NJ Fruit Crop Insurance Deadline: November 20

-Win Cowgill and David L. Lee

All fruit growers should note that November 20, 2012 Is the Deadline
for Fruit Crop Insurance in New Jersey
Important Dates

• Sales Closing Tree Fruit, Blueberries and NAP - November 20, 2012 for 2013 crop
• Production Report Due for 2012 - January 13, 2013
• Acreage Report Due for 2012 - January 15, 2013
• New Jersey producers who grow apples, peaches, blueberries, and cranberries who are interested in crop insurance must contact a crop insurance agent well  before November 20, 2012.

Peach      Apple      Blueberry      Wine Grapes

Crops Insured

• Any variety of apples adapted to the area located on insurable acreage that has produced at least 150 bushels per acre in one of the past four years
• Policy offers basic coverage against damage from natural perils resulting in fresh or processing fruit that fails to grade U.S. No. 1 Processing or better
• An orchard inspection may be required. Note the process of signing up for insurance takes several days, so get started now and call your insurance agent to get moving on the process.

Producers who grow other fruit crops are encouraged to contact the Farm Service Agency about:
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), in which a wider variety of fruits also have a November 20 deadline.  They can also ask a crop insurance agent about requesting a written agreement, which provides coverage on crops that are insurable elsewhere but not in the producer’s county.

A last option to insure fruit is an insurance tool called Adjusted Gross Revenue, which insures whole-farm revenue instead of individual crops.

Crop insurance protects from most natural disasters, including hail, wind, frost, drought, excess precipitation, and in some cases disease, insects, and wildlife.  Yield guarantees are calculated from a producer’s historical yield, and payments are issued if the actual yield is significantly less than guaranteed yield.

For more information or a list of New Jersey crop insurance agents, contact the Garden State Crop Insurance Education Team at 1-800-308-2449 or visit http://www3.rma.usda.gov/tools/agents/

The Rutgers Snyder Farm utilizes crop insurance as a tool on apples, peaches and soybeans.

For more information visit the USDA Risk Management Agency Website http://www.rma.usda.gov/policies/2013policy.html

and our Rutgers Garden State Crop Insurance Education Initiative website at http://salem.rutgers.edu/cropinsurance/

or call our toll free number 1-800-308-2449