Forage Production

Forage Production Table text (PDF)

*Program may not be available in all counties.

Forage is insurable if:

• You have a share in the crop; and
• It is grown during one or more years after the year of establishment.

Forage is not insurable if it:

• Does not have an adequate stand at the beginning of the insurance period;
• Is grown with a non-forage crop; or
• Exceeds the age limitations for forage stands contained in the Special Provisions. 

For crops, types or practices not insurable in a county, consult a crop insurance agent about the availability of coverage through a written agreement.

Coverage begins when the forage reaches an adequate stand and the date listed in the crop policy. Coverage ends with the earliest occurrence of one of the following:

• Total destruction of the crop;
• Removal from the windrow or the field for each cutting; Final adjustment of loss;
• The date grazing starts on the forage crop; Abandonment of the crop;
• October 15 in Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Shasta and Siskiyou Counties, California and all other states, except Arizona; or
• November 30 all Arizona and California counties, except those listed above.

See crop provisions for additional information.

You must file a report of all insured forage production acreage with your crop insurance agent by the acreage reporting date. Acreage reporting dates vary by crop and county. Consult your crop insurance agent for more information and specific reporting requirements.

Acreage reporting dates:

• Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.....11/15
• Alaska, California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.....12/15

You are protected against the following:

• Adverse weather conditions, including natural perils such as hail, frost, freeze, wind, drought, and excess precipitation;
• Earthquake;
• Failure of the irrigation water supply, if caused by an insured peril during the insurance period;
• Fire;
• Insects and plant disease, except for insufficient or improper application of pest or disease control measures;
• Wildlife; or
• Volcanic eruption.

If a loss occurs, or you expect a loss will occur, you must:

• Protect the crop from further damage by providing sufficient care;
• Leave representative samples for each field of the damaged unit;
• Notify your crop insurance agent within:
  • 72 hours of your initial discovery of damage, but not later than 15 days after the end of the insurance period;
  • 3 days from the date harvest should have started if the insured crop will not be harvested;
  • 5 days before grazing of insured forage begins;
  • 15 days before any production will be harvested for direct marketing;
  • 15 days prior to the beginning of harvest, if you previously gave a notice of loss; and
• Not destroy the damaged crop until after you have received written consent to do so.

If electing basic units, the premium subsidy percentages and available coverage levels are shown below.

Catastrophic Risk Protection (CAT) coverage is fixed at 50 percent of your average yield and 55 percent of the price election. The cost for CAT coverage is an administrative fee of $655, per crop per county.

Your share of the premium will be 100 percent minus the subsidy amount.

Basic units and optional units are available for forage production.

You may buy crop insurance coverage under one of the insurance plans offered: Catastrophic Risk Protection, Actual Production History, or Area Yield Protection, where available.

Additional Options are Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), where available.

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.