EXPANSION OF CROP REVENUE COVERAGE Release No. 0177.97 Jim Petterson (202) 720-4623 Jpetterson@usda.gov MaShawn Hall (202) 720-4122 mhall@wdc.fsa.usda.gov USDA ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF CROP REVENUE COVERAGE FOR WHEAT AND OTHER NEW PRODUCTS WASHINGTON, May 30, 1997--Deputy Agriculture Secretary Richard Rominger announced today that the Board of Directors of Federal Crop Insurance Corporation has approved expansion of Crop Revenue Coverage (CRC) for wheat to an additional 25 states. CRC provides revenue protection based on price and yield expectations. "Protecting the agricultural safety net is one of the Clinton Administration's top priorities," said Rominger. "Our challenge is to bring useful products to market in a fiscally responsible manner. Producer demand remains strong for revenue insurance, and the FCIC Board of Directors continues to refine the revenue insurance programs as performance data becomes available." Beginning this fall, CRC wheat will be available in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In addition, the Board approved expanded versions of the Income Protection (IP) plan of insurance for wheat, and the canola pilot program. They also approved several new pilot programs, the almond and pecan revenue pilot programs, and a pilot program for sweet potatoes. "We also are continuing our expansion into new crops to ensure more farmers have risk management options," said Rominger. CRC and IP programs operating in 1997 will continue to be available in 1998. Sales and servicing of all crop insurance policies will be done solely by private crop insurance agents, beginning with the 1998 crop year. A listing of agents may be found in all local Farm Service Agency offices. Income Protection (IP) wheat pilot program expansion: IP policies protect producers against reductions in gross income when a crop's price or yield declines from the revenue guarantee. The FCIC Board of Directors initially approved an IP pilot program for corn, cotton, and wheat in selected counties for the 1996 crop year. IP wheat pilot program was also expanded to include 1997 crop year fall-seeded wheat in selected counties in Kansas, Montana, and Washington. Beginning in 1998, IP wheat will be available in: Idaho: Idaho, Latah, Lewis, and Nez Perce Montana: Big Horn, Choteau, and Yellowstone Oregon: Gilliam, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, and Wasco For the 1997 crop year, Income Protection pilot program is available for these crops, States and counties: Corn and Illinois Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, Livingston, and McLean Soybeans Indiana: Benton, Fountain, and Warren Iowa: Adair, Audubon, Cass, Dallas, Guthrie, and Shelby Soybeans Arkansas: Arkansas, Ashley, Chicot, Clay, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Greene, Hempstead, Independence, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, LaFayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Perry, Phillips, Poinsett, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Sebastian, Sevier, St. Francis, White, Woodruff, and Yell Cotton Alabama: Autauga, Lawrence, Limestone, and Madison Georgia: Brooks, Colquitt, Dooly, and Worth Grain Texas: Armstrong, Bailey, Carson, Castro, Cochran, Dallam, Sorghum Deaf Smith, Gray, Hale, Hansford, Hartley, Hockley, Hutchinson, Lamb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Runnels, Sherman, Swisher, Terry, and Yoakum Spring Minnesota: Kittson, Marshall, East Polk, West Polk, and Wheat Roseau North Dakota: Grand Forks, Pembina, and Walsh Winter Kansas: Harper, Harvey, Jewell, Kingman, Mitchell, Osborne, Wheat Phillips, Reno, Rooks, Sedgwick, Smith, and Sumner Montana: Cascade, Fergus, Judith Basin, Pondera, and Teton Washington: Whitman Canola pilot program expansion: The canola pilot program is an Actual Production History plan of multiple peril crop insurance. The canola pilot program was initially offered in selected counties in Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Washington for the 1995 crop year. For crop year 1997, selected fall-seeded canola or rapeseed counties were added in Georgia, Idaho, and Oregon. Beginning in 1998, the canola pilot program will be available in: Oregon: Morrow and Union Washington: Columbia The pecan revenue insurance pilot: This insurance will be based on an individual dollar amount, which is an average of the gross sales for the years reported. There will be one insurance unit per producer per county. Insurance will be available for irigated and non-irrigated pecans. The insurance program will be available for improved varieties. Beginning in 1998, the pecan revenue insurance pilot will be available in: Georgia: Dougherty, Lee, and Mitchell Texas: Culberson, El Paso, and Pecos New Mexico: Dona Ana Almond revenue insurance pilot: Provides indemnities when revenues are reduced. Revenue insurance provides an alternative almond coverage protection against reductions in crop revenue. Beginning in 1998, the almond revenue insurance pilot program will be available in: California: Butte and Merced Sweet Potato Pilot Program: Producers' actual production records of planted acres, production, and harvest of sweet potatoes meeting policy grading standards, will be used to establish the insurance guarantee. Indemnities will be payable when the harvested and appraised production is less than the guarantee. Harvested production will be the hundredweights of sweet potatoes meeting the applicable grade standards in the Crop Provisions. Beginning in 1998, the sweet potato pilot program will be available in: Alabama: Baldwin California: Merced Louisiana: Avoyelles, Morehouse and West Carroll Parishes North Carolina: Columbus and Johnston South Carolina: Horry # NOTE: USDA news releases and media advisories are available on the Internet. 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