Sales Closing Date/Application

The Crop Insurance Cycle begins each year with the insurance offer. Actuarial documents are published annually by the Risk Management Agency (RMA). The actuarial documents list the plan of insurance, crop, type, variety, and practice that may be insured in a state and county, and show the amounts of insurance, available insurance options, levels of coverage, price elections, applicable premium rates, and subsidy amounts. The Special Provisions of Insurance list program calendar dates, and general and special statements which may further define, limit, or modify coverage.
Insurance applications must be completed and signed no later than the sales closing date specified in the crop actuarial documents. Applications signed after the crop sales closing date may be rejected by the insurance provider.

Acceptance

Upon receipt of a properly completed and timely submitted insurance application, the insurance provider will accept and process the application, unless the applicant is determined to be ineligible under the contract or Federal statute or regulation. The insurance provider will issue a summary of coverage and the appropriate policy documents to the applicant. After the application is accepted, the policyholder may not cancel the policy for the initial crop year.

 Production Reporting

The Production Reporting Date (PRD) is latest date production reports will be accepted for inclusion in the database used to calculate approved APH yields for the current crop year. It is the earlier of the acreage reporting date or 45 calendar days after the earliest cancellation date for the crop for the current crop year, unless otherwise stated in the Special Provisions.
A production report is a written record showing the insured’s annual production used to determine the insured’s yields for insurance purposes, and it contains yield information for previous years, including planted acreage and harvested production. Production reports must be supported by written verifiable records from a warehouseman or buyer of the insured crop, or by measurement of farm-stored production, or by other records of production approved by the AIP on an individual case basis.
If a crop has both a spring and fall sales closing date (SCD), and application for insurance is made after the earlier SCD or land is added after the PRD on which the spring type will be planted, the initial PRD is the earlier of the acreage reporting date or 45 calendar days after the spring SCD. Insurance does not attach to the acreage planted to the type with the earlier SCD if application is made after the earlier SCD.

 Insurance Attaches

For annual crops, insurance attaches annually when planting begins on the insurance unit. The crop must be planted on or before the crop’s published final planting date unless late or prevented planting provisions apply. If prevented planting provisions apply, and the crop cannot be timely planted due to the causes specified in the crop provisions, such acreage may be eligible for a prevented planting payment.
For perennial crops, insurance attaches each crop year on the calendar date specified in the crop provisions.

 Acreage Reports

The policyholder must annually report for each insured crop in the county the number of insurable and uninsurable acres planted or prevented from being planted if prevented planting is available for the crop, the date the acreage was planted, share in the crop, the acreage location, farming practices used, and types or varieties planted to the insurance provider on or before the applicable acreage reporting date specified in the crop actuarial documents. This report is used by the insurance provider to establish the amount of coverage and premium for the crop. Insurance providers may deny coverage if the acreage report is filed after the applicable crop acreage reporting date.

 Summary of Coverage

The insurance provider will process a properly completed and timely filed acreage report, and issue to the policyholder a summary of coverage that specifies the insured crop, the insured acres and amount of insurance or guarantee for each insurance unit. The policyholder may make changes to the filed acreage report, if permitted by the insurance provider.

 Premium Billing

The annual premium is earned and payable at the time insurance coverage begins. The insurance provider shall issue a premium billing based upon the information contained in the acreage report no earlier than the premium billing date specified in the crop actuarial documents. The premium billing will specify the amount of premium and any administrative fees that may be due. If the premium or administrative fees are not paid by the date specified in the actuarial documents or policy, the insurance provider may assess interest on the outstanding premium balance.

 Cancellation/Termination

Insurance coverage is continuous and can be cancelled by either the insurance provider or the policyholder for the following crop year by providing a written notice to the other party no later than the cancellation date specified in the crop policy. For a policyholder insured the previous crop year, any changes he or she wishes to make to the policy coverage must be made on or before the crop sales closing date. The policy will automatically renew for the subsequent crop year unless the policyholder cancels the policy in writing on or before the crop cancellation date.
Insurance coverage may be terminated by the insurance provider for the following crop year for nonpayment of outstanding debt by providing a written notice to the policyholder no later than the termination date specified in the crop policy. The insurance provider may terminate coverage on a crop if no premium is earned for three consecutive years.