Specialty Crops

Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture nursery crops. Individual crop insurance programs are currently available for the following specialty crops:

Almonds
Apples
Apple Trees
Apricots (Fresh, Processing)
Avocados
Avocado Trees
Bananas
Banana Trees
Beans (Dry, Fresh Market, Processing)
Blueberries
Cabbage
Caneberries
Carambola Trees
Cherries
Chile Peppers
Citrus (Grapefruit, Limes, Oranges)
Citrus Trees (Grapefruit, Lime, Mandarin, Orange, Tangelo)
Clary Sage
Coffee
Coffee Trees
Cranberries
Cucumbers
Figs
Grapes
Hemp
Hybrid Sweet Corn Seed
Hybrid Vegetable Seed
Lemon Trees
Lemons
Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia Trees
Mandarins/Tangerines
Mango Trees
Mint
Nectarines (Fresh)
Nursery (Field Grown & Container)
Nursery Value Select
Olives
Onions
Papaya
Papaya Trees
Peaches
Peaches (Cling Processing, Freestone Fresh,
Freestone Processing)
Pears
Peas (Dry, Green)
Pecans
Pecan Trees
Peppers
Pistachios
Plums
Potatoes
Prunes
Pumpkins
Raisins
Strawberries
Sweet Corn (Fresh, Processing)
Sweet Potatoes
Table Grapes
Tangelos
Tangerine Trees
Tangors
Tomatoes (Fresh, Processing)
Walnuts

In addition, Whole-Farm Revenue Protection provides a risk management safety net to all commodities, including specialty crops, under one insurance policy and is the first Federal crop insurance program to be available in every state and county in the United States. It is tailored for any farm with up to $8.5 million in insured revenue and includes farms with specialty or organic commodities (both crops and livestock), or those marketing to local, regional, farm-identity preserved, specialty, or direct markets.

Specialty crops are a priority at RMA, and federal crop insurance coverage for specialty crops has grown steadily over the past 15 years. In 2021, the amount of insurance for specialty crops totaled around $22 billion.

Chart 1: FCIC Program Growth for Specialty Crops

RMA continues to communicate with producers and other interested parties to identify where there is a need to expand the availability of risk management products to producers. Expansion of products is generally made to growing areas where RMA is aware the crop exists, there is some history or experience of the crops’ performance, and there is significant grower interest in the product. See details on Expansions of Specialty Crops Programs.

RMA is also always looking for ways to streamline processes and reporting requirements to make it easier for specialty crop producers and others who sell through direct marketing channels to obtain insurance, report their annual production, and file a claim. Recent updates now enable specialty crop producers can now benefit from greater flexibility to use their own records to meet crop insurance reporting requirements. Read more in the June 30, 2022 news release.

Contact Us

If you have feedback on how we can improve coverage for specialty crops, please let us know at SpecialtyCrops@usda.gov.

If you are interested in learning more about insuring your specialty crops, please contact your local RMA specialty crop insurance liaison from the list below:

Regional Office - Liaison

Outreach to Stakeholders Upcoming Events

Join the Risk Management Agency (RMA) for virtual workshops covering the ins and outs of the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection and Micro Farm, which are great insurance options for specialty crop, organic, urban and other producers with diverse operations. RMA subject matter experts will provide an in-depth look at these policies and answer questions. RSVP is not required. These events are part of a broader roadshow, and there will be additional in-person and virtual events across the country. Details on additional event dates and locations will be announced soon on the RMA Roadshow webpageThe Risk Management Agency is inviting interested parties to participate in a listening session to discuss the proposed changes to the apple crop insurance program.  Information for participating in the sessions can be found here

  • Saturday, February 25
    In-person event: at the Michigan Family Farms Conference
    Location: Kalamazoo Valley Community College (Texas Township Campus), 6767 W O Avenue
    Conference information: www.miffs.org/mffc2023
    Hosted by: RMA Springfield Regional Office

In addition, the Risk Management Agency is inviting interested parties to participate in a listening session to discuss the proposed changes to the apple crop insurance program. Information for participating in the sessions can be found here.

Other Events

  • January 30-31 – The St. Paul Regional Office will host a booth at the trade show and attend educational events at the 2023 Wisconsin Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Staff will network with attendees and promote changes to the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection program that improve it as a risk management tool for growers, especially those farms with specialty or organic commodities (both crops and livestock), or those marketing to local, regional, farm-identity preserved, specialty, or direct markets. Staff will collect feedback on crop insurance programs important to attendees to apply toward current and future program improvement efforts. 

Past Events