Organizations representing crop insurance companies held a virtual joint 2021 Crop Insurance Convention this morning where they heard from the leadership of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR). American Association of Crop Insurers (AACI) executive director Scott Graves welcomed Sen. Boozman, while Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) executive vice president Michael …
CIRB Annual Meeting was Virtual Success
The 57th Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) Annual Meeting was a virtual success. Michael Torrey, CIRB Executive Vice President, said they were pleasantly surprised to have a record turnout for their first ever virtual meeting, which gave many more a chance to participate. “Allowing several individuals within companies, and participants from overseas, and even a lot of non-members, to …
Role of Crop Insurance in Climate Change Policy
The Role of Crop Insurance in Climate Change Policy was the theme for the closing panel of the 57th annual Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau meeting held virtually Thursday. The panel included Bruce Knight, Strategic Conservation Solutions, LLC; Callie Eideberg, Environmental Defense Fund; Jonathan Coppess, University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, College of Agricultural & Consumer Economics; and Josh Tonsager, National Association …
Virtual CIRB Meeting Gets Ag Economic Update
The food and agriculture economies are continuing to feel the impact of COVID-19 as the pandemic enters a second year of global disruption. “Beginning in mid-March, when it was declared a pandemic in the United States…the impact on agriculture was immediate,” said American Farm Bureau Federation chief economist John Newton, speaking today at the virtual 57th annual Crop Insurance and …
Senators Question EPA Nominee on RFS and WOTUS
The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule and the Renewable Fuel Standard were two topics Environmental Protection Agency nominee Michael Regan addressed during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday. Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) called WOTUS the “one that everyone ought to be concerned about because that’s the number one issue.” Regan, who …
Preview of the 57th CIRB Annual Meeting
The Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau is holding its virtual 2021 CIRB Annual meeting tomorrow February 4, hosted on Zoom. CIRB’s 57th Annual Meeting will feature distinguished speakers, such as Dr. John Newton from American Farm Bureau Federation and Jim Wiesemeyer from Pro Farmer, to provide updates for the crop insurance industry. You can find the agenda here. A virtual …
Vilsack Ready to Return to Old Job in New Times
Former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appeared before the Senate Agriculture Committee Tuesday to be questioned about his goals if confirmed to return to his old job as the new Secretary of Agriculture. Joking that he realized it was Groundhog Day and he was “back again,” Vilsack noted that “this is a fundamentally different time.” In his opening statement, Vilsack outlined …
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast Episode 5
This episode of the Daugherty Water for Food podcast features a discussion on water law with the Nebraska Governance and Technology Center. Water regulations, and the subsidies and penalties that follow them, are not easy to change when a major weather event impacts water storage and use. As more and more weather events occur due to climate change, some advocates …
China Starting to Buy U.S. Ethanol
Reports that China is buying U.S. ethanol again sent a positive message to the industry Tuesday that the Phase One trade agreement promises may yet be met. During an investor call, Archer Daniels Midland Co-Chief Financial Officer Ray Young said they believe China has already made commitments “in the first half of the year for U.S. ethanol equal to the …
Former Sen. Daschle Comments on Split Senate
Former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle shared his thoughts on a 50-50 split Senate during an appearance on a panel at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Summit Tuesday. He offered advice from his own experience in the 107th Congress in 2001, the only other time in history there was a split Senate. “It’s going to take good chemistry, it’s going …