The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced a significant expansion of the Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index (HIP-WI) endorsement and the Tropical Storm Option (TS), making them available to producers whose crops are insured through the Written Agreement process. This change is effective for the 2027 and succeeding crop years.
Written Agreements are a critical tool that allow producers to obtain Federal crop insurance for crops or practices not yet covered in a given county. By enabling HIP-WI access on Written Agreement policies, RMA is ensuring that these producers, who often grow the nation’s most diverse and economically significant specialty crops, can access the same level of catastrophic weather protection as their neighbors.
“This is a revolutionary step forward for producers who depend on Written Agreements to protect their crops,” said RMA Administrator Pat Swanson. “We heard directly from farmers and agents, and we moved rapidly to close this gap. Producers should have access to the full range of risk management tools available to their area, regardless of how their underlying policy is established.”
This change also reinforces RMA’s commitment to expand coverage options for specialty crop producers. Most recently, the need was highlighted by agents during specialty crop roundtable meetings convened by RMA Administrator Pat Swanson. RMA listened and acted with urgency to deliver this enhanced protection.
Source : usda.gov