Federal crop insurance often gets a bad rap in the press and on Capitol Hill, especially when substantial payouts are made to help offset some of the losses farmers suffer when commodity prices tank. But a new poll of U.S. voters shows overwhelming support for farmers and a federal farm policy that helps protect them and the nation’s food supply. The poll showed 86 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of farmers, and 92 percent think federal spending on programs to support farmers is important. Some 57 percent say it’s “very important.” The majority was also in favor of the way federal crop insurance operates. “Crop insurance has proven its worth to the rural economy, and new farm bill policies have kicked in to help growers cope with falling commodity prices. Yet agriculture’s political opponents have been unrelenting in their misguided attacks,” Tom Zacharias, president of National Crop Insurance Services, stated in a written response to Capital Press. “Luckily for farmers, it looks like they have a pretty powerful ally in their corner: the American public,” he said. The positive responses also cut across party lines, representing Republicans, Democrats and independent voters, according to North Star Opinion Research, which was commissioned by National Crop Insurance Services to conduct the poll. “Americans overwhelmingly like farmers and support the programs that protect them,” John McHenry, vice president of the research firm, said in a press release. “This response is not surprising when you consider that eight in 10 voters believe a vibrant agricultural industry was critical to the country’s national security,” he said. Support for farm policy and crop insurance even remained high when voters were read a critical argument often used by farm policy opponents, he said. That statement countered federal financial assistance to protect farmers from financial ruin and protect the nation’s food supply from risks with the argument that “most of the nation’s food is grown by farming corporations that can easily afford to pay for their own crop insurance premiums without taxpayer money … and farmers should not get special treatment that the federal government simply cannot afford.” Sixty percent of the voters sided with government assistance, and 79 percent supported discounted crop insurance. In addition, 42 percent thought the farmer’s share of the premium — at 40 percent — was “about right,” while 26 percent thought it was too high. Similarly, 59 percent thought the amount of loss sustained before indemnity payments are made — on average, the first 25 percent — is about right, while 20 percent thought it was too high. “The bottom line is that America’s appreciation for farmers and farm policy continues,” Zacharias said. The phone survey of 1,000 registered voters was representative of state, gender, race and age of past voter turnout. It was conducted in early April and has a margin of error of 3.1 percent, according to the research firm. Source - http://www.capitalpress.com