Tag: Risk Management Agency

RMA UPDATE: FORAGE SEEDING

By Jake Jacobs, Crop Insurance Education Coordinator

Extreme weather can put a farmer out of business, and anyone involved in production and agricultural business knows this very well. Given the variability of weather conditions in Vermont, it is somewhat common to experience excess water early in growing season, as is the case with this spring. This is in stark contrast to last summer’s drought, which caused different problems for area farmers. One tool to deal with this variability is insurance.

Forage seeding is insurable if:

1. It is alfalfa, or forage mixture

Birdsfoot trefoil. Photo credit: King’s Creek Farm.

containing at least 50 percent alfalfa, clover, birdsfoot trefoil or any other locally recognized and approved forage legume species (by weight); or
2. It is planted during the current crop year to establish a normal stand of forage. This policy does not cover any acreage that is grown with the intent to be grazed, or grazed at any time during the insurance period; or interplanted with another crop (except nurse crops).

VERMONT CROP INSURANCE
DEADLINES:
Fall-Seeded Forage 2017
• Sales Closing Date: July 31
• Final Planting Date: August 31
• Acreage Report Date: November 15
Spring-Seeded Forage 2018
• Sales Closing Date: March 15
• Acreage Report Date: May 15
• Final Planting Date May 10

More info:
Fact Sheet on Forage Seeding
(USDA RMA):
www.rma.usda.gov/fields/nc_rso/2018/2018forageseed.pdf
Talk with a Vermont-licensed crop
insurance agent: www.rma.usda.gov/tools/agent
NOTE: Deadlines vary by state.

 

 

RMA UPDATE: STREAMLINING PROGRAMS MEANS LESS EFFORT FOR FARMERS

Acreage Crop Reporting Streamlining Initiative (ACRSI)

By Jake Jacobs, University of Vermont Risk Management Education

Farmers are time-strapped folks. Having to report the same thing to multiple agencies can seem like a waste of time. Welcome, ACRSI.
ACRSI is a joint effort among producers, Farm Service Agency (FSA), Risk Management Agency (RMA), and the crop insurance industry. The Acreage Crop Reporting Streamlining Initiative (ACRSI) replaces duplicative crop reporting of common acreage information by producers to both the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Risk Management Agency (RMA). Producers now have multiple ways in which to report their common acreage data and will not have to report the same information twice to both FSA and their crop insurance agents, saving time and potentially reducing inadvertent errors. ACRSI is available nationwide for the 2017 acreage reporting season.
Crops shared under ACRSI include alfalfa, barley, canola, corn, grass, oats, rye, sorghum, soybeans and wheat, as well as acres under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and fallow fields. Other crops in this program: cotton, peanuts, rice and sunflowers. These cover approximately 94% of the cropland acres reported to FSA and RMA, and have similar reporting requirements with both agencies. FSA and RMA will gain experience collecting and sharing data for these crops, and will use the
lessons learned to make informed decisions whether to include additional
commodities in the future.

Funding provided by:

 

 

Crop Insurance Update

By Jake Jacobs, UVM Crop Insurance Education Coordinator

Dept of Community Development and Applied Economics

According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, two fifths of all land in the United States is farmland, which equates to 915 million acres and 2.1 million farms and ranches.

Of the 915 million acres of land in farms in 2012, 45.4 percent was permanent pasture, 42.6 percent was cropland, and 8.4 percent was woodland. The remaining 3.6 percent was land in farmsteads, buildings, livestock facilities, etc. Although the amount of cropland overall was down 4 percent, the amount of cropland harvested was nearly 2 percent more in 2012 than 2007. (www.agcensus.usda.gov)

There are 389.7 million acres of cropland in the United States.  Cropland includes areas used for the production of adapted crops for harvest. Two subcategories of cropland are recognized: cultivated and non-cultivated. Cultivated cropland comprises land in row crops or close-grown crops and also other cultivated cropland, for example, hay land or pastureland that is in a rotation with row or close-grown crops. Non-cultivated cropland includes permanent hay land and horticultural cropland.

Corn drought; a reason to get crop insurance.
Corn drought: one of the many reasons to get crop insurance.

Cover Crops – It’s that time of the year to think about cover crops. Cover crops include grasses, legumes and forbs for seasonal cover and other conservation purposes.  Cover crops are primarily used for erosion control, soil health improvement, and water quality improvement.  A cover crop managed and terminated according to these guidelines is not considered a “crop” for crop insurance purposes. The cover crop may be terminated by natural causes such as frost, or intentionally terminated through chemical application, crimping, rolling, tillage, or cutting.  Cover crops may be grazed or harvested as hay or silage, unless prohibited by RMA crop insurance policy provisions.  Cover crops cannot be harvested for grain or seed.  If you have questions about crop insurance coverage for your cover crops, contact your insurance agent.  To find an agent licensed by USDA in Vermont, go to http://www.rma.usda.gov/tools/agent.html.

Dairy MPP – The registration period for MPP-Dairy coverage for the year 2017 began July 1, 2016.  In an effort to allow dairy producers to make well informed coverage election selections suitable to their operation’s needs, the registration and coverage election deadline has been extended to December 16, 2016.  Contact your local FSA office for more information or to register.

For more information about crop insurance contact Jake Jacobs [802-656-7356 or jake.jacobs@uvm.edu]