For the third year, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture has the unique opportunity to provide a cover crop premium discount program in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and USDA-Risk Management Agency (RMA). I wanted to reach out to you in case you were not made aware of this opportunity, since you are all currently agents in the counties the program is offered. I also wanted to provide the resources and necessary information if you would like to promote the program to the farmers you work with.  

As an overview, the program is currently offered in thirty-five counties: Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Floyd, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Martin, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Randolph, Ripley, Scott, Shelby, Switzerland, Tipton and Washington. The producer must farm within these counties to be eligible. 

The producer will receive a $5 per acre crop insurance premium discount, with a cap of 750 acres per producer enrolled. The discount will be reflected on the producer’s premium bill in Augusts 2023. This program was designed with first time cover crop adopters in mind, but it is not a requirement to enroll in the program. Funding will be provided through RMA as an additional insurance premium discount through normal crop insurance processes. Applications are accepted on a first come, first serve basis and will be verified by our team along with RMA. The acres the producer enrolls must also not be a part of any state or federal cost-share program and must follow all program rules and guidance (found on website).

Farmers and ranchers are facing widespread drought conditions in many parts of the country, causing catastrophic damage to crops. The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced flexibilities to help farmers through these challenging times.

Farmers Mutual Hail will defer interest charges on MPCI and private product premiums on policies with premium billing dates between August 1, 2022, and September 30, 2022. Interest will be waived to the earliest of an additional 60 days of the scheduled due date or the termination date.

Payments with the above billing dates must be paid by November 30, 2022, and interest will attach on December 1, 2022. 

Billing Generation 

FMH will generate billing statements on August 24, 2022. All policies keyed and approved in FMHA will have a bill generated on this date. 

Policyholder Flyer: FMH policyholders will receive a flyer about MPCI and private product interest deferral along with their billing statements.

We know it has been a wet spring, and with that thought in mind, we wanted to provide the answers for our clients to some frequently asked questions regarding crops with prevented planting coverage. If you’re a current client with questions regarding this information, please see the details on our website and view the digital version of the Prevented Planting letter you should have received in the mail!

Agricultural producers who have coverage under most crop insurance policies are eligible for a premium benefit from USDA if they planted cover crops during this crop year. The Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP), offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), reduces producers’ overall premium bills and helps them maintain their cover crop systems. Must be certified at FSA by March 15th.

The PACE program provides insurance for conservation-minded corn farmers who split-apply nitrogen fertilizer. The Post-Application Coverage Endorsement is the latest result of the RMA’s recent efforts to reward conservation and sustainable farming among American producers.

The Wathen Family Agency