Product Management Bulletin-PM-22-042

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) amended the Common Crop Insurance Provisions Basic Provisions, Area Risk Protection Insurance Basic Provisions, and 20 individual Crop Provisions for the 2023 and succeeding crop years for the June 30, 2022, contract change date and for the 2024 crop year for crops with a contract change date prior to June 30, 2022, with the following changes:

• Add a new marketing certification that allows producers to self-identify if they will not have disinterested third party (DTP) records and enables them to use their own supporting production records.
• Allow producers to use their own records, thereby limiting the need for AIP preharvest appraisals as a supporting record.
• Add new definitions for production reporting terms.
• Add a new mid-season type for Florida Avocado Crop Provisions to better align insurance coverage with industry designations for early, mid, and late season growing practices and harvest periods.
• Explain how to adjust the approved APH yield when a producer changes the production method used on the insured acreage.
• Explicitly list the 30-day appeal deadline for good farming practice determinations.
• Clarify where a producer can find information in the policy (e.g., specifying “Special Provisions” versus “actuarial documents”).
• Incorporate general clarifications and corrections throughout Crop Provisions, including updating terminology for consistency, updating dates, states, and prices in examples, clarifying definitions, removing duplications, and correcting grammar or spelling.

A Final Rule with these changes was published in the Federal Register on June 30, 2022. FCIC invites you to submit comments on this rule through the close of business on August 29, 2022, at regulations.gov.

The following documents will be available by close of business today on the RMA website at www.rma.usda.gov:

Basic Provisions

• Area Risk Protection Insurance (23-ARPI)
• Common Crop Insurance Policy Basic Provisions (23-BR)

Crop Provisions

• Arizona-California Citrus Fruit (24-0126)
• Blueberry (23-012)
• California Avocado (24-0019)
• Cranberry (23-058)
• Florida Avocado (23-0019a)
• Forage Production (23-003)
• Guaranteed Production Plan of Fresh Market Tomato (23-186)
• Macadamia Nut (24-0023)
• Onion (23-0013)
• Peach (23-0034)
• Pear (23-0089)
• Stonefruit (23-0077)
• Table Grape (23-0052)
• Texas Citrus Fruit (24-0226)

Handbooks

• Crop Insurance Handbook (18010)
• Document and Supplemental Standards Handbook (24040)
• General Standards Handbook (18190)

Fact Sheets

• Forage Production Fact Sheet
• Stonefruit Fact Sheet

Approved insurance providers must notify policyholders of these changes at least 30 days prior to the cancellation date, as required by the policy.

Interested producers should contact a crop insurance agent for further information. A list of agents can be found on the RMA website at www.rma.usda.gov/Information-Tools/Agent-Locator-Page.

The remaining 6 regulatory Crop Provisions included in the CIROC Final Rule and conforming changes in 10 non-regulatory Crop Provisions are planned for public release by their respective contract change dates (CCD):

August 31, 2022:

• Actual Revenue History Citrus (23-0227-ARH Citrus)
• Florida Citrus Fruit (24-FCF)
• Pistachio (23-0470)
• Sweet Cherry (23-0057-Sweet)

September 30, 2022:

• Hawaii Tropical Fruit (23-0255)

October 31, 2022:

• Olive (23-OL-0501)
• Pecan Revenue (23-0020)
• Prune (23-0036)

November 30, 2022:

• Cabbage (23-0072)
• Chile Peppers (23-045)
• Fresh Market Beans (23-0105)
• Fresh Market Sweet Corn (23-0044)
• Sweet Potatoes (23-0156)

April 30, 2023:

• Fresh Market Pepper (24-083)
• Fresh Market Tomato (Dollar Plan) (24-0086)

DISPOSAL DATE: December 31, 2023