The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has extended the comment period deadline contained in the proposed rule for the Apple Crop Provisions through April 15.
USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) originally announced the publication of a proposed rule in the?Federal Register to amend the Apple Crop Provisions in December. The proposed changes are based on stakeholder feedback and recommended changes from a contracted study on the apple crop insurance program. Following feedback from the proposed rule, RMA will publish a final rule that is expected to be effective for the 2024 crop year.
"Hearing straight from our customers, the producers, is the best way for us to know how to improve the products and programs we offer them," said Marcia Bunger, RMA administrator. "By extending the comment period for the Apple Crop Provisions, we are allowing more time for this important feedback process."
RMA is proposing to make changes to the apple crop insurance program that:
- Enable producers to elect different coverage levels and percent of price elections by type, which allows producers to manage individual coverage and price risk more effectively.
- Allow producers' premiums to be reduced in response to orchard management practices, such as removing or grafting trees, that typically occur after the acreage reporting date and decrease an orchard's productivity.
- Allow producers to insure at a higher price for apples sold predominantly to direct markets or premium processing markets.
- Exclude apples sold for the slicer market from being considered "fresh apple production."
- Introduce a fresh fruit factor to account for the reduced market value of production insured under the Quality Option sold for a grade other than U.S. Fancy.
Interested parties can submit comments via the Federal Register at https://bit.ly/3rU5v6n
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