DAVIS, CALIF., August 15, 2014 - The United States Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency (RMA) issued maps that identify unrated areas (area of no coverage) for non-irrigated small grains (barley, oats and wheat) in eight California counties for the 2015 crop year. The affected counties are Fresno, Kern, Kings, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Tulare.
Producers in these counties who wish to insure their small grain crops under a non-irrigated practice must request and receive a written agreement before insurance will be available beginning with the 2015 crop year. Written agreements are requested through a crop insurance agent. Producers are encouraged to contact their crop insurance agent before the sales closing date to buy federal crop insurance or request a written agreement.
Insurability requirements under the small grains crop insurance policy state only wheat, oats or barley planted for harvest as grain is insurable. As an alternative to those producers who plant for hay or grazing, the Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) crop insurance program is also available. PRF is designed to give forage and livestock producers the ability to buy insurance protection for losses of forage produced for haying and grazing.
Small Grain growers must make all of their decisions on crop insurance coverage, especially which crops to insure and what level and type of coverage to get before the sales closing date. The small grains sales closing date for Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, and Siskiyou counties is September 30, 2014. The sales closing date for all other counties is October 31, 2014. The sales closing date for PRF is November 15, 2014. The USDA, Farm Service Agency (FSA) also offers a Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), for hay growers. NAP provides coverage equivalent to catastrophic levels of insurance and higher. For growers whose intent is to graze the crop, FSA also offers NAP (Grazing) coverage as well as other disaster programs such as the Livestock Forage Disaster Program. Contact your local FSA Office for information regarding their programs.
Federal crop insurance program policies are sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance companies and agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA service centers throughout the United States or on the RMA website at: www3.rma.usda.gov/tools/agents.
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