Crop insurance closing date March 15The closing date for 2003 crop insurance for spring-planted crops is March 15, according to USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). Crops included are corn, soybeans, hybrid seed corn, grain sorghum, dry beans, oats, popcorn, potatoes, cabbage, sugar beets, tomatoes and tobacco. Last year in Ohio, $842.6 million in protection was provided to producers through more than 32,350 policies on these crops, according to RMA. The Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 introduced changes to the crop insurance program, including an increase in premium subsidies, changes in administrative fees and allowances for producers to replace low actual production history yields with adjusted transitional yields. A list of crop insurance agents is available at your local Farm Service Agency or on the RMA Web site, which is available through the Featured Links section of OFBF’s Web site at www.ofbf.org. | |