Transcript Slide 1
Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage
Rainfall Index Insurance
Jayson K. Harper
Professor of agricultural economics
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology
The Pennsylvania State University
Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of
its workforce
Multi-Peril Crop Insurance
(MPCI)
• Objective - provide protection options that
will make it possible for producer to survive
a disaster and return to profitability
• USDA’s primary risk management program
• Highly subsidized by USDA (about 2/3 of
total cost)
• Flexible program designed to meet the
needs of individual farming operations
Crops covered by MPCI in Pennsylvania:
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apples (43)
barley (54)
processing beans (10)
cabbage (1)
corn (grain and silage)
(66)
forage production (29)
forage seedling (13)
grain sorghum (57)
grapes (1)
green peas (10)
nursery (67)
oats (66)
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peaches (23)
pears (1)
potatoes (10)
soybeans (49)
fresh-mkt. sweet corn (67)
processing sweet corn (12)
tobacco (3)
fresh-market tomatoes (4)
processing tomatoes (12)
wheat (57)
winter squash (2)
Insurance Products Available
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Actual Production History (APH)
Catastrophic (CAT) Coverage
Crop Revenue Coverage (CRC)
Index Income Protection (IIP)
Dollar Plan (Dollar)
Whole-farm revenue coverage (AGR-Lite)
Group Risk (GRP)
Rainfall Index Pilot Program
• Group Risk Program available in select
counties in Colorado, Idaho, Texas, North
Dakota, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania
New in 2007:
Pasture and Forage Pilot Programs
• Rainfall index- Southwestern PA
• Vegetation index- Northeastern PA
Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage
Rainfall Index Insurance-Program Overview
• GRP program
• Goal – utilize an existing policy type
– Capitalize on current program familiarity
– Increase marketability and effectiveness
• The resulting design is based on the principles of the
existing GRP program
Rainfall Index
• Why use an index?
• Lack of actual producer/industry production data
• No consistent and sound methodology for
measuring production for the crop
• The deviation from long-term normal precipitation is
used to establish the index
– SINGLE PERIL COVERAGE
• Precipitation has a high degree of correlation to
forage production
Data for Rainfall Index
• NOAA data
• Primary index difference
– Based on NOAA data and NASS county yields
• Widely used and dependable source of precipitation
information
• Long data history – since 1948
• Consistent and universal coverage through a uniform
grid system
– Grid boundaries vs. county boundaries
Choice 1: Forage Types Covered
• Pasture/Grazingland
– Established acreage of perennial forage
– Intended for grazing by livestock
– Acreage must be suitable for grazing
• Hayland
– Established acreage of perennial forage
– Intended for haying
– Acreage must be suitable for haying
• Program covers all types of grazing and haying forage (i.e.
not just for alfalfa)
Choice 2: How much acreage
can I cover?
• Not required to insure 100% of acreage
• Forage utilized in the annual grazing or hay cycle
can be insured without insuring all acreage
• All acres within a property may not be productive,
e.g., rocky areas, submerged areas
• Provides additional flexibility for the insured to
design the coverage to his specific needs
• Because the program is a group program and
other programs are not available, there is no
opportunity to ‘move’ production
Advantages of Program
• Flexible- separate index intervals
• Covers predominant peril- rainfall
• Timely payment of indemnities- individual
loss adjustments not needed
• Easily understood Index
• Production records not required
Choice 3: Index Intervals
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Multiple intervals offered – 6 (starts in
February/March)
Crop year divided into 6, 2-month intervals for
each grid
Similar cropping practices
Ability for producers to manage appropriate
timing risks
– Match individual growth patterns and
production seasons
The 2-month intervals provide for greater
reaction to precipitation events vs. a yearly
average
Index Intervals
INDEX INTERVALS
Index Interval I
Index Interval II
Index Interval III
Index Interval IV
Index Interval V
Index Interval VI
I
II
START DATE
February 1
April 1
June 1
August 1
October 1
December 1
III
IV
END DATE
March 31
May 31
July 31
September 30
November 30
January 31
V
VI
Choice 4: Coverage Levels
• Percentages available: 90, 85, 80, 75,
and 70
• Consistent with other GRP programs
• Catastrophic Risk Protection (CAT) not
currently available
• Producers are still eligible for NAP
coverage
What you need to do:
Find your insurance grid
• Area of insurance = 0.25° grids
• Grids vs. County
• Grids are approximately 12 x 12 miles in size
• Provides for a consistent program across the
United States
• Counties vary in size, but the grids do not
• Grid size reduces basis risk vs. county size
– Allows for closer correlation to individual experience
• Grids will cross county and state lines
Determining Grid ID(s) – Basic Steps
http://prfri-rma-map.tamu.edu/
• Type in the city and/or county name where your property is
located
• Select the city or county from the possible matches, a
topographic map for the area will be displayed
• Narrow the search by selecting an area near the actual
location of your property
• Once you have located the general area, it is recommended
you continue to refine the search by switching to the photo
maps
• Using the topographic map, photo map, or combination of
both, choose an appropriate resolution for proper
identification of the property boundaries and corresponding
Grid ID(s)
Topographical Map
http://prfri-rma-map.tamu.edu/
Photo Map
(http://prfri-rma-map.tamu.edu/)
Determining Grid ID(s) – Additional Steps
http://prfri-rma-map.tamu.edu/
• Select one point of reference on your property by
moving the cross marker (‘+’) to that location
– Grid ID is listed at the top of the screen (and on the
map itself)
• A Print Icon is in the lower right hand corner of the
screen
– This printed map can be used as a record to verify
the Grid ID
– Once printed, the property boundary can also be
outlined and initialed by the insured for verification
purposes
• To obtain insurance you must certify the point of
reference
PRF - Rainfall Index Decision Tool
http://agforceusa.com/rma/ri/prf/dst
– Not required to buy insurance
– Provides estimates
– Values are based on current information to
derive historical estimates of indemnity,
premium, and subsidy numbers
– May not match the official figures released
by FCIC in past years
– Contact a qualified insurance agent for
actual premium quotes
Decision Tool: Example
http://agforceusa.com/rma/ri/prf/dst
Selections
made by
by user
Acreages
assigned
by user
Data on
county base
value and
subsidy
Data on
Insurance
cost and
indemnities
Should I buy crop insurance?
• Yield variability
• Cash flow requirements
• Self insurance
• CAT coverage
• Premium discounts for higher
levels of coverage
• Whole-farm coverage
(AGR/AGR-Lite)
Sales closing dates
JANUARY 31-- AGR insurance
MARCH 15-- spring seeded crops
MAY 31– nursery crops
JULY 31-- forage seedings
SEPTEMBER 30-- fall seeded crops
NOVEMBER 20-- fruit crops
NOVEMBER 30-- GRP insurance
For more information, visit the
Penn State Crop Insurance Education Web Site:
http://cropins.aers.psu.edu