Three states in the Great Plains – Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma – account for nearly half of crop insurance indemnities paid so far this year, say USDA data. Growers in the three states have received $1.47 billion for crop losses out of $3.18 billion paid to date, according to a weekly tally by the Risk Management Agency. Severe drought blasted the winter wheat crop, grown predominantly in the Plains, during the first half of the year as well as hitting cotton growers in Texas.
Growers in Texas collected $693.8 million on crop insurance claims, followed by Kansas with $440.1 million, Oklahoma with $332.5 million, North Dakota with $279.7 million and California with $210 million. Some $1.45 billion has been paid on wheat claims, said RMA, dwarfing other crops. Some $484.2 million has been paid on corn, $278.6 million on upland cotton, $237.5 million on soybeans, $146.3 million on pasture, rangeland and forage, and $100.2 million on rice.