News Release

Important Crop Insurance Deadline Nears in Florida

Citrus Tree and Fruit Growers Need to Make Decisions Soon

VALDOSTA, Ga., April 1, 2015 ― The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds citrus tree and fruit growers in Florida of the April 15 deadline to purchase crop insurance. Growers need to buy, review, or modify their crop insurance policies before the sales closing date has passed. Crop insurance provides protection against crop production losses due to natural perils such as drought, hail, and excessive moisture.

Insurance coverage is available for avocado trees and mango trees in Miami-Dade County. Coverage is also available for carambola trees in Lee and Miami-Dade counties; for lemon trees in Hendry, Lee, Martin, and Palm Beach counties; for lime trees in Hendry, Lee, and Miami-Dade counties; and for grapefruit trees, murcott trees, orange trees, tangelo trees, and tangerine trees in Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, De Soto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, St Lucie, and Volusia counties.

Insurance coverage is available for grapefruit, mandarins, oranges, tangelos, tangerines, and tangors in Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, De Soto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, St Lucie, and Volusia counties; for lemons in Hendry, Martin, and Palm Beach counties; and for limes in Lee and Miami-Dade counties.

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. Growers 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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