Springfield RO: USDA Announces Improvements to Crop Insurance for Pumpkins

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Nov. 21, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced improvements to the processing pumpkin insurance program for the 2025 and succeeding crop years for Illinois producers, including increasing the maximum coverage level from 80% to 85%.

Additional improvements to the program include:

• Allowing enterprise units and enterprise units by organic practice; and 
• Authorizing written agreements, which will allow producers to apply for coverage in counties where the program is not currently offered.

“The Risk Management Agency’s processing pumpkin insurance provides critical support to our Illinois pumpkin producers, who are the largest source of processed pumpkins in the U.S.,” said Brian Frieden, Director of RMA’s Regional Office that covers Illinois. “These changes will provide our pumpkin producers with more flexibilities and coverage options.”

To safeguard program integrity for processing pumpkins, RMA will be modifying the rotational requirement that prohibits insurance attaching to acreage that was planted to a Cucurbitaceae (squash, melons, cucumbers or gourds) in the preceding crop year, by increasing the requirement from one crop year to the two preceding crop years. Additionally, frost or freeze will no longer be a covered cause of loss after November 1.

After a successful pilot period, RMA is converting the processing pumpkin program from a pilot to a permanent program. Due to this conversion, processing pumpkin producers in the region will no longer be eligible for the Farm Service Agency’s Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP).

The processing pumpkin crop insurance policy offers actual production history coverage, which insures a producer’s historical yield. Only processing pumpkins grown under contract with a processor are eligible for coverage, and the price in the contract is used to establish the insurance coverage.

Processing pumpkins are insurable in Bureau, Fulton, Henry, Knox, Marshall, Mason, Peoria, Putnam, Stark, Tazewell and Woodford counties. Producers that are interested in planting and insuring processing pumpkins should speak to their crop insurance agent about additional details, including upcoming sales closing dates for their area and the written agreement process.

In crop year 2024, producers insured $5.6 million in covered liabilities on 7,100 acres of pumpkins.

More Information

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 learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting their RMA Regional Office.

RMA secures the future of agriculture by providing world class risk management tools to rural America through Federal crop insurance and risk management education programs. RMA provides policies for more than 130 crops and is constantly working to adjust and create new policies based on producer needs and feedback.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.

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