WASHINGTON-Ten U.S. Senators recently sent a bipartisan letter to the USDA urging its Risk Management Agency (RMA) to approach upcoming negotiations over the Federal Crop Insurance Program with great care.
Led by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Senator Saxby Chambliss (GA), the Committee's top Republican, the letter was sent to precede the renegotiations over the Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA)-the contract responsible for governing the relationship between the USDA and the companies providing Federal Crop Insurance Program assistance to farmers.
Specifically, the letter focused on methods for determining reimbursement for administrative and operating costs, noting that RMA is expected to consider alternative approaches, but not obligated to adopt a new method.