As any farmer can tell us, the soil is failing — doesn’t hold water much anymore, has fewer vitamins and minerals, and gets a crust all too easily. Meanwhile, USDA keeps doing the same things over and over again. Remember the Einstein rule about what happens next.
Crop insurance isn’t working as it should, e.g., it protects ag practices that contribute to the climate crisis and reduce food security. About a dozen years ago, when I worked for USDA/RMA, I tried to start a “climate change” research project that would consider changes in the growing standards for crop insurance products and estimate the necessary modifications for crops grown and insurance programs. I intended to help the Agency prepare for climate change’s challenges. The senior officials above my Agency said, “No.” Since then, nothing has changed: RMA and USDA are still stuck in the “doing the same things over and over” pattern while expecting a different result.
Now, “the heat” is on. The House Ag Committee is paying attention. 160 organic and other farm and feeding organizations have written to the President, and the issue is beginning to attract the media. Here we share one of the first “creative” Op-Eds.