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WASHINGTON, April 30, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) rainfall index insurance to include Hawaii beginning in 2025. The PRF insurance option protects livestock producers against feed loss due to lack of precipitation, providing producers on the Big Island of Hawaii with coverage for grazing acres. This expansion is part of USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) efforts to increase and enhance insurance options in Hawaii.

“We are always looking at the unique needs and situations that our producers have in different parts of the country so that we can adjust and develop crop insurance resources for their particular situations,” said RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger. “Rather than relying on a blanket…

WASHINGTON, March 28, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has expanded its Nursery Value Select (NVS) crop insurance program to all counties in all states, and the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) is encouraging interested nursery producers to learn more about the program through upcoming informational workshops. These sessions will be valuable for producers in the newly expanded areas and especially for the Nursery Field Grown and Container (FG&C) crop insurance program, which ends beginning with the 2026 crop year.

Nursery Value Select is a pilot program that enables nursery producers to select the dollar amount of coverage…

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding crop insurance tailored for nursery producers to all counties in all states. Nursery Value Select (NVS) is a pilot program that enables nursery producers to select the dollar amount of coverage that best fits their risk management needs. Its expansion is part of USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) efforts to provide insurance options for a broader group of producers, including specialty crop producers.

“Risk Management Agency is excited to expand Nursery Value Select so nursery producers in all states have an opportunity to purchase nursery crop insurance,” said RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger. “This insurance option meets a…

WASHINGTON, 4 de enero de 2024 - La Agencia de Gestión de Riesgos (RMA, por sus siglas en inglés) del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos anunció hoy que hay hasta 3 millones de dólares disponibles para acuerdos de cooperación destinados a educar a productores marginados, orgánicos y de pequeña escala sobre gestión de riesgos y prácticas climáticamente inteligentes. Las asociaciones para la educación en gestión de riesgos de la RMA proporcionan financiación a organizaciones, como organizaciones sin fines de lucro y universidades con dotación de terrenos federales, para desarrollar programas de capacitación y otros recursos destinados a los productores sobre las diferentes opciones de gestión de riesgos, como…

En Español

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2024The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) today announced up to $3 million is available for cooperative agreements to educate underserved, small-scale and organic producers on risk management and climate-smart practices. RMA’s Risk Management Education Partnerships provide funding for organizations, such as nonprofits and land grant universities, to develop training and resources for producers about risk management options like crop insurance.

“This funding is integral to our outreach efforts in communities that…

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is hosting more than a dozen in-person and virtual workshops this winter for producers to learn about new and expanded livestock risk management products. The “Livestock Roadshow,” hosted by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), will highlight policy improvements based on feedback from America’s livestock producers as part of the agency’s broader outreach and education efforts.

“Listening to farmers and ranchers, learning about their needs, and using feedback to make improvements to risk management options is a top priority for Risk Management Agency,” said RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger. “We are committed to expanding the reach of crop insurance, especially to…

WASHINGTON, Dec.6, 2023 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is updating the Federal crop insurance program to affirm the use of USDA conservation practices as Good Farming Practices for crop insurance. Recently, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently updated the Good Farming Practices Handbook, as part of the agency’s broader efforts to support conservation and climate-smart activities as well as to improve crop insurance for agricultural producers.

“RMA wants to encourage America’s…

WASHINGTON, Dec.1, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is further expanding the opportunities for producers to consider Enterprise Units as risk management options. The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is expanding Enterprise Unit availability to additional specialty crops and other actual production history (APH) crop programs. Together with the six crop types announced July 6, 2023, for Enterprise Unit protection, these crops could benefit from the availability of Enterprise Units where they were previously unavailable. This expansion meets producer requests for Enterprise Units and will provide producers with more options to manage their risk.

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WASHINGTON, Nov.17, 2023 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now offering crop insurance for sesame producers nationwide. Beginning in the 2024 crop year, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is expanding the Actual Production History (APH) plan to allow producers to request written agreements anywhere sesame or a similar crop has been grown successfully. RMA is expanding the program in response to requests from sesame producers.

“USDA has seen an increased interest in sesame production over the last few years due in large part to the fact that sesame is a low-input, drought, and heat tolerant crop,” RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger said. “After listening to feedback, the Risk Management Agency worked with producers to develop crop insurance options…

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2023 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is modifying the deadline for oyster producers to purchase the new shellfish pilot crop insurance program until Dec. 15, 2023.

“Aquaculture producers have traditionally not participated in crop insurance programs in the past,” USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) Administrator Marcia Bunger said. “Modifying the deadline to purchase this new coverage allows crop insurance agents more time to reach these valuable stakeholders.” 

RMA announced the new program on Sept. 29, 2023.  The first sales closing date was initially set at Nov. 30, 2023, but will now be Dec. 15, 2023, with the insurance period beginning Jan. 1, 2024. The sales closing date for subsequent crop…