The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court ruling against a Texas farmer in a federal crop insurance dispute, according to a per curiam opinion filed Jan. 8. The court upheld the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas's grant of summary judgment in favor of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation in *Miller v. Federal Crop Insurance Corporation* (5th Cir. 2026).

Derick Miller, a farmer from Gaines County, Texas, appealed the district court's decision after his federal crop insurance claim was denied. Miller had purchased a Federal Crop Insurance Policy under the Federal Crop Insurance Act for his 2021 cotton and peanut crops through the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and the Risk Management Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture.

The case originated in the Northern District of Texas as case number 5:23-CV-69, where the district court granted summary judgment in favor of the federal defendants. Miller then appealed to the Fifth Circuit, which assigned the case number 24-10929.

The Fifth Circuit issued a brief unpublished per curiam opinion affirming the district court's ruling. The court's decision represents another example of the ongoing disputes between farmers and federal crop insurance administrators over coverage determinations and claim denials under the Federal Crop Insurance Act.

The specific details of Miller's insurance claim denial were not detailed in the appellate court's brief opinion, which is typical for routine appeals that do not raise novel legal questions. Federal crop insurance disputes often involve technical questions about coverage terms, loss calculations, and compliance with program requirements.