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:

• 2019 Crop Year Rainfall Index April – May Index Interval Final Grid Indices for Annual Forage, Apiculture, and Pasture, Rangeland, Forage

Action

By close of business today, final grid indices and payment calculation factors will be available in the Actuarial Information Browser and Actuarial Data Master in the following formats:

In accordance with Section 15 of the ARPI Crop Provisions, final county yields for the 2018 crop year will be available by close of business today in the following formats:

Background

Previous flooding and excess moisture throughout the spring and summer, along with the oncoming Tropical Storm Barry, have increased the likelihood that farmers will be dealing with emergency situations caused by the storm. The Risk Management Agency (RMA) has received requests to allow additional time for policyholders to submit acreage reports for spring-seeded crops.

Background 

At the May 2017 Board meeting, the Board approved Reasonableness Procedures to be used 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. After the initial publication of the Reasonableness Procedures in November 2016, stakeholders were provided two different opportunities, in December 2016 and April 2017, to provide comments and suggestions for changes to the Reasonableness Procedures.

Background 

Producers in Southwest Oklahoma and Northern Texas have recently been affected by wet weather, muddy field conditions and in some cases excessive winds, which have delayed the normal and customary timeframe for mechanical or chemical termination of crops used for winter grazing (oftentimes small grains). The generally mild winter months along with the weather-related delays may, in some situations, cause producers the inability to fully terminate the crops prior to the onset of some of the plants reaching the headed or budded stage.

Background

Due to the recent severe flooding and excessive precipitation that is occurring at historic levels, the Risk Management Agency (RMA) has received requests to allow additional time for policyholders to submit acreage reports for spring-seeded crops. Concerns have been expressed that many policyholders may not be able to comply with the current acreage reporting dates due to difficulties to properly determine and report the insured amount of acreage planted or prevented from planting due to damage to transportation infrastructure, homes and businesses.

Background

The Risk Management Agency (RMA) has been advised that some processing tomato policy holders in California are at risk of losing coverage for their 2019 crop. Due to market conditions, price negotiations have been extended and a final price has not been set. It is estimated that a significant percentage of policy holders in California do not yet have a final contract price. In addition, on May 19, 2019, a severe hail storm in Fresno County caused extensive damage to thousands of acres of processing tomatoes.

Background 

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board of Directors (Board) approved procedures at the November 2016 Board meeting that 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 

Severe freeze events in the Southeastern United States on March 15-16, 2017, have resulted in significant and varying crop damage, particularly for blueberry and peach growers in Georgia and South Carolina. Some reports indicate the freeze event may have damaged 80 percent of the blueberry crop in Southern Georgia and 85 to 90 percent of early and midseason peach varieties in both states. Crops that advanced early, due to an unusually warm January and February, were damaged by the March freeze.