BILLINGS, Mont., Aug. 28, 2019 — USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds producers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming to apply for crop insurance coverage for the 2020 crop year before the sales closing dates. Current policyholders who wish to make changes to their existing coverage also have until the sales closing dates to do so.

Crop insurance is a key component of the farm safety net, as it provides protection against crop production losses due to natural perils such as drought, hail, and excessive moisture.

Sales closing dates vary by crop. They are:

• Forage (Alfalfa) Seed – September 30 (Montana, Wyoming)
• Forage Production – September 30 (all four states)
• Rye – September 30 (select counties in North Dakota and South Dakota)
• Fall Planted Wheat with Winter Coverage – September 30 (Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming)  

South Dakota wheat producers in Corson, Harding, Lawrence, Meade, Perkins, and Todd Counties will have a new practice for the 2020 crop year. Some adjustments to their existing Actual Production History (APH) databases may be necessary. In these counties the summerfallow and continuous cropping practices have been combined into one “non-irrigated” practice. Producers will be required to combine existing summerfallow and continuous cropping APH databases only when both practices have been used within the same unit previously. If only one APH database is currently in a unit, only the practice code and label will change.

Producers are encouraged to visit their crop insurance agent soon to learn specific details for the 2020 crop year. Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Producers can use the RMA Cost Estimator to get a premium amount estimate of their insurance needs online. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at www.rma.usda.gov.

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