SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio producers that the final date to apply for insurance coverage on spring barley, burley tobacco, cabbage, corn, cucumbers, dry beans, forage seeding, grain sorghum, green peas, hybrid seed corn, oats, popcorn, potatoes, processing beans, processing pumpkins, processing sweet corn, processing tomatoes, soybeans, and sugar beets is March 15. Current policyholders who wish to make changes to their existing policies also have until the sales closing date to do so.
Crop insurance provides protection against decreases in revenue and crop production losses due to natural perils such as drought and excessive moisture. Producers have a number of coverage choices, including yield coverage, revenue protection, and area risk policies.
Farmers interested in purchasing the Whole Farm Revenue Protection for 2017 also need to do so by March 15. More information about this product can be found on the RMA Whole- Farm web page.
Brian Frieden, RMA Springfield Regional Office Director, urges producers to contact a crop insurance agent for details. Agents can help producers determine what policy works best for their operation and review existing coverage to ensure the policy meets their needs.
Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Producers can use the RMA Cost Estimator to get a premium amount estimate of their insurance needs online. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at www.rma.usda.gov.