The unpredictable nature of American weather has left many specialty crop growers out in the cold—literally and financially. To bridge a long-standing gap in the federal safety net, Florida Senator Ashley Moody and Representative Scott Franklin introduced the Temperature Event Mitigation Policy (TEMP) Act today.
This bipartisan legislation targets the devastating impact of frost and extreme cold on the nation’s food supply, specifically focusing on the vulnerabilities of crops like citrus, berries, and vegetables.
The move follows a string of brutal freeze events that recently swept through Florida, leaving a trail of damaged harvests and concerned producers.
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While farmers can often find affordable insurance to protect against wind or hail, the market for frost protection has remained prohibitively expensive or entirely unavailable for many. In the agricultural heartland, a single night of record-low temperatures can wipe out a season’s worth of work without a viable way to recoup the losses.
Under the TEMP Act, the Risk Management Agency (RMA) would be required to research and develop a new, index-based insurance product. Unlike traditional insurance that requires lengthy on-site damage assessments, an index-based policy triggers payouts based on specific, objective data—in this case, temperature readings. Proponents argue this would create a more affordable and streamlined process for growers to manage the high-stakes risks associated with sudden cold snaps.
Agriculture remains a primary economic engine in states like Florida, but the lack of “workable” insurance for cold weather has increasingly become a bottleneck for stability. Local industry leaders, including representatives from Florida Citrus Mutual and the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, have signaled their support for the bill, noting that current insurance premiums can run into the thousands of dollars per acre.
READ: Florida Growers Left Shivering As Record Cold Bites Into Citrus Harvest
They contend that without a modern policy focused on temperature, the risk of staying in the business is becoming too high for some family operations.
The bill has now been referred to the relevant committees in the House and Senate. If passed, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation would have one year to conduct its research and report back to Congress with a plan to implement these new protections nationwide.
For the growers currently checking their thermometers with every passing cold front, the legislation represents a hope that future freezes won’t necessarily mean a total financial meltdown.
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