Rep. Barry Moore asks USDA Secretary Vilsack to improve hurricane insurance protection for farmers

Press Release

Rep. Barry Moore (AL-02) delivered an official letter to Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack requesting an update on the Hurricane Insurance Protection -- Wind Index Endorsement (HIP-WI) and amending it from an all-or-nothing system to a tiered system. Moore delivered his request for an improved system of administrating hurricane insurance funds after listening to farmers throughout the Wiregrass who have suffered losses due to hurricanes.

"I know firsthand the damage that a hurricane can do to a farmer's crops, and fortunately, in 2020, many counties in the Second Congressional District of Alabama were able to take advantage of the Hurricane Insurance Protection made available to them," wrote Moore. "However, the counties that were not triggered by this all-or-nothing system still had extreme losses but were not eligible for HIP-WI. If the product was expanded to include a tiered system, farmers could purchase protection from devastating winds caused by a named hurricane, even if the winds are below hurricane-force within their county."

"We appreciate Congressman Moore's steadfast support of farmers," said Mitt Walker, director of the Governmental and Agricultural Programs Department of the Alabama Farmers Federation. "He understands so much of what farmers face each growing season is completely out of their control, especially when it comes to weather events such as hurricanes. We appreciate his efforts to ensure farmers have a variety of risk management tools that are effective in their time of need."

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