Brooke L. Rollins has announced sweeping changes to federal crop insurance, cutting administrative friction, updating long-standing rules, and widening access to risk protection starting with the 2026 crop year.
The reforms are set out in the Expanding Access to Risk Protection Final Rule, a package aimed squarely at simplifying compliance and responding to producer feedback.
The rule reflects a broader policy push by the United States Department of Agriculture to modernize the farm safety net.
According to Rollins, the objective is to make crop insurance easier to use, not harder, and to strip out requirements that no longer match how farming actually works.
The changes align with the Trump administration’s wider deregulatory agenda, which has focused on scaling back federal rulemaking across sectors.
One of the more practical adjustments targets prevented planting relief. The rule removes the “insured” requirement from the so-called “1 in 4” eligibility test.
Farmers will still need to show the land was planted and harvested, or adjusted for an insurable loss, in one of the previous four years. The paperwork lightens, the standard remains.
Production reporting also gets a reset. Policyholders who switch Approved Insurance Providers can now submit production histories directly to the new carrier.
The goal is to cut delays, reduce duplicate reporting, and avoid data gaps that have frustrated producers for years.
Specialty crops see targeted changes. Beginning with the 2027 crop year, direct-marketed fresh market tomatoes and peppers become eligible for coverage under the Dollar Plan.
USDA framed this as a response to business practices common in northeastern states, where direct marketing dominates.
Dispute resolution shifts too. In line with Executive Order 14192, the rule removes the automatic nullification provision and pushes fact-finding authority to the courts. For farmers and insurers alike, that trims administrative exposure and limits procedural dead ends.
