USDA Modifies Deadline to Purchase New Shellfish Pilot Crop Insurance Coverage

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is modifying the deadline for oyster producers to purchase the new shellfish pilot crop insurance program until Dec. 15, 2023.

The new Shellfish crop insurance program is an actual production history-price component (APH-PC) coverage policy for container-grown oysters commercially cultivated for the fresh half shell market. This new program will be available in select counties (see below) beginning with the 2024 crop year, and producers now have until December 15, 2023 to purchase this policy.

This new shellfish crop insurance program is available in Humboldt and Marin counties.

Policy Details

For the APH-PC coverage policy, the producer selects the percentage of the average yield to insure―from 50% to 75%. Additionally, the producer also selects the percentage of the crop price to insure, between 55% and 100%, as established annually by RMA.

If producers purchase additional levels of coverage, they may also increase their price guarantee using their historical sales records. The program uses county loss triggers combined with producers’ sales records to confirm a loss has occurred. The insurance guarantee is based on the number of oysters expected to be harvested between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31.

Insurability requires a minimum of four years of records and a minimum seed size of four millimeters.

More Information

RMA also offers crop insurance for certain aquaculture categories through crop insurance programs for Group Risk Plan oysters and cultivated clams, and the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) plan of insurance. WFRP provides a risk management safety net for all commodities in an operation under one insurance policy.

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting your RMA Regional Office.

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