USDA’s Risk Management Agency Celebrates 30 Years of Service to American Agriculture

Apr 07, 2026

By Pat Swanson

We’re celebrating RMA’s 30 years of service to America’s agricultural producers through effective, market-based risk management tools to strengthen the economic stability of agricultural producers and rural communities.

I know how vital these tools are to farmers and ranchers. I’m a sixth-generation farmer myself and have served as a crop insurance agent for over 20 years in Southeast Iowa. I’ve seen crop insurance work where it matters most – on the farm. In good years, it’s a safety net. In tough years, it can be the difference between a farmer staying in business or being forced out. Risk management through crop insurance helps farmers recover from losses and gives lenders the assurance needed to provide operating credit for the next season.

While our agency was established in 1996, our roots trace back to the 1930s to help the nation’s agricultural industry recover from the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. The Federal crop insurance program has grown significantly since then, with the creation of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) in 1938, leading up to the creation of RMA to administer FCIC programs to support the American agriculture industry.

Through a public-private partnership with RMA, Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) sell and service Federal crop insurance policies in every state and in Puerto Rico. The federal crop insurance program currently offers 42 plans of insurance, covering 138 commodities and crops.

In crop year 2025 alone, more than 1.3 million policies were sold to insure crops and livestock valued at more than $199.5 billion and across 561 million acres.

Source : farmers.gov

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.