USDA is now offering a new insurance option for beef cow-calf producers in several states.
Weaned Calf Risk Protection will be offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA)and will offer actual production history (APH) coverage for cow-calf producers to insure revenue from their spring-calving operations. The program is designed to provide producers with federally subsidized revenue protection for their calves up to weaning age.
The new option will be available beginning with the 2024 crop year.
“There are many variables and pressures involved in running a cow/calf operation, making it even more important that ranchers have a variety of insurance options available similar to the wide range of options available to crop growers,” said RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger in a news release.
APH policies insure producers against yield losses as a result of natural causes such as drought, hail, disease and others, according to the agency. For Weaned Calf Risk Protection, coverage is provided for a decline in price and loss of yield due to a decrease of overall weaning weight.
The option will be available for beef cow-calf producers in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota and Texas, beginning with the Jan. 31, 2024, sales closing date for the 2024 crop year. Coverage levels between 50-85% will be offered, along with catastrophic coverage options.
The new insurance option is part of the suite of livestock insurance offered by USDA, such as Livestock Gross Margin; Livestock Risk Protection; Pasture, Rangeland, Forage; Annual Forage; and Dairy Revenue Protection.
Weaned Calf Risk Protection was developed by AgriLogic Consulting in collaboration with Windmark Insurance and approved by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board of Directors in August 2022.
To enroll in Weaned Calf Risk Protection, producers may purchase coverage from USDA approved insurance providers. To find an agent near you, visit tinyurl.com/5xr9tz4m or your local USDA Service Center. The initial sales closing date is Jan. 31, 2024.— Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
