Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: DeDe Jones, 806-677-5600, dljones@ag.tamu.edu
AMARILLO – The deadline is nearing for Pasture, Rangeland and Forage Insurance, designed to provide livestock and hay producers protection against acreage losses, said DeDe Jones, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service risk management specialist in Amarillo.
The 2015 sign-up and acreage reporting deadline for this U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency program is Nov. 15, and notices of premiums due will be sent by July 1, 2015, Jones said.
“Insurance is a critical component in producers’ risk management portfolios during periods of drought or uncertainty,” she said. “This policy benefited many cattle producers around the Panhandle in 2011 and 2012 due to the low rainfall conditions. Even though 2014 is off to a much better start, having this insurance may still be worth considering.”
Payment is not determined by individual damages, but rather area losses based on a grid system, Jones explained. Producers can select any portion of acres to insure, but they must also choose a minimum of two, two-month intervals or a maximum of six two-month intervals per year to insure.
Coverage levels between 70 and 90 percent are available, she said. Once coverage is selected, the producer chooses a productivity factor between 60 and 150 percent. The productivity factor is a percentage of the established county base value for forage.
The base value is a standard rate published by the Risk Management Agency for each county. It is calculated based on the estimated per-acre cost of grazing, Jones said. For example, Hansford County’s value is $8.11 per acre.
She said Texas uses a rainfall index to determine the insurance coverage. The rainfall index uses National Oceanic and Atmospheric Climate Prediction Center data and a 12-by-12 mile grid system.
A decision-support tool to help producers determine coverage levels and intervals can be found at: http://agforceusa.com/rma/ri/prf/dst .
For more information about the insurance and how it fits into a risk management plan, contact Jones at 806-677-5600 or dljones@ag.tamu.edu .
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