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United States
Department of Agriculture

Risk Management Agency Fact Sheet

Washington National Office — Washington,DC

Revised September 2022

Aquaculture (Oysters, Clams, WFRP)

Group Risk Plan (GRP) Oysters
GRP Oysters is a risk management tool to insure against widespread loss of production of the insured commodity in a county. It is primarily intended for use by those producers whose oyster landings tend to follow the average county oyster landings. GRP Oysters uses county-level landing data as the basis for determining a loss.
Availability
GRP Oysters are available in nine select counties in Louisiana: Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Vermillion.
Crop Insured

The insured crop will be oysters for which:

  • You have an insurable share;
  • Are for fresh market sale;
  • Are from your leased or owned oyster beds; and
  • Are not grown for experimental or research purposes.
Causes of Loss
The insurance provided is against only unavoidable loss of oyster landings directly caused by drought, flood, hurricane, and other natural disasters.
Important Dates
Sales Closing/Cancellation ……………… April 30
Contract Change Date ……………….February 28
Insurance Period Begins …………………..June 1
Coverage Levels
Coverage levels are available from 70 to 90 percent, in five percent increments. Catastrophic Risk Protection (CAT) coverage is also available.
Aquaculture Dollar Plan Clams
The Cultivated Clam program provides inventory-based stock mortality insurance. You submit inventory records for your insurable clams, and indemnities are paid for insured causes of loss that reduce the inventory value by more than the selected deductible. Inventory records of insurable stock must be submitted with the application, but inventory may be increased throughout the insurance period for additional premium.
Availability
Clams are available in select counties in Massachusetts, South Carolina and Virginia.
Crop Insured

The insured crop will be clams that:

  • Are grown by a person who grew or managed a clam farming operation in at least three of the
    previous five crop years;
  • Are grown in a county for which a premium rate is provided in the actuarial documents;
  • Are grown in an acceptable location for which GPS coordinates and clam inventory value report was provided; and
  • Use a practice that fixes the insurable clams to the land within the growing location.
Causes of Loss
The insurance provided is against the following named perils: oxygen depletion (due to vegetation, microbial activity, harmful algae bloom, or high-water temperature), disease, freeze, hurricane, increase or decrease in salinity, tidal wave, storm surge, or ice floe.
Important Dates
Sales Closing/Cancellation ….………November 30
Contract Change Date …………….……. August 31
Insurance Period Begins ………………December 1
Coverage Levels
Coverage levels are available from 50 to 75 percent, in five percent increments. CAT coverage is also available.
Aquaculture Clams
Whole-Farm Revenue Protection

Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) provides a risk management safety net for all commodities on the farm under one insurance policy. WFRP protects your farm against the loss of farm revenue that you earn or expect to earn from:

  • Commodities, including various aquaculture, you produce during the insurance period;
  • Commodities you buy for resale during the insurance period; and
  • All commodities on the farm including aquaculture, except timber, forest, and forest products; and animals, for sport, show, or pets.

This insurance plan is tailored for any farm with up to $17 million in insured revenue, including farms with specialty or organic commodities (both crops and livestock) or those marketing to local, regional, farm-identity preserved, specialty, or direct markets. You can buy WFRP alone or with other buy-up level (additional coverage) Federal crop insurance policies. When you buy WFRP with another Federal crop insurance policy, the WFRP premium is reduced due to the coverage provided by the other policy. If you have other Federal crop insurance policies at catastrophic coverage levels, you do not qualify for WFRP.

Availability
WFRP is available in all counties in all 50 states.
Causes of Loss
WFRP provides protection against the loss of insured revenue due to an unavoidable natural cause of loss which occurs during the insurance period and will also provide carryover loss coverage if you are insured the following year. See the policy for a list of covered causes of loss.
Important Dates

Sales Closing, Cancellation, & Termination Dates
Calendar Year and Early Fiscal Year Filers:
January 31, February 28, or March 15 (by county)

Late Fiscal Year Filers……………...November 20

Revised Farm Operation Report Dates
All Filers………………………………...…….July 15
Contract Change Date…………………...August 31
Coverage Levels
Coverage levels are available from 50 to 85 percent, in five percent increments. CAT coverage is not available under WFRP.
Premium Subsidy
Farms with two or more commodities will receive a whole-farm premium subsidy as long as the minimum diversification requirements are met. Farms with one commodity will receive the basic level of premium subsidy.
Where to Buy Crop Insurance

All multi-peril crop insurance, including CAT policies, are available from private insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA service centers and on the RMA web site at www.rma.usda.gov/Information-Tools/Agent-Locator-Page.

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This fact sheet gives only a general overview of the crop insurance program and is not a complete policy. For further information and an evaluation of your risk management needs, contact a crop insurance agent.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, complete, sign and mail a program discrimination complaint form, (available at any USDA office location or online at www.ascr.usda.gov), to: United States Department of Agriculture; Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; 1400 Independence Ave., SW; Washington, DC 20250-9410. Or call toll free at (866) 632- 9992 (voice) to obtain additional information, the appropriate office or to request documents. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136.