NPR: As climate changes, taxpayers will shoulder larger U.S. payouts to farmers
Cash crops like corn could get more expensive to insure thanks to climate change. (Photo by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: corn; CC BY-NC 2.0)
A recent National Public Radio story highlighted the risks that climate change may pose to both farm operations and Americans' pocketbooks in the years to come.
Many row-crop farm operations take out crop insurance to manage risk. About 60% of the premiums for that insurance are covered by taxpayers through the U.S Farm Bill, to the tune of about $8 billion every year.
As climate change exacerbates flooding and increases farm runoff pollution in the years to come, we can only expect the risks for farmers — and the cost to taxpayers — to increase.
That's one more reason FMR is working with partners across the state — including agricultural groups — to promote more resilient "clean-water crops" that help protect our water, soil and climate.
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