The crop insurance industry continues to press its case to the public and policymakers with new information products.

In October, the National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS), a group that represents private crop insurance companies, launched an "activism website" to provide a basis for individuals and organizations to show their support for crop insurance.

“Crop insurance has grown to become the most important tool farmers and ranchers have to manage risk,” said Tom Zacharias, NCIS president. “As the farm bill continues to be discussed, there’s no better time than the present to show your support for this critical risk management tool."

"The website (www.SupportCropInsurance.org) will enable organizations, farmers, agents, small businesses, and others to sign an open letter to Congress in support of crop insurance," NCIS said. "The letter is similar to one that was sent to Congress earlier this summer from major farm and commodity organizations."

In an e-mail to the media released in early December, NCIS outlined key current facts on the industry, including:

* Farmers will invest more than $4.1 billion to purchase more than 1.2 million crop insurance policies.

* Those policies protect more than 282 million acres of eligible crops.

* 15,000 crop insurance agents and 5,000 loss adjusters are "working around the clock" to assist farmers with their claims.