Francie Kucera Tolle 

Federal Crop Insurance Update October 25, 2023
Agenda

•Crop Insurance Delivery & 

Program Stats

•Recent Changes & Initiatives

•Upcoming Changes
Crop Insurance 

Delivery & 

Program Stats
Federal Crop Insurance Delivery System
Individual Crop Coverage

• For 2023 RMA offered 84 distinct organic price 

elections

• Only 18 crops do not currently have an organic price 

election because:

1)No known organic production in insured areas

2)There is limited production and data

3)Pricing suggests these organic crops do not receive 

a premium over conventional products

Report Note: Feedback on specific crops that are not insured and where would be helpful. 

Small grains are mentioned as well as NAP coverage – would be interested in more 

information. 
Contract Price Addendum

• Beginning in 2014 RMA began offering the contract price 

option to allow prices to be more reflective of the actual 

value of the crop

• Most crops have a maximum value of 2 times the 

announced conventional price election or 1.5 times 

the announced premium organic price election.

2023 Corn Example:

Conventional Projected Price $5.91

Organic Projected Price $11.10

Maximum Contract Price Factor 1.5

Maximum Contract Price $16.65

Fact Sheet Link: Contract Price Addendum | RMA (usda.gov)
Available Plans of Insurance
Organic/Transitional Supplemental Participation

Supplemental 

Policy

2021 

Acres

2022 

Acres

2023 

Acres

ECO 38,964 69,777 112,941

HIP-WI 29,702 33,665 36,852

SCO 96,852 111,924 147,678

STAX 19,990 44,140 45,882
Available Plans of Insurance

Area & Rainfall Index Area Plans

• Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF): An area plan 

that insures against a lack of rainfall for perennial 

forage. Coverage levels: 70%-90%.

• Area Risk Protection Insurance: Covers against 

widespread loss of revenue or loss of yield in a county. 

Individual farm revenues and yields are not 

considered and it is possible that an individual farm 

may experience reduced revenue or yields and not 

receive an indemnity. 
Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) – first offered in 2015, provides 

coverage for all crops under one crop insurance policy

Micro Farm – first offered in 2022 as a streamlined approach to WFRP

WFRP

• Covers up to $17 million

• Post-production costs are not included

• Expected values are primarily based on 3rd party

• Expected yields are based on underlying policies or 

insured’s 4- to 10-year average

 NEW - Expanded yield history to 10-year max (from 4 

years) for crops not covered by another federal crop 

insurance policy.

• May purchase additional individual crop policies

 NEW- includes CAT policies

 NEW- producers choose if WFRP will consider other 

federal crop insurance as primary insurance

• NEW – Single commodity producers qualify for 80-85% 

coverage levels

• NEW – Increased subsidy level

Micro Farm

• Less paperwork requirements

• Insures farms operations with approved revenue up 

to $350k for initial year, and $400k for carry-over 

policies

• Post-production and value-added costs may be 

included in approved revenue

• Expected value and yields are based on insured’s 

past three- to five-year average of total revenue and 

acres

• NEW – Allows producers to purchase Federal crop 

insurance with Micro Farm

• NEW – Allows vertically integrated entities 

• NEW – Expanding operation features allowed 

(based on physical expansion)

• NEW – Extended Sales Closing Date
Increased Subsidy for WFRP

Note From Report: Misunderstanding on if WFRP was subsidized. 
WFRP & Micro Farm

Note From Report on a potential misunderstanding of 

expanding operations for WFRP and Micro Farm:

• In 2022, RMA revised the WFRP policy for organic producers 

by increasing the expansion limits for organic producers to the 

higher of $500,000 or 35 percent. For those expanding 

operations, a producer may be able to use their own prices 

received as well as their own past production history. 

• For the 2024 Policy Year, RMA revised the Micro Farm policy 

to allow expanded operation adjustments that is applicable to 

physical expansion only (e.g., added acres). Expansion Under 

Micro Farm, is based on the producers’ own records. 

Note From Report Regarding Decrease in Participation: Decreasing policy counts do not 

necessarily represent organic producers. The number of WFRP policies identifying a commodity on 

the farm plan as organic has grown from 7 in 2015 to 274 in 2023. 

Notes From Report: RMA continues to look for better ways to include beginning farmers & 

reduce paperwork (for example the removal of expense reporting). 
Production & Revenue History (PRH)

• Designed for specialty & organic crops, using the 

producer’s own production and revenue history to 

generate coverage

• Another way to help overcome a lack of price data to 

improve organic price elections

• Initially offered for strawberries for the 2021 crop 

year 

• Planned expansion to other crops

Fact Sheet Link: Production and Revenue 

History Plan | RMA (usda.gov)
Program Growth & Performance 

Year Policies Acreage Liability Premium Indemnity Loss Ratio

2013 5,176 600,570 412,058,457 41,689,560 71,553,820

2022 10,646 1,854,303 2,342,364,633 209,469,502 431,944,492

1.72

Year Policies Acreage Liability Premium Indemnity Loss Ratio

2013 403 33,637 15,796,663 1,601,417 2,952,289

2022 1,004 104,131 75,610,769 5,899,612 10,123,734

1.57

Average Loss Ratio 2013-2022

Average Loss Ratio 2013-2022

Transitional Organic

Certified Organic

Note From Report Regarding Issues with High Loss Ratios: Additional information on crops/locations can be 

found on the summary of business report at the following link - Organic Crops | RMA (usda.gov)
Top 10 insured 

organic 

commodities 

by Liability:

