WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced a far-reaching rewrite of federal crop insurance rules, rolling back decades of red tape while expanding access to risk protection for farmers beginning with the 2026 crop year. The reforms — packaged in the Expanding Access to Risk Protection (EARP) Final Rule — mark one of the most significant policy shifts for agricultural producers in more than a generation.
“President Trump is cutting burdensome regulations and strengthening the farm safety net to ensure the future viability of American agriculture,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins said in unveiling the rule. She said the overhaul “lifts a weighted blanket from the American economy” by modernizing long-standing policies that growers have long argued were confusing, costly, and outdated.
The new rule removes the “insured” requirement from the long-criticized “1 in 4” prevented-planting rule, allows producers changing insurance companies to submit production reports directly to their new providers, expands Dollar Plan coverage to direct-marketed tomatoes and peppers, and shifts certain fact-finding authority from USDA to the courts in line with a recent executive order on deregulation.
Additional changes include deregulating coverage dates to allow county-level flexibility, extending beginning farmer and rancher eligibility from five to ten years, and applying updated premium subsidy rates for early-career producers. Crop-specific adjustments will expand late-season hurricane protection for tomato growers in Tennessee and South Carolina, align pepper insurance dates with northern climates, and move safflower contract change dates to simplify enrollment.
The final rule took effect Nov. 30 for crops with contract change dates on or after that day, and USDA will accept public comments through Jan. 27. Federal officials encouraged producers to consult local crop insurance agents or the Risk Management Agency website for details.
Nearly $1 Billion Directed to Rural Georgia
On Friday, Secretary Rollins traveled to Byron, Georgia, to announce a sweeping $906 million package for 59 rural development and housing projects across the state — one of the largest single-state rural investment efforts in recent USDA history. The funding includes $501 million for community infrastructure and $405 million for affordable housing.
“President Trump understands how important it is to have a safe, secure, and resilient farm economy,” Rollins said. She argued the investments will help strengthen entire supply chains by supporting the communities where agricultural workers, truckers, foresters, and processors live and work.
Georgia State Director Joyce White said USDA Rural Development programs have invested nearly a billion dollars in Georgia over the past year, calling the projects “a catalyst for strong, healthy, and resilient rural communities.”
Among the projects highlighted:
- Randolph County Hospital Authority will receive a $4 million Community Facilities Grant for major renovations, equipment purchases, and critical utility upgrades to restore full operational standards.
- Jasper County Water and Sewer Authority will use a $3.3 million loan-grant package to install a 300,000-gallon elevated water tank, upgrade lines and hydrants, and reduce disinfection by-products, improving pressure and expanding capacity.
- Hunter Cattle Company, LLC will receive a $250,000 Value-Added Producer Grant to expand into value-added beef tallow soap products, supporting processing, operations, and marketing.
- Georgia Transmission Corporation will receive a $240 million electric loan to build 20 miles of new transmission lines, upgrade 17 others, and modernize equipment for reliability across cooperative service areas.
- Seminole County Board of Education will receive a $980,690 Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grant to deploy modern classroom technology, expanding access to computer science, agriculture, and dual-credit coursework for 1,350 students.
Federal officials said the combined crop insurance reforms and rural development investments reflect the administration’s broader strategy of deregulation, expanded economic opportunity, and strengthened agricultural infrastructure.
“With the updates to crop insurance and historic investments in rural development, USDA is ushering in a new golden age of prosperity in rural America,” Rollins said.
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