Specialty crop producers can now benefit from greater flexibility to use their own records to meet crop insurance reporting requirements.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced revisions that will make it easier for specialty crop producers, and others who sell through direct marketing channels, to obtain insurance, report annual production, and file a claim.
Changes include:
• A new marketing certification that allows producers to self-identify if they will not have disinterested third-party records, when required, and enables them to use their own supporting production records.
This will benefit direct marketers and vertically integrated producers since they often do not have disinterested third-party records.
•Allowing producers to use their own records, which limits the need for Approved Insurance Providers (AIP) preharvest appraisals as a supporting record.
Marcia Bunger, Administrator of USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) said, “Crop insurance plays a critical role in a farmer’s operation and how they manage their risk and we’re here to help. Optimizing reporting requirements for direct marketers or vertically integrated operations will help make insurance easier and more accessible for countless producers, including those who grow specialty crops and are an important part of our local and regional food systems.”
• These updates also improve transparency in the producer’s policy by adding production reporting definitions,
• listing the 30-day appeal deadline for good farming practice determinations,
• clarifying where a producer can find information in the policy,
• and updating terminology to be consistent across the policy.
These revisions and other updates come through the Crop Insurance Reporting and Other Changes Final Rule published by the Federal Crop Insurance.
This Final Rule will update the Common Crop Insurance Provisions Basic Provisions, Area Risk Protection Insurance Basic Provisions, and includes changes to individual Crop Provisions.
These updates build on other RMA efforts to simplify reporting requirements for specialty crop producers and better serve those who sell through direct marketing.
RMA implemented changes to the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection for the 2021 crop year that streamline revenue reporting for producers who direct market two or more commodities.
Additionally, the new Micro Farm option was rolled out beginning with the 2022 crop year, specifically for producers who sell locally, including direct marketing. It reduces reporting requirements, providing more access to the program.
Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of these agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. For more information on crop insurance and modern farm safety visit rma.usda.gov.
For more information on USDA visit usda.gov.
