There is no such thing as a risk-free year in agriculture, anyone who has spent time around farmers knows that. You can make good decisions, work from before sunrise until after dark, carefully manage your finances and do almost everything right, and still have Mother Nature change your plans overnight. Drought, excessive rain, wildfire, wind, disease or an unexpected freeze can quickly turn a promising year into a difficult one.
For a small farmer, one bad year can be especially hard to absorb. That is why I believe we need to talk more about crop insurance with beginning farmers and ranchers, particularly our nation’s Farmer Veterans.
At the Farmer Veteran Coalition, we spend a great deal of time helping veterans find their way into agriculture. We talk about land access, financing, business planning, training, markets and technical assistance. All of those things matter, but helping someone get into farming isn’t enough. We also have to help them stay there and USDA’s Micro Farm crop insurance program is one tool that can help.
For years, many small producers have heard “crop insurance” and assumed it was intended for large commodity farms. If you grow vegetables, raise livestock alongside specialty crops, operate a CSA, or sell through farmers markets and farm stands, crop insurance may not have seemed relevant. Micro Farm was designed differently.
Administered through USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), Micro Farm provides revenue-based coverage for smaller operations and is available nationwide. Rather than requiring a diversified farmer to think about insuring every commodity separately, it generally protects the revenue of the farm as a whole against losses from covered, unavoidable natural causes.
For 2026, a first-year Micro Farm insured can have up to $350,000 in approved revenue. A producer continuing Micro Farm coverage from the previous year can have up to $400,000 in approved revenue.
A farmer growing several crops, raising livestock and selling through different markets may therefore be able to protect the operation through one policy, and USDA helps pay the premium.
Micro Farm offers coverage from 50% through 90% of approved revenue. At the 50% through 75% coverage levels, the standard Federal premium subsidy is 80%. The subsidy is 71% at 80% coverage and 56% at the 85% and 90% coverage levels.
Your Military Service May Matter
USDA expanded its crop insurance benefits for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (BFRs) in 2026. For crop insurance purposes, a BFR is generally someone who has not actively operated and managed a farm or ranch with an insurable interest for more than 10 crop years.
For veterans, there is an important provision, certain years do not count toward that limit, including years spent serving on active duty in the U.S. military. That is something I don’t want our members to overlook.
Qualifying BFRs can receive additional premium subsidies of 15 percentage points in years one and two, 13 points in year three, 11 points in year four, and 10 points in years five through ten. Other benefits include waived administrative fees and favorable provisions involving production history and yield adjustments.
USDA also recognizes a separate Veteran Farmer and Rancher (VFR) designation. Qualifying veterans may receive an additional 10 percentage points of premium subsidy, along with administrative-fee waivers and other benefits. If you qualify for both BFR and VFR benefits, they are not stacked. Generally, BFR benefits are used because they are equal to or greater than the veteran benefits and can remain available longer.
My advice is simple, don’t decide for yourself that you don’t qualify. Tell your crop insurance agent you are a veteran, when you began farming, and ask them to determine whether you qualify for BFR or VFR benefits.
What Records Will You Need?
Micro Farm generally requires at least three years of historical farm tax records, such as Schedule F records or other qualifying farm tax information. Producers also need information supporting their historical farm revenue and current-year farm plan.
For a beginning farmer, that requirement may sound like an immediate roadblock, but don’t assume it is. USDA has special provisions that may allow qualifying beginning or veteran farmers who take over an existing operation to use another producer’s records when certain requirements, including material participation in the farm, are met. Again, ask the agent before assuming you are ineligible.
Don't Wait Until You Need It
Crop insurance cannot be purchased after you know you have a problem. There are sales-closing dates, and they matter.
For calendar-year tax filers and fiscal-year filers whose fiscal year begins August 1 or earlier, the Micro Farm sales-closing date is February 28, March 31 or April 15, depending on the applicable date for the county.
For fiscal-year filers whose fiscal year begins September 1 or later, the sales-closing date is November 20.
Because the date varies, confirm your exact deadline with a crop insurance agent. RMA also has specific BFR and VFR application requirements, including special rules associated with the 2026 expansion of Beginning Farmer benefits. If you think you qualify, tell your agent when you apply rather than waiting until after the sales-closing date.
USDA RMA Agent Locator and Approved Insurance Providers:
https://www.rma.usda.gov/tools-reports/agent-locator
USDA Micro Farm 2026 Information:
https://www.rma.usda.gov/about-crop-insurance/frequently-asked-questions/micro-farm-2026
We Want Our Veterans Farming for the Long Haul
Over the years, I have met veterans at every stage of the agricultural journey. Some come to us with an idea and a desire to find their next purpose. Others have been farming for years and are building something they hope to hand to the next generation.
Starting a farm is exciting. Buying the first tractor, bringing home livestock, harvesting the first crop and making that first sale are milestones people remember. Insurance isn’t nearly as exciting. But neither is losing something you spent years building because one terrible season left you without enough financial room to recover.
That is why risk management has to be part of the conversation. We want veterans to enter agriculture, but we also want them farming for the long haul. If you aren’t sure where to begin, contact us at 855-FVC-FARM (855-382-3276) or support@farmvetco.org. We can help connect you with resources and point you in the right direction.
You cannot control the weather or eliminate risk. But you can understand, prepare, and protect against some of it. You’ve worked too hard to build your farm not to.
Jeanette Lombardo
Chief Executive Officer
Farmer Veteran Coalition
