Crop insurance eligibility requires producers to prove conservation efforts

us crop insurance program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a reminder to growers with regards to 2014 Farm Bill requirements.

A reminder has now been issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to growers who wish to ensure that they are eligible for crop insurance, as they will also need to make a filing at their local USDA service center, of a Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification form (AD-1026).

This form needs to be filed by June 1, 2015 in order to obtain premium support from the insurance program.

The majority of farmers already have one of these forms on file, as it is also a requirement for the majority of other programs available through the USDA. Those include farm storage facility loans, marketing assistance loans, and even disaster assistance. That said, some producers – such as specialty crop growers who already receive premium support through federal crop insurance, but who don’t take part in any other USDA programs – will need to file a certification form to be able to make sure that the premium support that they have previously been receiving will be able to continue.

The Agriculture Secretary has said that employees of the USDA are working hard to ensure this crop insurance requirement is known.

us crop insuranceThat Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, explained that “USDA employees are working very hard to get the word out about this new Farm Bill provision,” and added that “While many producers will not need to take action, we want to help make sure that those who are required to act do so by the June 1 deadline. We want all eligible producers to be able to maintain their ability to protect their operations with affordable insurance.”

Growers are, therefore, being encouraged to visit their local USDA service centers as well as to make an appointment to be able to speak with their crop insurance agents ahead of the deadline at the beginning of June. This will help them to obtain the information that they need with regards to eligibility and to learn about what they need to do in order to comply with the procedures for conservation.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.