For the broader farm community, given that many farmers and ranchers who do not benefit from commodity programs use crop insurance as their primary or perhaps only federal risk management tool, policymakers may consider how effective federal crop insurance has been for producers of specialty crops and livestock. Across the federal government, controlling or reducing program costs continues to be an issue. Over the next 10 years, federal spending on crop insurance is projected to outpace spending on traditional commodity programs by about one-third, which might capture the attention of budget cutters looking for potential sources of savings. .
