Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF)

PRE is available in the 48 contiguous states with the exception of a few grids that cross international borders.

The Rainfall Index uses National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center (NOAA CPC) data and each grid is 0.25 degrees in latitude by 0.25 degrees in longitude, which is the equivalent to a 12 x 12 mile grid in the United States. You must select at least two, 2-month periods where precipitation is important to your operation. These periods are called index intervals. Your insurance payments are determined by using NOAA CPC data for the grid(s) and index interval(s) you have chosen to insure. When the final grid index falls below your "trigger grid index", you may receive an indemnity. This insurance coverage is for a single peril, lack of precipitation. Coverage is based on the experience of the entire grid. It is not based on individual farms or ranches or specific weather stations in the general area. You can find more detailed information on the NOAA website at www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov.

insurance was designed to help protect your operation from the risks of forage losses that are produced for grazing or harvested for hay resulting in increased costs for feed. The program is designed to allow maximum flexibility to meet the risk management needs of your operation. You are not required to insure all your acres, but you cannot exceed the total number of grazing or haying acres you operate. The program provides protection while allowing you to insure only those acres that are important to your grazing program or hay operation. By selecting a productivity factor, you can establish a value between 60 and 150 percent of the county base value and match the amount of your protection to the value of forage that best represents your specific grazing or hay operation.

RMA is offering an integrated hay practice in some states that is designed to cover above normal irrigation expenses when normal precipitation shortfalls are observed. However, normal irrigation costs are not covered.

You will be asked to make several choices when insuring your grazing or hay production, including coverage level, index intervals, irrigated practice, productivity factor and number of acres. You should work with your crop insurance agent to view the Grid ID Locator map and index grids for your area, and assign acreage to one or more grids based on the location and use of the acreage to be insured. RMA also encourages you to use the Grid ID Locator, historical indices tool and decision support tools available on RMA's website to help you decide whether PRF is the right insurance coverage for your operation.