RMA Increases Reconditioning Payment Amount for Producers with Raisin Crop Insurance Coverage

DAVIS, Calif., May 16, 2025 – The U.S. Departmentof Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) is improving the Raisin Crop Insurance Program in California by increasing the reconditioning payment amount from $175 to $250 per ton for the 2026 and succeeding crop years.

“Raisin reconditioning payments reimburse growers for the extra costs of washing and drying raisins if the drying process is directly disrupted by rainfall while the grapes are on trays in the insured vineyard,” said Jeff Yasui, Director of the RMA Regional Office in Davis. “We collaborated with stakeholders and industry representatives and based on the changes in cost of reconditioning over the last 15 years, determined the updated payment amount.”

Raisin coverage is available in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus, and Tulare counties in California. The sales closing date for coverage is July 31, 2025, for the 2026 reinsurance year.

About the Program

The raisin insurance program is a dollar plan policy that provides protection against unavoidable loss of production resulting from rain that occurs during the insurance period and while the raisins are on trays or in rolls in the vineyard for drying. The program offers coverage levels between catastrophic and 75%.

A reconditioning payment is available, based on the actual weight of the raisins, when the insured production is damaged by rain and by inspection is found to contain mold, embedded sand, or other rain-caused contamination determined by micro-analysis in excess of standards established by the Raisin Administrative Committee (RAC), or is found to contain moisture in excess of 18%.

In 2024, producers insured $79 million in covered liabilities on 72,000 tons of production.

More Information

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available 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’s Basics for Beginners provides information for those new to crop insurance.

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