New Crop Insurance Tool for Citrus Growers
Farm Credit of Florida is excited to offer a new crop insurance tool for citrus growers in Florida- Actual Production History (APH).
NEW CITRUS POLICY
This new citrus fruit policy uses a producer’s actual production history to determine the policy guarantee, rather than utilizing a reference price per acre like the current dollar plan. The guarantee under this APH policy is expressed as boxes of production per acre. If growers do not produce the number of boxes they are guaranteed, an indemnity will be triggered and growers will be paid for every box below their guarantee.
If you are thinking about protecting your citrus groves with this crop insurance policy the following pros and cons may help you make an educated decision:
PROS-
⦁ APH is a year-round policy; bud and bloom are covered.
⦁ Premature fruit prior to May 1st will be covered against hail damage.
⦁ Guarantee is based on production history; better producers will have higher guarantees.
⦁ Enterprise units are available for citrus APH; this is currently not an option with the dollar plan.
⦁ Policy options allow the exclusion of some poor APH years.
⦁ Fruit is insurable in the 3rd leaf year.
⦁ Block is considered high density if greater than 175 trees/ acre.
⦁ A frost protection premium discount may be available if the block has an irrigation system capable of applying 2,000 gallons of water per acre per hour.
CONS-
⦁ Most, if not all, of Florida production has suffered from greening, which results in a lower production history.
⦁ Growers must have 4 years of yield history to establish a database. If a producer has less than 4 years, a variable T-yield may apply.
⦁ The production records must be certifiable in the event of a loss; you must be able to prove past production in some circumstances.
PREMIUM INFORMATION
It is important to note that the existing dollar plan’s premium will be due on March 2021 and the new APH plan’s premium will be due in August of 2021, resulting in doubling up of premium due during the year you convert from the dollar plan to the APH plan. Also, any applicable Hurricane Endorsement premium would be due during 2021 as well.
SALES CLOSING DATE
The sales closing date for the Citrus Fruit APH policy is November 1st. Policies written this fall will actually cover the fruit that is set to be harvested in 2022-2023, as the current dollar plan of insurance is in place for fruit that will be harvested starting this winter into 2022.
While we understand change can be painful, sources say crop year 2025 will be the last year that the current dollar plan is available. In a couple of years, this will be the only plan of insurance available for citrus fruit, and the dollar plan will be retired.
YOUR PARTNER FOR SUCCESS
Crop insurance lowers production risks and helps protect against catastrophic losses. Farm Credit of Florida can help protect against this loss. Our customers are also members of a cooperative.
Simply put, we know agriculture. Our in-depth working knowledge of your operation allows us to craft an accurate policy that optimizes your risk protection.
We are standing by ready to help with any questions or concerns you may have; please reach out to your Farm Credit agent today! If you aren’t currently doing business with us and would like to speak to someone about a policy, please call 888-290-2423 or click here to contact an agent.
Certain limitations, conditions, and exclusions apply to Farm Credit of Florida’s Crop Insurance Program. Please refer to the policy for more details. This fact sheet is a general overview and should not take the place of the Basic Provisions, Crop Provisions and/or Special Provisions of the USDA RMA. Farm Credit of Florida is an equal opportunity provider.