The United States currently comprises about 588 million acres of pasture and rangeland and 61.5 million acres of hay land. The following insurance programs for pasture, rangeland, and forage (PRF) utilize various indexing systems to determine crop condition. Also see livestock policies and resources.
News release: RMA Expands PRF Insurance Availabiity for 2008 (Sep 6, 2007)
Group Risk Plan
Rainfall Index -
The rainfall index is based on weather data collected and maintained by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. The index reflects how much precipitation is received relative to the long-term average for a specified area and timeframe. The program divides the country into six regions due to different weather patterns, with pilots available in select counties.
Vegetation Index -
The vegetation index is based on the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) normalized difference
vegetation index (NDVI) data derived from satellites observing long-term changes in greenness of
vegetation of the earth since 1989. The program divides the country into six regions due to different weather patterns, with pilots available
in select counties.
Net Hay Production Index -
The net hay production index is based on NASS county level non-irrigated hay data with adjustments made to account for non-irrigated grain hay production and CRP production. The index reflects how much net hay is produced relative to the long-term average for the county. Coverage is available for rangelands in select counties.
Forage Production Index -
The forage production index is based on NASS county level hay yield data (all hay or alfalfa hay). The index reflects how much hay is produced relative to the long-term trend for the county. Coverage is available for forage production in select counties.
For more information regarding these programs, please contact
a qualified crop insurance agent.
For more information regarding the contents of this page, please contact:
Chris Aulbur, Amy Roeder, or
Vincent Barnard.
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