Aug 29, 2023
USDA expands crop insurance to cover grapevine loss
The USDA is expanding crop insurance options with a new grapevine insurance program to cover loss of grafted vines caused by natural perils such as freeze or fire.
The new program also will complement the grape crop insurance program that covers the fruit growing on the vine.
“We are always striving to offer the strongest risk management resources for our nation’s agricultural producers — sometimes by improving an already existing product or identifying a gap in crop insurance options and creating a new product like this one for grapevine,” Marcia Bunger, administrator for the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), said in a news release. “A program like this is especially critical when you realize the loss of fruit can affect a grower for a season, but the loss of a grapevine is a much more costly situation, both in money and the time it takes to reestablish a productive vine.”
The grapevine insurance program is based on the Tree-Based Dollar Amount of Insurance (TDO) Plan and includes an Occurrence Loss Option that provides coverage for smaller losses, at an additional premium, for producers with buy-up coverage.
It is classified as a “mortality policy,” paying losses when the vine is dead or so badly damaged it will not recover in the following 12 months. The program covers freeze, fire, hail, flood and failure of the irrigation water supply caused by an unavoidable, naturally occurring event. Producers using freeze protection practices in their operation that are recognized by industry experts can also benefit from lower premium costs under the program.
The program will be available in select counties in California, Idaho, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington for the 2024 crop year. The deadline for signing up for insurance is Nov. 1.
Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting your RMA Regional Office.
