New online tool helps farmers decide among dizzying array of insurance options
Oct. 15, 2026
By Mary Hightower
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts
- Decision tool grew out of requests from Arkansas farmers
- New investments in crop insurance created proliferation of combinations
(533 words)
LITTLE ROCK — New investments in federal crop insurance programs have led to a dizzying array of possible combinations, but a new University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture online tool can help farmers in 13 southern states sort out the best options.
“There are now more than 1 million different combinations to insure a crop using products in the Federal Crop Insurance Program,” said Hunter Biram, extension agricultural economist for UADA. “In addition to the effort it takes a farmer to decide what is best, the investments in producer premium assistance have brought more products into consideration that were not available before the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
Federal investments
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act invests some $6 billion in the Federal Crop Insurance Program over five years.
“These investments mainly include increases to producer premium assistance for farm-level yield and revenue products, as well as county-level products,” Biram said. “While the increases in premium assistance for farm-level yield and revenue products amount to a few dollars per acre, the increases in county-level products have made the decision to participate much more affordable compared to pre-OBBBA.
The market for farm-level products was mostly saturated with a plateau of around 225 million insured acres. However, the market for county-level products has plateaued around 50 million acres in 2024 and has increased to nearly 200 million acres in 2026, he said.
“This past winter, I received several inquiries from Arkansas farmers trying to decide whether or not to buy county-level insurance for the first time,” Biram said. “In response, I made a tool just for Arkansas.
“Over the course of this year, I have populated all southern states with the hope to reach farmers with similar production systems across the region,” he said.
A tool for Southern farmers
The Southern Integrated Risk Management Tool, or SIRM, is designed to provide farmers, county extension agents, crop insurance agents, and agricultural lenders with information useful in building a risk management portfolio using federal crop insurance.
The tool provides county-specific data and analysis for 13 states across the southern region: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. SIRM has data populated for most principal row crops grown in the region, including corn, cotton, rice, and soybeans.
This tool consists of eight tabs: one tab for inputting key data needed and six tabs for premium estimation and analysis, and one for yields.
- Inputs
- Premium Estimator (Underlying)
- Premium Estimator (Supplemental Coverage Option)
- Premium Estimator (Enhanced Coverage Option)
- Premium Estimator (Summary)
- What can my premium buy?
- Net Indemnities (What-If)
- Historical Yield Deviations
“This tool takes some of the difficulty out of making the crop insurance decision for county-level plans of insurance, including, notably, the Supplemental Coverage Option and the Enhanced Coverage Option,” Biram said. “The tool synthesizes the important factors to consider when buying these insurances: producer premium expenses, trigger points for yields and futures prices, and county-level yield trend analysis.”
The results generated are meant to support learning, discussion, and scenario analysis — not to serve as exact forecasts or guarantees of performance.
“We encourage users to pair this tool in conversations with county extension agents, crop insurance agents, and agricultural lenders when making real-world decisions,” Biram said.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu.
About UADA
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, UADA conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
UADA is one of 22 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three university campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, UADA offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Nick Kordsmeier
nkordsme@uada.edu