Explore every episode of the podcast Keep America Growing

In this episode of Keep America Growing, host Tom Zacharias looks back at the 2012 Midwest drought, one of the most significant stress tests in modern agricultural history. The conversation explores how crop insurance performed under unprecedented pressure, why the public-private partnership matters, and what the lessons from 2012 still mean for farm policy today.

Former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway joins Keep America Growing to reflect on how crop insurance evolved into the backbone of the farm safety net, and what policymakers must get right in 2026 to keep it strong.

NCIS turns the tables at Trade Talk, interviewing a farm broadcaster to discuss how technology has reshaped farm broadcasting, how modern agriculture has become more complex and capital-intensive, and why forward-looking farm policy is more important than ever.

One year after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the Southeast, Georgia farmers reflect on the storm that wiped out crops, shattered equipment, and threatened family farms. In this special episode, producers share in their own words how crop insurance provided the financial lifeline they needed to recover and rebuild.

Pascal Forrer of AIAG joins NCIS to discuss why the U.S. system is the global benchmark, the growth of crop insurance abroad, and what’s ahead at AIAG’s Rotterdam congress.

Dean Strasser shares how NCIS research projects with universities and hands-on adjuster schools make crop insurance smarter, faster, and fairer for farmers.

Top industry lobbyists discuss the agricultural provisions in the recently passed budget reconciliation package, and what it all means for crop insurance.

Hear from Florida citrus growers how crop insurance keeps them in business despite hurricanes, disease and a decline in production.

In this episode, we catch up with the new Administrator of the Risk Management Agency, Pat Swanson, to discuss her past, her hopes for the program, and the power of the public-private partnership.

Join market researcher Claudine Wargel to discuss a new national survey that reveals how farmers feel about crop insurance.

NCIS President Tom Zacharias sits down with veteran crop insurance agent Jason Williamson from Ohio to discuss one of the most critical deadlines in agriculture – the crop insurance sales closing date. 

The leaders of two crop insurance companies join the latest edition of Keep America Growing to discuss recent growth in the program and what the future may hold.

Farm policy expert Dr. Joe Outlaw from Texas A&M University joins the latest episode of Keep America Growing to discuss the basics of U.S. farm policy and how crop insurance fits into the mix.

The holiday season is a time for reflection, gratitude, and planning for the future – themes that inspired this episode of Keep America Growing.

If November's election taught us anything, it’s that everyday Americans expect real economic results in difficult times. Hear how crop insurance delivered just that for rural economies during the recent hurricanes and how the industry plans to work with the incoming Trump administration.

In the latest episode of Keep America Growing, travel back in time to learn about the history of farm policy, and how U.S. farmers are making history today by helping to fund their own safety net.

What happens to crop insurance if a new Farm Bill can’t be worked out? That’s the topic of this episode of Keep America Growing, a monthly podcast all about crop insurance. 

Tom Zacharias, President of National Crop Insurance Services, takes a deep dive into crop insurance and car wrecks in the latest episode of Keep America Growing, a short podcast all about crop insurance.

In this episode, learn about the role of crop insurance is relation to conservation and sustainability. Reference materials are below.

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301479720311488?via%3Dihub

2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aepp.13407

3. https://www.rma.usda.gov/en/Topics/Conservation

What are farmers and agents saying about crop insurance? Find out in this latest episode, which features stories and testimonials from hardworking women and men in Tennessee and Kentucky. 

This episode highlights the role of the hardworking women and men in the crop insurance industry. This includes crop insurance agents, loss adjusters, and company staff, who ensure that crop insurance remains viable, reliable, and efficient – specifically through private-sector delivery. 

Did you know that 2024 marks the 30-year anniversary of the 1994 Crop Insurance Reform Act? This means crop insurance has been expanding and adapting to the risk management needs of U.S. agriculture for three decades now.

In the next episode of Keep America Growing, National Crop Insurance Services President Tom Zacharias discusses the March 15 crop insurance sales closing deadline – and why every farmer should speak with a crop insurance agent before the deadline to develop a personalized risk-management plan. 

In this second installment of Keep America Growing, National Crop Insurance Services President Tom Zacharias discusses how crop insurance meets the regional needs of farmers – and why a flexible and adaptable crop insurance program is so important. Four farmers also share their personal stories about how crop insurance helps them overcome disaster and keep their farms afloat. 

Who is National Crop Insurance Services? How does this organization support crop insurance? What is crop insurance and why is it important? Tom Zacharias, president of National Crop Insurance Services, answers all these questions and more in the first episode of Keep America Growing, a new five-minute monthly podcast all about crop insurance.