DAVENPORT, Iowa — Iowa Organic Association (IOA) is partnering with the USDA and the Risk Management Agency (RMA) for a training on crop insurance options for newer growers and growers who have not had success finding coverage that works for their operation. Specifically, the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program, the Micro Farm program, and crop insurance basics will be discussed.
This training will occur on Tuesday January 24th, 2023, at Eastern Library, at 6000 Eastern Ave, Davenport, IA. Two sessions will be held with the first session intended for insurance agents and underwriters, which will provide a more in-depth/technical overview of these programs. The second session is intended for producers looking for crop insurance options that will work well for their diversified operations.
WFRP provides a risk management safety net for all commodities on the farm under one insurance policy and is available in all counties nationwide. This insurance plan is tailored for any farm with up to $17 million in insured revenue, including farms with specialty or organic commodities (both crops and livestock), or those marketing to local, regional, farm-identity preserved, specialty, or direct markets.
The Micro Farm Program improves upon WFRP for smaller producers. Similar to WFRP, it provides a risk management safety net for all commodities on your farm under one insurance policy but with streamlined reporting requirements. This insurance plan is tailored for any farm with up to $350,000 in approved revenue, including farms with specialty or organic commodities (both crops and livestock), or those marketing to local, regional, farm-identity preserved, specialty, or direct markets.
Additionally, RMA is offering a Transitional and Organic Grower Assistance (TOGA) Program to agricultural producers who have crop insurance coverage on crops in transition to organic or certified organic grain and feed crops. TOGA is part of the USDA’s Organic Transition Initiative, a bundle of programs to build more and better markets for American producers and consumers, to improve the resilience of the food supply chain, and to address the economic challenges that arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
TOGA provides premium assistance to producers who insure their crop during the 2023 reinsurance year. Eligible producers will receive a discount on their premium billing statement:
- For crops in transition to certified organic, producers can receive 10 percentage points of premium subsidy;
- For certified organic grain and feed crops, producers can receive $5 premium assistance per insured acre; and
- For Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) policies with crops in transition or certified organic crops, producers can receive 10 percentage points of premium subsidy. In addition to the WFRP benefit, producers who have additional individual crop insurance policies will also receive the applicable premium benefit on those policies.
AGENDA:
9:00 a.m. – Introductions
- Olga Reding, IOA Education and Outreach Coordinator
9:30 a.m. – RMA: Whole Farm Revenue Protection & Micro-Farm Programs
- Griffin Schnitzler, Risk Management Specialist with USDA RMA; Works in the Product Management division of the agency.
- Lane Webb (Virtual Attendee), Subject Matter Expert on WFRP; Risk Management Specialist with USDA RMA; Works in the Product Management division of the agency.
10:30 a.m. – RMA: Crop Insurance Update & Transitional and Organic Grower Assistance (TOGA) Program
- Michael Greene, USDA RMA Risk Management Specialist of St. Paul Regional Office
11:30 a.m. – Questions & Discussion
RSVP to be part of this training. CEUs are available for this session.
If you’d like to join this workshop virtually: Join Crop Insurance Update: WFRP Road Show Event for Agents/AIPs
–Iowa Organic Association
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