Texas Cotton Producer Named to FCIC Board of Directors

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has appointed Rickey Bearden, a cotton producer from Plains, TX, to a four-year term on the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) Board of Directors.

The FCIC Board oversees the federal crop insurance program, managed by the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). The Board reviews crop insurance products presented by outside parties and RMA, and determines which programs will best help farmers and ranchers. Crop insurance provides protection against a loss in production due to natural perils such as adverse weather conditions, insects or plant disease, or wildlife.

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Bearden is a third-generation farmer with a 9,500-acre family farm, which includes cotton, peanuts, wheat and grain sorghum. He has served industry organizations such as Cotton Incorporated, Plains Cotton Growers, the National Cotton Council, and Cotton Council International, and currently sits on the  Board of Directors for the Southwest Council of Agribusiness and Plains Cotton Growers.

The Federal Crop Insurance Act requires that non-USDA Board members represent core groups involved in managing farm risk. This includes four producers, at least one of whom is a specialty crop producer; one individual involved in insurance (often an agent); and one individual knowledgeable about reinsurance or regulation. The act also requires that the four producer Board members come from diverse geographic areas and represent a cross-section of agricultural commodities.

 

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