Supplemental Coverage
Supplemental Coverage Option Available in the Pacific Northwest.
The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced the availability of the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) for winter and spring wheat for the 2015 crop year. A provision of the 2014 Farm Bill, SCO is a county-level policy endorsement that is in addition to an underlying crop insurance policy, and covers a portion of losses not covered by the same crop's underlying policy.
RMA Spokane Regional Office Acting Director Cara McNab told me that "SCO coverage is designed to provide yield and market volatility protection to producers, in addition to their basic crop policy."
SCO for wheat will be available through the federal crop insurance program in specific counties throughout the Spokane Region. Producers may apply for SCO in the following counties:
Idaho: Bannock, Benewah, Bingham, Bonneville, Canyon, Caribou, Cassia, Franklin,
Freemont, Idaho, Jefferson, Latah, Lewis, Madison, Minidoka, Nez Perce, Oneida, Power, and Twin Falls counties.
Producers who elect to participate in Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC), which is offered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), are not eligible for SCO for the crop and farm participating in ARC. Producers applying for SCO for the 2015 winter wheat crop may withdraw coverage on a one-time basis on any farm where they have elected, or where they intend to elect, ARC for winter wheat by the earlier of their acreage reporting date or Dec. 15, 2014 without penalty. This allows producers additional time to make an informed decision related to whether to elect to participate in either the ARC or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for their winter wheat. If producers withdraw SCO coverage for a farm by the earlier of their acreage reporting date or Dec. 15, 2014 they will not be charged a crop insurance premium. In order to withdraw coverage without penalty, producers must notify their agents of their intended election for ARC by the earlier of their winter wheat acreage reporting date or Dec. 15, 2014.
The sales closing date for 2015 winter wheat Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) is September 30, 2014. The sales closing date is the last day to buy federal crop insurance. Current policyholders and uninsured producers must make all of their decisions on crop insurance coverage, especially which crops to insure and what level and type of coverage to get before the sales closing date.