• Corn

• Apples 

• Soybeans 

• Wheat

• Blueberries

• Almonds

• Potatoes 

• Peanuts 

• Grapes

• Citrus/Fruit 

Tree
Recent Changes & 

Initiatives
Deadlines & Timing

Revised when a producer must provide written certification

 Revisions allows a producer to report acreage as certified 

organic, or as acreage in transition to organic, when a producer 

certified that they have requested, in writing, a written 

certification or other written documentation from a certifying 

agent on or before the acreage reporting date. 

Notes From Report:

• Difficulty obtaining crop insurance with cover crops – new cover crop Guidelines for the 2020 

that goes beyond zones for termination, has that helped? Cover Crops | RMA (usda.gov)

• RMA would like additional information needed on deadlines that come before a producer has 

time to analyze numbers from the previous year

• Premiums due in August – Requirement is in the Crop Insurance Act

• Planting Dates – RMA continues to work through 
Other Efforts

Work with AMS 

• 2024 Policy included NOP’s INTEGRITY database certificate as an 

acceptable organic and transitional record

NASS Organic Producer Surveys

• RMA has worked with NASS to improve survey methods to expand 

data collection to include specific crop types and varieties

• NASS has completed 7 organic surveys (2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 

2016, 2019, and 2021) 

RMA provided funding for 4 of these, providing NASS $6 million 

to complete

Notes From Report: RMA is open to thoughts and discussion on how to obtain 

more data.
Outreach & Education

2022 & 2023 Risk Management Education Partnerships

• 2022 & 2023 Iowa Organic Association: Plans to expand risk management resources and support for underserved organic and specialty crop producers 

through workshops and email/newsletters; 

• 2022 & 2023 The Gleaning Network of Texas: Partners with Texas Organic Farmers, plans to deliver in-person workshops on risk management topics; 

• 2023 Center for Rural Affairs: Plans to reach producers delivering educational materials in both English and Spanish on crop insurance options for organic and 

specialty crop operations, including one highlighting WFRP/Micro Farm; and

• 2023 Napa Valley Grape growers: Will deliver climate risk management education in English and Spanish to Napa winegrape Napa winegrape producers, 

including training on organic farming practices. 

• 2022 Organic Trade Association – To provide educational materials on crop insurance to organic farms, such as videos, online courses, podcasts & webinars

Link to Additional Information : Outreach and Education | RMA (usda.gov)

Notes From Report: Other than producers not needing or wanting crop insurance producers 

unfamiliar with crop insurance is an issue – RMA would like feedback and ideas. 
Transitional & Organic Grower Assistance Program (TOGA)

TOGA provided premium assistance to eligible producers 

who insured their crop during the 2023 reinsurance year. They received a discount on their premium 

billing statement for:

• Crops in transition to certified organic, 10 % points of premium subsidy

• Organic grain and feed crops, $5 premium assistance per insured 

acre

• 10 % points of premium subsidy for all Whole Farm Revenue 

Protection (WFRP) policies covering crops in transition to organic or certified organic practice crops. Producers who had additional 

individual crop insurance policies received the applicable premium assistance on those policies.
Transitional & Organic Grower Assistance Program (TOGA)

2023 TOGA Eligible Participation

*Producer count is distinct tax id for all eligible certified or transitional organic crops. Meaning, an organic 

wheat and soybean producer is only counted once, and the count only includes crops and organic practices that 

were eligible for TOGA.

• 4,911 Producers

• 9,214 Policies

• Transitional Organic:

 Acres: 88,243

 Trees: 18,665

 TOGA Subsidy: $571,776

• Certified Organic (Only Grain and Feed Crops Eligible):

 Acres: 1,698,230

 TOGA Subsidy: $8,417,051
Upcoming Releases
Upcoming Changes 

• Allow Enterprise Units for specialty and perennial crops – which means more for Organic 

and Transitional 

• Allow Enterprise Units by organic farming practice

• Allow Optional Units by organic practice for all crops where Optional Units are available 

and organic practice is available.

• Guidelines – RMA is developing Organic Practice Guidelines to be provided to producers 

who have indicated they are organic producers. 

 Will specify the requirements to qualify as a certified organic or transitional practice for crop 

insurance purposes. 

• Good Farming Practices (GFP) Handbook – Making it clear the use of NRCS 

Conservation Practice Standards will be considered GFP 

Notes From Report: It is noted that there are discrepancies between NRCS and what RMA 

recognizes as a GFP, would it be possible to provide examples of the practices and where?
RMA.USDA.GOV
Thank you!

Francie Kucera Tolle

Francie.Tolle@usda.gov

October 25, 2023