Background

The Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill) instructed the Risk Management Agency (RMA) to offer the Stacked Income Protection Plan of Insurance (STAX) to upland cotton producers which became effective for the 2015 insurance year and was available in all counties where insurance for upland cotton is available (see MGR-14-011).

After considering feedback and input from various program participants, RMA is making the following modification to the STAX program:

As of November 29, 2016 the following information is now available on the FTP site:

• 2017 Actuarial Data Master for the 6/30, 11/30, 12/31 Filing Date, YTD, and Daily Files.
• 2017 Special Provisions for the 11/30, 12/31 Filing Date.

Users can find this information in the following directories:

Background

The Popcorn Revenue Program was implemented beginning with the 2012 crop year. Several minor corrections have been made for the 2017 crop year including correcting paragraph references and replacing the word “a” with the word “the”. Additionally, the Prevented Planting section is revised to state that the prevented planting coverage levels will be contained in the actuarial documents along with an option for additional prevented planting coverage levels, if offered in the actuarial documents.

Background

The Risk Management Agency (RMA) has revised the Cotton Crop Provisions (17-0021) and Extra Long Staple (ELS) Cotton Crop Provisions (17-0022) for the 2017 and succeeding crop years.

Background

The Risk Management Agency (RMA) published a Final Rule with Comment in the Federal Register, effective for the 2017 and succeeding crop years, which revised the Crop Provisions that contained Prevented Planting coverage levels for all crops with a 2017 contract change date on or after November 23, 2016, and for the 2018 and succeeding crop years for all crops with a 2017 contract change date prior to November 23, 2016.

Background 

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board of Directors (Board) have approved procedures they will use to determine the ‘reasonableness’ of requests for: (1) advance payments; (2) reimbursement of research and development costs; (3) reimbursement of maintenance costs; and (4) approval of user fees submitted to the Board.

Background

A joint investigation by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Risk Management Agency (RMA), Special Investigation Staff (SIS) found program non-compliance relating to agent involvement with loss adjustment activities. Agents are assisting policyholders with the separation of production between units on claims that were filed on their privately written hail policies. Subsequently, these same production records are used to complete Multiple Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) claims.

Background

Organic Rice Factor

Background

In accordance with Section 8 of the Rainfall and Vegetation Index Plan Common Policy Basic Provisions, final grid indices and payment calculation factors have been determined and approved for the following:

As of November 15, 2016 the following information is now available on the FTP site:

• 2016 Actuarial Data Master for the 4/30, 8/31 Filing Date, YTD, and Daily Files.

Users can find this information in the following directories:

• 2016 Actuarial Data Master are in the References/Actuarial_Data_Master/2016 directory.

Additional notes and details regarding this data release: