The biggest crop insurance loss story of 2025 was not one isolated weather event. It was the continued swing between too much water and not enough.

According to the Second Quarter 2026 edition of Crop Insurance TODAY, combined insurable losses for the 2025 crop year totaled approximately $11.148 billion as of late June 2026.

Of that total, approximately $7.851 billion involved individual plans of insurance. Two opposing groups of weather-related causes accounted for most of those losses:

• Excess moisture, flooding, and rain represented 37%.
• Drought, heat, and wildfires represented 32%.

Together, these conditions accounted for 69% of individual-plan losses.

Other causes included wind and hurricanes at 9%, hail at 9%, and freeze, cold, and frost at 6%.

One Crop Year, Two Very Different Claim Environments

The figures show how differently the same crop year can affect agricultural operations across the country.

In areas experiencing excess moisture, agricultural insurance and claims professionals may be evaluating saturated fields, flooding, delayed fieldwork, prevented or delayed planting, crop disease, and reduced production. The timing and duration of wet conditions may also be important when determining how the crop was affected.

In drought- and heat-affected regions, the investigation may instead involve poor emergence, reduced plant development, heat stress, limited water availability, and declining yield potential.

These losses may occur during the same growing season, but they require very different field observations, documentation, and claim evaluations.

Understanding the Local Conditions

National loss totals provide a broad picture, but agricultural claims are evaluated within the conditions surrounding the individual operation.

Field location, crop development stage, weather timing, production practices, available records, and the applicable policy provisions can all affect how a loss is investigated and documented.

Conditions can also change quickly. Standing water may recede, damaged plants may continue to decline, and visible drought or heat stress may look different as the crop progresses toward harvest. Photographs, field notes, weather information, production records, and timely communication can help preserve the condition of the loss as it existed when the damage was first identified.

What the 2025 Data Shows

The 2025 loss data reinforces the range of conditions agricultural insurance and claims professionals must be prepared to address.

One region may be managing widespread moisture-related losses while another is responding to drought and extreme heat. Even within the same state or county, weather patterns and resulting crop conditions may vary considerably.

Understanding those local differences—and documenting them early—remains an important part of evaluating agricultural losses accurately and consistently.

Source: National Crop Insurance Services, Crop Insurance TODAY, Second Quarter 2026.