The Risk Management Agency (RMA) is amending the Sugar Beet Crop Insurance Provisions via final rule with request for comments. The final rule with request for comment published in the Federal Register on September 10, 2018. The intended effect of this action is to update the policy to better reflect current agricultural practices. The following policy modifications were made to the Sugar Beet Crop Insurance Provisions: 

• Changed the definition to use pounds of raw sugar instead of standardized tons of sugar beets.
• Removed stage guarantees.
• Added an early harvest factor to prevent a decline in the producer’s future insurable yield by increasing the yield recognized for that year’s harvest.
• Moved “end of insurance period” dates to the actuarial documents.
• Updated several definitions to align with the Common Crop Insurance Policy, Basic Provisions and terms defined in other crop policies. 

RMA will accept written comments on this final rule until close of business October 10, 2018. RMA will consider these comments and make changes to the rule if warranted.

RMA prefers that interested persons submit comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Interested persons may submit comments, identified by Docket ID No. FCIC-18-0001, by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov/. Direct link to the Sugar Beet docket: www.regulations.gov/document?D=FCIC_FRDOC_0001-0173. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Director, Product Administration and Standards Division, Risk Management Agency, United States Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 419205, Kansas City, MO 64133-6205.

All comments received, including those received by mail, will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. Once these comments are posted to this website, the public can access all comments at its convenience from this website. All comments must include the agency name and docket number or Regulatory Information Number (RIN) for this rule. For detailed instructions on submitting comments and additional information, see www.regulations.gov. If interested persons are submitting comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal and want to attach a document, RMA requests use of a text-based format. If interested persons wish to attach a document that is a scanned Adobe PDF file, it must be scanned as text and not as an image, thus allowing RMA to search and copy certain portions of the submissions. For questions regarding attaching a document that is a scanned Adobe PDF file, please contact the RMA Web Content Team at (816) 823-4694 or by email at rmaweb.content@rma.usda.gov.

DISPOSAL DATE:
December 31, 2018