Crop Insurers Highlight Growth and Achievements at Annual Meeting

Feb 14, 2025

Crop insurers gathered this week for the industry’s annual convention, where leaders celebrated significant growth and charted a course for the future of American agriculture’s most important risk management tool. With more than nine out of every 10 planted acres insured in the country, crop insurance has become a vital component of the rural economy, protecting farmers and ranchers against extreme weather and volatile markets.

Dale Perry, Chairman of the American Association of Crop Insurers (AACI), emphasized the importance of preserving and expanding the industry’s success.

“Crop insurance has evolved from a secondary tool used by some farmers to protect against extreme loss events to the cornerstone of America’s safety net. It’s amazing to think that crop insurance has grown from a mere 30 million acres of protected farmland in 1982 to more than 540 million acres of farm and ranchland today,” said Perry, who is also the Divisional President for Great American Insurance Group’s Crop Division.

But he said the industry’s work isn’t over, urging colleagues to work to build upon the successes in the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization. Under the current Farm Bill, crop insurance has expanded its coverage significantly, offering 30 new products for specialty crops, livestock, and pastureland, reflecting the industry’s adaptability to farmers’ evolving needs.

Scott Arnold, Chairman of National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) and Chairman of Rain and Hail, highlighted the program’s impact: “In just five years, crop insurers have paid insurable losses of more than $65 billion to help farmers recover from disasters.”

Noting the 205 million additional acres that have been enrolled in that time, Arnold said, “This growth is a testament to the thoughtfulness and drive of more than 20,000 committed people who work in this industry.”

The meeting also focused on the industry’s public-private partnership, which combines government funding and oversight with private-sector efficiency.

“As we prepare for the opportunities and challenges of 2025, the crop insurance industry must remain steadfast in its commitment to serving the agricultural community,” said Tom Zacharias, President of NCIS. “The accomplishments of recent years reflect the strength of the system, but they also serve as a reminder of the ongoing responsibility to innovate and advocate.”

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.