This week, a new crop insurance publication was released and an update of an existing publication was released. Federal Crop Insurance is Part of Farm Safety Net for Maryland Potato Producers (FS-981) was authored by Sudeep A. Mathew, Paul Goeringer, and Lori Lynch. Currently potato crop insurance is only available in Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Worcester counties in Maryland, but producers in other counties can talk with their local crop insurance agent to get coverage by written agreement. Producers can choose coverage levels from the 50 percent to the 75 percent levels at 5 percent increments. The insurance available is yield protection. Click here to view the potato crop insurance publication.
The second crop insurance publication is an update of an existing publication, Trend-Adjusted Yield Option Introduced for Crop Insurance. This publication, originally authored by Paul Goeringer and Lori Lynch, was updated by Paul Goeringer to cover revisions to the trend-adjustment factors for the 2015 wheat crop. Trend-adjustments work by factoring in technological advancements from better farming techniques and genetics into a producer’s actual production history (APH). Utilizing the trend-adjustment endorsement, a producer may be able to receive the same level of coverage and save money on their crop insurance. Consider the examples, review your individual risk management plan, and contact your local crop insurance agent (before the Sept. 30th) closing date for wheat. The University of Illinois provides a crop insurance decision making tool with Maryland data included. To find the tool, click here. If you do not have a crop insurance agent, RMA offers a tool to help you find a nearby crop insurance agent, click here.
To get more information on crop insurance, see the AREC Crop Insurance page or the Crop Insurance page on the UME Grain Marketing website.