Crop Insurance Modernization Act of 2018

Crop Insurance Modernization Act of 2018

This bill modifies the federal crop insurance program to expand subsidies for beginning farmers, establish a conservation practice-based pilot program, and revise conservation requirements.

The bill amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to:

• allow farmers with up to 10 years (currently 5 years) of experience to receive the beginning farmer premium subsidy discount;
• require the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service or an expert on the relationship between conservation activities, farm production, and risk to serve on the Federal Crop Insurance Board as a nonvoting ex officio member;
• require the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to assemble data to understand the impact of soil type, soil quality, and conservation practices on risk rating;
• modify the requirements for terminating cover crops;
• establish an ombudsman to assist producers who are appealing claim denials;
• require a paperwork reduction policy for operations with less than $1 million in revenue; and
• establish a conservation practice-based pilot program to provide premium subsidies to farmers who are in high loss counties and commit to certain conservation activities.

The bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to:

• modify requirements for spot checks for compliance with conservation requirements;
• modify the conservation requirements related to modifications of gullies; and
• prohibit a producer's actual production records from one parcel of land from being used to establish actual production history on a separate parcel of land.