If you have been using Forage Insurance for your annual forages, such as wheat pasture, sudan, and other forage sorghums, there are some changes for the coming year. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Area Economist J.J. Jones outlines those changes below.
For the crop year 2018-19 the Risk Management Agency (RMA) has made some changes to the Rainfall Index – Annual Forage Insurance (RI-AF). These new changes do affect which policies producers should choose and use, but before discussing the changes let’s review just what is the Annual Forage Rainfall Insurance.
RI-AF is an insurance product offered by the Risk Management Agency (RMA) through private insurance companies to help producers protect against production losses due to lack of moisture for annual forage crops. RI-AF is similar to the Pasture Range and Forage Insurance (PRF). The difference between the two products is the type of forage crops that are covered. PRF is for perennial forage crops while RI-AF is for annual forage crops such as wheat, rye, oats, sudan, haygrazer and millet.
Like PRF the RI-AF uses the National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center data and 12 X 12 mile grid system to determine the rainfall index. Indemnity payments are calculated based on the difference between the calculated rainfall index and the normal rainfall index within a grid and for a specific time interval. Payments are not determined by individual producer’s losses.
Producers can choose to insure all or any portion of their acreage. To use RI-AF a producer must make six option choices. They are growing season, coverage level, productivity factor, insurable interest, insurable acres, and index intervals.
Changes to RI-AF
In the past producers were given a choice between two growing seasons. For 2018-19 the number of seasons in which to choose from will be four and instead of growing season the choices are for the planting season. So now, producers will choose the season in which they plant the annual forage. In addition to the changes to the number of seasons, the crop reporting dates for the different seasons have been changed as well. The four planting seasons and crop reporting dates are listed below.
Planting Seasons Crop Acreage Reporting Date
Season 1 – July 16 to October 15 October 15
Season 2 – October 16 to January 15 January 15
Season 3 – January 16 to April 15 April 15
Season 4 – April 16 to July 15 July 15
Another change is the sign up date. The sign up is now July 15, 2018 for all 2018-19 planting seasons. Producers must choose which season and number of acres by July 15, but they are not obligated or insured until they report the crop acreage by the acreage reporting date. Producers can nullify the policy by reporting zero acres planted by the crop acres reporting date.
A third change is the time in which the policy premium is due. Producers must sign up by July 15, 2018 but are not billed for the insurance until August 2019. If producers sign up and then report zero acres planted then no premium is due.
Producers wanting to use the RI-AF product should contact their crop insurance agency. More information about RI-AF can be found at http:www.rma.usda.gov/policies/ri-vi/annualforage.html.
Follow me on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/leland.mcdaniel
Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local Governments Cooperating. The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, national origin, disability or status as a veteran, and is an equal opportunity employer.
