Department of Agriculture
Risk Management Agency Fact Sheet
Washington National Office — Washington,DC
Revised September 2019
Potatoes
- Potato Policy Availability*
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*Program may not be available in all counties.
- Crop Insured
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Potatoes are insurable if:
- You have a share in the crop;
- Premium rates are provided by the actuarial documents;
- Planted with certified seed (unless otherwise permitted by the Special Provisions); and
- Planted for harvest as certified seed stock or for human consumption (unless specified otherwise in the Special Provisions).
Potatoes are not insurable (unless allowed by the Special Provisions or by written agreement) if:
- Interplanted with another crop; or
- Planted into an established grass or legume.
For crops, types or practices not insurable in a county, consult a crop insurance agent about the availability of coverage through a written agreement.
- Insurance Period
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Coverage begins at the later of when we accept your application or the date when the crop is planted, and ends with the earliest occurrence of one of the following:
- Total destruction of the crop;
- Harvest of the unit;
- Final adjustment of loss;
- Abandonment of the crop; or
- The date specified in the Special Provisions.
See crop provisions for additional information.
- Sales Closing Dates
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You must apply for insurance coverage with your crop insurance agent by the sales closing date. Sales closing dates may vary by county, consult your crop insurance agent for more information and specific requirements.
Sales closing dates:
Alabama, Missouri...……...12/31
Arizona...………11/30
California...………11/30, 12/15, 1/31, 3/15, 5/31 or 7/1
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey,
North Carolina, and Virginia...………1/31
Florida...………9/30 or 12/31
Oklahoma...………2/28
Texas...………11/30, 2/28 or 3/15
All Other States...………3/15
- Acreage Reporting Requirements
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You must file a report of planted 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:
Alabama...………3/15 or 5/15
Arizona...………3/15
California...………11/15, 12/15, 1/15, 3/15, 5/15, 6/15, 7/15 or 9/15
Florida...………10/15, 1/15, or 3/15
Delaware, Maryland, Missouri,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Virginia...………5/15
New Mexico and Texas...………5/15 or 7/15
All Other States...………7/15
- Causes of Loss
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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.
- Duties in the Event of Damage or Loss
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If a loss occurs you must:
- Protect the crop from further damage by providing sufficient care;
- 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;
- Leave representative samples at least 10 feet wide and extending the entire length of each field if you are going to destroy any acreage of the insured crop that will not be harvested; and
- Give the insurance company the opportunity to perform a grade inspection on the production from any unit for which you reported damage.
- Coverage Levels and Premium Subsidies
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The premium subsidy percentages and available coverage levels, if electing basic units, are shown below. Your share of the premium will be 100 percent minus the subsidy amount.
Percent Coverage Level 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 Premium Subsidy 67 64 64 59 59 55 48 38 Your Premium Share 33 36 36 41 41 45 52 62 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.
- Insurance Units
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Basic and optional unit structures are available in select counties for potatoes. Premium discounts apply for basic units.
- Coverage Options
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You may buy crop insurance coverage under one of the insurance plans offered: Catastrophic Risk Protection or Actual Production History.
Additional options are the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), Trend Adjusted Yield Option, and Yield Cup Option, where available.
Endorsements available only for the Northern Policy are the Northern Potato Certified Seed Endorsement, Northern Potato Processing Quality Endorsement, Northern Potato Quality Endorsement, and the Northern Potato Storage Coverage Endorsement, where available.
- Contact a Crop Insurance Agent for More Information
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All multi-peril crop insurance, including CAT policies, are available from private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA service centers and on the RMA website Agent Locator.
- Useful Links
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Actuarial Information Browser
webapp.rma.usda.gov/apps/ActuarialInformationBrowser/
RMA Map Viewer
public-rma.fpac.usda.gov/apps/MapViewer/index.html
USDA/Risk Management Agency Homepage
www.rma.usda.gov/
Regional Office State Directory
www.rma.usda.gov/RMALocal/Field-Offices/Regional-Offices
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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.
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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.