Crop Insurance Deadline Nears in Florida

VALDOSTA, Ga., Jan. 31, 2019 - USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds Florida corn, cotton, cucumbers, flue-cured tobacco, grain sorghum, peanut, and soybean growers that the final date to apply for crop insurance coverage is February 28. Growers who are interested in the Whole Farm Revenue Protection policy and, are calendar year or early fiscal year filers, have until February 28 to apply for crop insurance. Current policyholders who wish to make changes to their existing coverage also have until the February 28 sales closing date to do so.

Federal crop insurance is critical to the farm safety net. It helps producers and owners manage revenue risks and strengthens the rural economy. Coverage is available for corn, cotton, peanuts, soybeans, and whole farm revenue protection in select Florida counties. Coverage is available for cucumbers in Jackson County. Coverage is also available for flue-cured tobacco in Alachua, Columbia, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, and Suwannee counties and grain sorghum in Calhoun, Escambia, Jackson, Jefferson, and Levy counties. Please contact your insurance agent to see if your county is covered.

Growers are encouraged to visit their crop insurance agent soon to learn specific details for the 2019 crop year. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Growers can use the RMA Cost Estimator to get a premium amount estimate of their insurance needs online.

For more information about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net, visit www.rma.usda.gov.