Taxpayer money funding the federal crop insurance program, a main safety net for farmers, has more than doubled in just over a decade. As the country's budgetary problems grow, critics continue to label the insurance program as inefficient and expensive.
In recent years, crop insurance has become an increasingly controversial subject. While many support the program, others claim it sucks up too many taxpayer dollars. Reporters can use this guide to start their crop insurance research.
During the 2013 planting season, U.S. farmers had nearly two dozen different crop insurance policies to sort through when deciding how to best protect themselves from losses caused by bad weather, price drops and other perils. A Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting analysis revealed that two o
