Crop Insurance Payouts at a Record $9.1 Billion

Crop insurers paid out a record $9.1 billion in indemnities on 2011 U.S. crops, and the total could top $10 billion when all claims are settled, due to damage from drought, flooding, and freezing weather, a trade group said on Tuesday. The previous record was $8.7 billion in 2008, said National Crop Insurance Services, based in Overland Park, Kansas. Crop insurance, which is subsidized by the government, is expected to be a key point in the pending overhaul of U.S. farm law. The cost of the program has more than doubled in a decade.