Risk Management Agency Extends Crop Insurance Flexibilities to June Due to COVID-19

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency has issued the following news release:

Because of the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending program flexibilities to Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) and agricultural producers until June 30, 2022 or later. Originally, these flexibilities were expiring this month.

"Our priority is to keep our producers and partners as safe as possible, while at the same time continuing to provide the best service we can," said Marcia Bunger, Administrator of USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA). "These unique times call for everyone to be cautious and as flexible as possible, and these added flexibilities will help us achieve those goals."

Extended flexibilities include:

* Allowing notifications to be sent electronically, including policy related information over the phone or other electronic methods to select policy elections by sales closing, acreage reporting and production reporting dates, including options, endorsements and their forms. Producers may sign electronically or within 60 calendar days.

* Allowing producers to submit a request for a written agreement after the sales closing date.

* Allowing producers with inability to physically sign a written agreement because of COVID-19 to do so after the expiration date.

* Providing additional time for AIPs to accept Regional Office Determined Yield, Master Yield, and Irrigated Determined Yield requests for Category B (annual) crops.

* Allowing AIPs to request a 30-day extension to submit Determined Yield requests for Category C (perennial) crops.

* Waiving the witness signature requirement for approval of Assignments of Indemnity.