Massachusetts Crop Insurance Facts  Risk Management Agency   Raleigh Regional Office

 

The Risk Management Agency offers a federally subsidized crop insurance program through private insurance companies. Crop insurance covers disasters such as drought, hail, frost, hurricanes, excessive moisture, fire, insects & plant disease and wildlife damage. This website describes only certain features about various crop insurance programs and is not intended to be all inclusive. For more specific information on a particular crop, contract your local crop insurance agent or visit the RMA website: www.rma.usda.gov.

 

Crop Insurance FAQs

 

What Crops Are Insurable?

 

Sales Closing Date	Crop
May 1	Nursery
November 20	Apples, Cranberries, Peaches
November 30	Clams
January 31	Adjusted Gross Revenue
March 15	Adj. Gross Revenue-Lite, Corn, Fresh Market Sweet Corn, Potatoes, Tobacco

 

Sales closing dates are in place as the deadline to purchase an insurance plan for a particular crop. An application must be submitted to a crop insurance company representative by this date or else the insurance policy will not attach and your crop losses will not be covered.

 

What If I Have A Crop That Is Not Listed As Insurable?

You may still be eligible to request crop insurance through a “written agreement”. The written agreement is a document designed to provide crop insurance in counties without an established program for the crop or an organic crop. See your crop insurance agent regarding documentation requirements.  Note, written agreements are not issued for pilot crops or catastrophic (CAT) policies.

 

Are Other Crops Being Considered?

Yes! The RMA is consistently developing new programs. Our agency is working with contractors, universities and researchers to identify local farmer needs and develop new crop programs. Massachusetts currently has pilot crop programs on: Adjusted Gross Revenue, Adjusted Gross Revenue-Lite and Clams. Crops usually stay in a pilot program until the insurance plan is deemed fundamentally sound. Check with your insurance agent to see if a pilot crop is available in your county.

 

How Much Does It Cost?

A $100 administrative fee, per crop per county, will apply for a catastrophic (CAT) insurance plan. The premium on CAT coverage is paid by the Federal government. Catastrophic coverage pays 55 percent of the established price of the commodity on crop losses in excess of 50 percent. Limited resource farmers may have this fee waived. CAT coverage is not available on written agreements or crop revenue coverage. Check with your crop insurance agent to see if you qualify as a limited-resource farmer or for CAT availability.

 

Are Higher Coverage Levels Available?

Yes. The cost for buy-up levels of insurance coverage is a $30 administrative fee, per crop per county, plus the premium.

Simply select the amount of your Actual Production History (APH) yield you wish to insure; from 50 to 75

percent (for some crops in some areas up to 85 percent).

Can I Get Another Type of Insurance Plan?

Yes! The agency offers different insurance plans.

• Adjusted Gross Revenue: This is a whole-farm insurance program providing insurance coverage for multiple agricultural commodities under one insurance product using income tax information from your operation. A farm report is created to determine coverage eligibility. Covered farm revenue includes income from most crops and agricultural commodities. A limited amount of income (not to exceed 35%) from livestock, animal products, and aquaculture products raised in a controlled environment may also be covered. Under this plan, you can also cover revenue generated from commodities that are currently uninsurable (such as forage, fruit and vegetable crops).
• Adjusted Gross Revenue Lite: This program is a streamlined whole-farm revenue protection package that can be used as a stand-alone coverage or in addition to other individual crop insurance policies (except AGR). It allows you to insure a portion of the revenue generated from crops, animals (such as chickens, dairy cows, hogs and sheep) and animal products (such as eggs, milk, meat, and wool). Under this plan, you can also cover revenue generated from commodities that are currently uninsurable (such as forage, fruit and vegetable crops).
• Crop Revenue Coverage: This plan provides revenue protection based on price and yield expectations by paying for losses below the guarantee at the higher of an early-season price or harvest price. Corn farmers can receive coverage under CRC.

 

Who Can I Call For More Information?

The Raleigh Regional Office services Massachusetts. Crop specialists are available to answer specific questions. Call or write the USDA/Risk Management Agency, Raleigh Regional Office, 4407 Bland Road, Suite 160, Raleigh, North Carolina 27609, telephone (919) 875-4880.

 

Visit the RMA Web Site For the latest crop insurance and agricultural risk management information, visit our website at http://www.rma.usda.gov

 

Massachusetts Insurance Companies Offering Crop Insurance

Massachusetts Insurance Companies Offering Crop Insurance

 

The following companies have standard reinsurance agreement contacts with the Federal government and are authorized to sell USDA’s crop insurance programs. To find an insurance agent in your State contact:

 

Ace Property and Casualty Insurance Company  (Rain and Hail L.L.C.) 9200 Northpark Drive Suite 300 Johnston, Iowa 50131-3006 Toll-Free: 1-800-776-4045 Phone: 515-559-1000 Fax: 575-559-1001 http://www.rainhail.com

Rural Community Insurance Services 3501 Thurston Avenue Anoka, Minnesota 55303-1060 Toll-Free: 1-800-451-3836 Phone: 763-323-2280 Fax: 763-427-1591 http://www.rcis.com