WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 27, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) today announced a new crop insurance endorsement, Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI). HIP-WI covers a portion of the deductible of the underlying crop insurance policy when a county, or county adjacent, is within the area of sustained hurricane-force winds. The coverage provided by HIP-WI can be combined with the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) and the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) when acreage is also insured by a companion policy.

HIP-WI provides coverage for 70 different crops and is available in counties in the vicinity of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, as well as Hawaii. The deadline to purchase HIP-WI coverage for the 2020 crop year is April 30, 2020.

“Hurricane season will be upon us before we know it,” RMA Administrator Martin Barbre said. “This new hurricane endorsement provides some added protection for producers along the Gulf and east coasts as well as Hawaii. The past couple of hurricane seasons have taught us that more coverage is needed in these areas and that prompt payment for losses is important not only for the impacted producers but also for these rural communities.”

An administrative fee and premium for the crop covered by each HIP-WI Endorsement will be due in addition to any administrative fee and/or premium for the underlying policy. However, the HIP-WI administrative fee may be waived if the producer qualifies as a limited resource farmer, a Beginning Farmer Rancher (BFR) or a Veteran Farmer Rancher (VFR).

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available on the RMA website by using the RMA Agent Locator.

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