Does USDA provide any financial assistance to help with the cost of crop insurance?

Yes, your premium for crop insurance is subsidized by the Federal Government. A percentage of the total premium for a buyup crop insurance policy is paid by FCIC. The percentage FCIC pays depends on several factors, such as the type of insurance plan and coverage level you choose.

What should I do if I suspect my grain production contains mycotoxins other than aflatoxin?

You must notify your AIP of your suspicions at the time you file a notice of loss or damage. Samples for mycotoxin testing (other than for vomitoxin) must be taken before the grain enters storage. Samples for vomitoxin testing can be taken while grain is in storage. You may also arrange with your AIP to leave representative sample areas of the unharvested crop from which the adjuster can take samples for mycotoxin testing. Losses from mycotoxins are not covered under the crop insurance policy if the proper samples for mycotoxin (other than for vomitoxin) testing were not taken before storage.

Can irrigation water be diverted?

Before diverting any irrigation water you should notify your AIP (agent). For purposes of loss mitigation only and with AIP approval of the irrigation water diversion, losses due to the diversion of irrigation water may be a covered cause of loss.

What do I do in the event of a potential loss?

In order to ensure you qualify for the maximum crop insurance indemnity payment:

Does CRS assign adjusters to agencies?

We do not assign an adjuster to a specific agency, but it is common to have one or two adjusters work with the same agency due to geographic location.

How much will I get paid on Prevented Planting?

The prevented planting indemnity for any eligible acreage will be calculated based on your price election or your projected price. Harvest Price will not be taken into consideration for indemnity purposes on prevented planting claims.

If I'm able to get into the field and plant a second crop during that first crop late planting period, will I get a prevented planting payment for my first crop?

If it is determined that a second crop is planted in the first crop late planting period, the first crop will not be eligible for prevented planting payment.

What happens after I submit a loss for Prevented Planting?

After a loss is submitted to Crop Risk Services an inspection will be made by an CRS adjuster. Upon inspection the adjuster will determine if the cause of loss is general to the surrounding area. During this inspection the insured will be asked to declare their intentions regarding insurance coverage and indemnity payments made for insurable losses on the first crop and second crop. The insured's options are as follows:

  1. Plant and insure a second crop.
    1. Second crop may NOT be planted until after the end of the late planting period for the first insured crop
    2. Second crop acres must be reported on the acreage report and production must be kept separate.
    3. Indemnity will be 35% payment on the first crop and a premium of 35% will be due.
    4. This includes a volunteer or cover crop that is hayed, grazed or harvested from the same acreage before
    5. In the event that a second crop is unable to be planted, please notify Crop Risk Services and your indemnity and premium will be restored to the original 100%. (Additional 65% indemnity issued/Additional 65% premium due.)
  2. Do not plant a second crop.
    1. Indemnity will be 100% payment on the first crop and 100% of the premium will be due on the first crop.

How do I submit a claim for Prevented Planting

In the event you are prevented from planting an insured crop that has prevented planting coverage, you must submit a claim to Crop Risk services within 72 hours after:

  1. The final planting date, if you do not intend to plant the insured crop during the late planting period or if a late planting period is not applicable
  2. You determine you will not be able to plant the insured crop within any applicable late planting period. To find the applicable planting dates for your area go to: http://webapp.rma.usda.gov/apps/actuarialinformationbrowser/

If I can't get in my field to plant, do I have any coverage?

The definition of prevented planting states, "Failure to plant the insured crop by the final planting date designated in the Special Provisions for the insured crop in the county, or within any applicable late planting period, due to an insured cause of loss that is general to the surrounding area that prevents other producers from planting acreage with similar characteristics. Failure to plant because of uninsured causes such as lack of proper equipment or labor to plant acreage, or use of a particular production method, is not considered prevented planting."

What does Prevented Planting cover?

Prevented planting coverage will be provided against:
  1. Drought, failure of the irrigation water supply, failure or breakdown of the irrigation equipment, or facilities, or the inability to prepare the land for irrigation using your established irrigation method, due to an insured cause of loss only.
  2. Causes other than drought, failure of the irrigation water supply, failure or breakdown of the irrigation equipment or facilities, or your inability to prepare the land for irrigation using your established irrigation method, provided the cause of loss is specified in the Crop Provisions. However, if it is possible for you to plant on or prior to the final planting date when other producers in the area are planting and you fail to plant, no prevented planting payment will be made.

What is crop hail coverage?

Crop Hail coverage provides protection from loss due to hail, fire, lightning, vandalism, unintentional vehicle damage, transit, overturn and collision on a "dollar value per acre" amount that you choose. Crop Risk Services offers Crop Hail Insurance, which is bound two hours after the completed and signed application is received in the home office.

What is YP (Yield Protection) crop insurance?

The Yield Protection Crop Insurance program is a plan of insurance that provides protection against a production loss due to naturally occurring events. YP does not cover losses resulting from poor farming practices, low commodity prices, theft, and specified perils that are excluded in some policies. Although a loss payment includes an indemnity price, the policy itself only protects production. The indemnity price for YP is the average futures market price during the month before the sales closing. The February price is used for corn and soybeans and is determined per the Commodity Exchange Price Provision (CEPP).

When using a simple average T-yield to establish an APH database, what percentage of the T-yield do I use to determine my yield adjustment?

100% of that simple average (SA) becomes the T-yield for the unit and is the basis for yield adjustment (YA) calculations. Per section 17d of the Crop Insurance Handbook:

Calculating Approved APH Yields Under the Election

T-Yields used for YA are those contained on the AD or, if applicable, other T-Yields calculated under the APH procedures such as:

  1. SA T-Yields for added land or new crop/P/T;
  2. Determined irrigated T-Yields;
  3. T-Yields assigned by ROs, and
  4. Perennial Crop T-Yields or weighted average T-Yields.

AIPs must identify and maintain such other T-Yields as long as they are needed for yield adjustment purposes. When a policy is transferred to another AIP, this information must be provided as part of the APH record. When these T-Yields are replaced by four actual/assigned yields, yield substitutions will be calculated from T-Yield as provided by the applicable actuarial documents.

In the case of a low yield in a given year, YA will be used & calculated using 60% of the T-yield found in the county actuarial documents. However, when a Simple Average T-yield (SA-T) is being used to establish an APH database, such as the case of Added Land, that simple average becomes the T-yield for the unit and is the basis for YA calculations. So, the yield with YA could actually be higher for an Added Land unit than a unit with multiple years of history. Once that added land unit has 4 years of actual, the added land designation falls off & any yield substitutions (such as YA) will be recalculated using the T-yield provided by county actuarial document (thus lowering that YA yield in scenarios where the farmer's SA is greater than the county T-yield).

Please contact your underwriter at 877-551-0558 for additional information.