between crop insurance and how the program does not encourage or require farmers to adapt to climate change, it’s more important than ever to understand how federal crop insurance, used in tandem with conservation practices, has evolved to incorporate climate smart farming practices. In fact, a 2020 study in the Journal of Environmental Management reported that both crop insurance and conservation practices serve unique roles and are used simultaneously. The report revealed that crop insurance programs are not a barrier to the adoption of practices such as cover crops and conservation tillage, but in fact produce complimentary outcomes as a combined approach.

Read more on crop insurance benefits in climate-smart agriculture here.