Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Peter Welch of Vermont, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Raphael Warnock of Georgia last week introduced the Whole Farm Revenue Protection Program Improvement Act of 2023, a bill to ensure that small and mid-sized farms are able to access crop insurance.

“Right now, a few small to mid-sized, beginning, specialty crop, and diversified producers are able to enroll in the federal crop insurance program. This leaves the next generation of farmers and those who feed their local communities without an effective or adequate safety net to protect against the many risks of farming, including volatile markets, worsening floods, droughts, and frosts,” the senators said in a news release.

They explained, “The Whole Farm Revenue Protection Program Improvement Act will direct the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to take specific, targeted actions that will streamline access to Whole Farm Revenue Protection and close the coverage gap for our country’s small to mid-sized, beginning, specialty crop, and diversified producers.

“WFRP is a crop-neutral revenue insurance product designed to protect a farmer’s entire operation, including livestock, not just one crop. WFRP is intended to provide diversified and diversifying farms that might not have access to separate crop or revenue insurance policies for each crop they grow an option to insure all their crops and livestock under one policy.”

“Small and mid-size family farms are crucial to our rural communities and our state’s economy. Too often, these small family farmers don’t have the same tools and resources available to big agriculture, like crop insurance, and they can’t compete,” said Brown, the lead senator on the bill. “By ensuring every farmer can access crop insurance, we can make sure small Ohio farms can weather the risks of farming and compete with big ag companies.”

The Ohio Farmers Union, Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, National Wildlife Federation, Regenerate America, Farm Action, Farm Aid, Kiss the Ground, Environmental Working Group, Michigan Food and Farming Systems, Land Steward Project, Marbleseed, Georgia Organics, Dakota Rural Action, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, Coastal Enterprises Inc., Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Community Farm Alliance, and Maine Farmland Trust have endorsed the legislation.

“Unfortunately, due to heightened paperwork burdens and reluctance from farmers and agents to buy or market the program, WFRP enrollment peaked in 2017,” said Billy Hackett, the crop insurance policy analyst at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. “We know what barriers lead to falling WFRP enrollment from years of collecting data, testimony, and feedback from farmers and insurance agents on the ground. This act will finally allow WFRP to reach its full promise and potential to deliver affordable and streamlined insurance coverage to all farmers who want it.”