Driving down the cost of crop insurance for the nation’s newest farmers is the goal of legislation co-authored by U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra.

The Republican from Hull introduced the Crop Insurance for Future Farmers Act along with U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minnesota. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, have introduced the Senate version of the bill.

“This relief will help our young producers plant their roots in our rural communities, promote farm profitability, and strengthen Iowa’s status as the breadbasket of the world,” Feenstra said in a written statement.

He said the government needs to “cut operating costs for our young and beginning farmers so that they can grow, compete and succeed instead of calling it quits because of financial barriers.”

To achieve that goal, the measure aligns the definition of beginning farmer with the definition found in most other beginning farmer programs. According to Feenstra, that would extend crop and livestock insurance protections to 10 years for new and beginning farmers. That increase would apply to all federal crop insurance programs, including livestock policies.

According to Feenstra, in 2022 more than 30 percent of the nation’s farmers were considered beginning farmers or ranchers.

The bill is supported by the American Association of Crop Insurers.

The bill awaits action by House and Senate committees.