Coarse Grains: Corn, Grain Sorghum, and Soybeans

Sales Closing Dates*

*Program may not be available in all counties. Dates may vary for Margin Protection.

Crop Insured

Coarse Grains are insurable if:

  • Premium rates are provided by the actuarial documents;
  • It is a type listed in the actuarial documents or Special Provisions;
  • It is adapted to the area;
  • Corn is planted for harvest as grain or silage;
  • Grain sorghum is planted for harvest as grain and is a hybrid seed type; and
  • Soybeans are planted for harvest as soybeans for grain or seed.

For crops, types, or practices not insurable in a county, consult a crop insurance agent about the availability of coverage through a written agreement.

Insurance Period

Coverage begins at the later of when we accept your application or the date when the crop is planted and ends with the earliest occurrence of one of the following:

  • Total destruction of the crop;
  • Harvest of the unit;
  • Final adjustment of loss;
  • Abandonment of the crop;
  • September 30 or October 20 for corn as silage; or
  • December 10 for corn as grain, grain sorghum, and soybeans for all states except:
    • Corn and grain sorghum in some counties in south Texas; and
    • Corn in some counties in eastern Washington.

See crop provisions for additional information.

Acreage Reporting Requirements

You must file a report of planted acreage with your crop insurance agent by the acreage reporting date. Acreage reporting dates vary by crop and county. Consult your crop insurance agent for more information and specific reporting requirements.

Acreage reporting dates:

  • Corn...................................................................7/15
    • Specific counties in Texas.......................5/15
  • Soybeans.......................................……….........7/15
  • Grain Sorghum..................................................7/15
    • All counties in Arizona.............................8/15
    • Specific counties in Texas.......................5/15

 

Causes of Loss

You are protected against the following:

  • Adverse weather conditions, including natural perils such as hail, frost, freeze, wind, drought, and excess precipitation;
  • Earthquake;
  • Failure of the irrigation water supply, if caused by an insured peril during the insurance period;
  • Fire;
  • Insects and plant disease, except for insufficient or improper application of control measures;
  • Wildlife;
  • Volcanic eruption; or
  • For revenue protection only, a change in the harvest price from the projected price, unless the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation can prove the price change was the direct result of an uninsured cause of loss.
Duties in the Event of Damage or Loss

If a loss occurs you must:

  • Protect the crop from further damage by providing sufficient care;
  • Notify your crop insurance agent within 72 hours of your initial discovery of damage, but not later than 15 days after the end of the insurance period;
  • Leave representative samples for each field of the damaged unit; and
  • Notify your crop insurance agent before harvest begins if you plan to harvest in a manner other than reported on your acreage report (such as harvesting corn for grain as silage or vice versa).
Coverage Levels and Premium Subsidies

The premium subsidy percentages and available coverage levels, if electing basic units, are shown below. Your share of the premium will be 100 percent minus the subsidy amount.

   Percent
Coverage Level  50  55 60 65 70 75 80 85
Premium Subsidy  67 64 64 59 59 55 48 38
Your Premium Share 33 36 36 41 41 45 52 62

Catastrophic Risk Protection (CAT) coverage is fixed at 50 percent of your average yield and 55 percent of the price election. The cost for CAT coverage is an administrative fee of $655, per crop per county.

Insurance Units

Basic, optional, enterprise, and whole farm unit structures are available in select coarse grains counties. You may have the choice of optional or enterprise units by irrigation practice in select coarse grains counties, or Following Another Crop (FAC)/Not Following Another Crop (NFAC) cropping practice in select grain sorghum and soybean counties. Premium discounts apply for basic, enterprise, and whole farm units. Additional subsidy is available for enterprise and whole farm units. You may only elect whole farm units if you select a Revenue Protection plan of insurance.

Coverage Options

You may buy crop insurance coverage under one of the insurance plans offered: Area Risk Protection, CAT, Margin Protection, Revenue Protection, Revenue Protection with Harvest Price Exclusion, or Yield Protection, where available.

Additional options are Contract Pricing, Coverage Level by Irrigated Practice, Hail & Fire Exclusion, High Risk Alternative Coverage Endorsement, Personal T-Yield, Prevented Planting +5% Option, Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO), Trend Adjusted Yield Option, Yield Adjustment, Yield Cup Option and Yield Exclusion, where available.

Contact a Crop Insurance Agent for More Information
All multi-peril crop insurance, including CAT policies, are available from private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA service centers and on the RMA website Agent Locator.

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This fact sheet gives only a general overview of the crop insurance program and is not a complete policy. For further information and an evaluation of your risk management needs, contact a crop insurance agent.

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