11/09/07 A crop insurance deadline

Washington Ag November 9, 2007 An important Multi-Peril Crop Insurance sales closing date is coming up this month for Washington fruit growers. Jo Lynne Seufer of USDA's regional Risk Management Agency office says that deadline is November 20th. Seufer: "For apples, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, fresh apricots, freestone peaches, nectarines, grapes and pears. That sales closing date is November 20th and that is just around the corner." Seufer says there have also been some individual crop insurance program expansions throughout the region. Seufer: "Apples was expanded in Oregon and Washington. In Oregon it was Morrow county and in Washington Columbia county. And for pears it was the same way. Pears expanded into Morrow county and in Washington into Columbia county." Current insureds and uninsured growers must make all of their decisions on crop insurance coverage, especially which crops to insure and which level of coverage to obtain, prior to the sales closing date, which again is November 20th. Producers should contact a local MPCI agent to learn additional program details. There is a November 30th sales closing date, but that is for the Pasture-Rangeland-Forage Pilot which is currently only available in select counties in Idaho and Oregon. I'm Bob Hoff.