Risk Management/Crop Insurance Education Program
Massachusetts Fruit and Vegetable growers have several options to protect their crops and income from losses caused by natural disasters.
Massachusetts Policies
Federal Crop Insurance covers the following fruit and vegetable crops in Massachusetts: Apples, Cranberries, Fresh Market Sweet Corn, Grapes (Bristol County only), Peaches, and Potatoes (Franklin & Hampshire Counties only). Growers have a wide variety of options with price, yield and units. Sales closing date (as well as revisions to an existing policy or cancelling an existing policy) is November 15 for perennial crops and March 15 for spring-seeded annual crops.
Revenue Policies
Massachusetts Fruit & Vegetable growers also have an option of purchasing a revenue based policy. Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) is a whole-farm revenue protection plan of insurance which protects against low revenue due to unavoidable natural disasters and/or market fluctuations. For more information on Whole Farm Revenue Protection, click here, to access the WFRP fact sheet.
Where can you purchase a policy
Federal Crop Insurance is sold by private crop insurance agent. Click on this link to find a crop insurance agent in Massachusetts.
Non-Insured Disaster Assistance Program (NAP)
Growers of fruit and vegetable crops, not covered by crop insurance, can insure their crops through the USDA - Farm Service Agency (FSA) Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). NAP provides catastrophic coverage at 50% of the potential production and 55% of the established price. Deadline to purchase NAP coverage is November 15 for perennial crops and March 15 for spring-seeded annual crops. For more information and applicable deadlines, visit your local FSA office.
