As Congress works toward a new Farm Bill, a House Ag Subcommittee talked conservation.
Lawmakers heard from five ag groups, including Tim Fink of the American Farmland Trust, who said that there is room to improve on how crop insurance interacts with conservation.
“I’ll say first and foremost, we need to make sure that the crop insurance system is not conflicting with these good farming practices. There’s been a lot of progress on that front, and there’s still probably progress to be made. I think the other aspect is that when we look at the crop insurance system, if we’re talking about creating additional incentives, it’s something that has to be actuarially sound, and the good news is, when we look at cover crop adoption, we’ve seen a lot of the research, it is reducing overall indemnity payments in the face of a lot of these extreme weather events. It’s also reducing prevent planting payments, and so whatever we can do that looks at the actuarially soundness, builds the research to make that case, and ultimately, our goal is to reward farmers for practices that are saving the public money and saving themselves money.”
Fink says that the Ag Land Easement Subprogram is crucial to preventing land loss. Without policy intervention, AFT estimates 18 million acres of farmland will be lost by 2040.
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UNL Extension’s Troy Walz discusses the Nebraska Ranch Practicum, where sessions are held, how producers can get involved, and what ranchers can gain from participating in the program.
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The Ranger Road Fire in the Oklahoma Panhandle is now 65% contained after burning nearly 300,000 acres over the past week. Kevin Charleston of Specialty Risk Insurance Agency discusses wildfire recovery, livestock insurance considerations, and the importance of preparedness for producers across the Southern Plains.
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Ag leaders say President Donald Trump’s State of the Union is unlikely to spark major agriculture headlines, but ongoing tariff uncertainty and trade policy remain key concerns, as does the debate around glyphosate and the status of the next Farm Bill.
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Cotton jassid, a invasive pest, is raising concerns for Southeast cotton growers as experts work to understand its impact this season.
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February 23, 2026 02:16 PM
