Do sustainable practices affect access to crop insurance or credit? We want to find out.
Please help us by filling out this short Survey.
With funding from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, Iowa Farmers Union and the Center for Rural Affairs are starting a two-year project to gather data and analyze the relationship between Iowa farmers and two major financial components of American agriculture, crop insurance and credit. Based on previous research, this project is centered on the hypothesis that these financial underpinning of modern farming are biased against sustainable agriculture systems and practices. That may be a function of a lack of knowledge about sustainable agriculture or a perception that sustainable agricultural practices and systems are not economically feasible. This project will test that hypothesis in Iowa by gathering data on the experiences and perceptions of farmers, agricultural lenders and crop insurance agents. IFU members and other Iowa farmers will have a chance to respond to a survey and provide information about their experiences with agricultural lenders and the crop insurance system.
If you have any questions about the survey or the project please contact Amber Anderson Mba (800-775-5227) or Jon Bailey at the Center for Rural Affairs (420-687-2100).