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Navigating 2025–26 Peanut Crop Insurance Changes Under the OBBB Act

Susmitha Kalli, Yangxuan Liu, Hunter Biram, and Fayu Chong

Summary

Peanut producers across the Southeast and Southwest face heightened financial risk due to volatile commodity markets, rising input costs, and region-specific weather uncertainty. Recent changes under the Off-Budget Bipartisan Budget Act (OBBB Act) significantly modify key components of federal peanut crop insurance programs, including coverage options, SCO/ECO alignment, and the determination of projected and harvest prices. These updates increase the need for clear, accessible education to support informed insurance decisions for the 2025–26 crop year.
This session highlights a producer-focused Extension education effort delivered through a continuing article series published in Southern Ag Today. The series translates complex crop insurance provisions into practical guidance using plain language, step-by-step explanations, region-specific examples, and simplified visuals. Educational topics include understanding coverage interactions, interpreting price discovery windows, recognizing regional differences in sales closing and planting deadlines, and evaluating how OBBB Act provisions may influence revenue protection outcomes.
The program is designed for broad accessibility, supporting producers, crop insurance agents, lenders, and Extension educators working across diverse peanut-producing regions. By emphasizing clarity and decision-relevant information rather than policy language, the series enhances understanding of insurance mechanics, key deadlines, and coverage interactions, helping reduce confusion and improve risk management decisions.
The presentation will discuss the development and dissemination of the series, highlight key communication strategies that improved audience comprehension, and outline lessons learned for Extension professionals delivering crop insurance education. The session will conclude by illustrating how this communication framework can be adapted to other crops and regions to strengthen producer-focused risk management education.

Details

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