Risk Management Agency Expands the Enhanced Coverage Option and Increases Affordability

CORTLAND, N.Y. — The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced that the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) will expand coverage to include several fruits for the 2025 crop year and increase premium support to make the coverage more affordable. The ECO will now include apples, blueberries and grapes, providing new coverage opportunities for Northeast fruit producers. 

ECO plays a vital role in Northeast agriculture as it provides additional, area-based coverage for producers. This ECO expansion will allow additional Northeast specialty crop producers to further protect their crops. Additionally, in efforts to expand access to risk management tools, RMA is increasing premium support for all crops covered by ECO to 65%.

“Increased subsidies will make ECO coverage more affordable, and the increased availability for additional fruit crops will allow more producers to take advantage of this important coverage to help mitigate risk,” said Cuyler Reynolds, Perennial Crop Specialist for Crop Growers, Farm Credit East’s insurance provider.

As a reminder, ECO must be added at the sales closing of your underlying crop insurance policy.

The upcoming deadline to insure Northeast perennial crops (apples, peaches, grapes, cranberries, blueberries, pears and cherries) for the 2025 crop year is November 20, 2024.

Crop Growers has become the backbone of many Northeast farms’ risk management plans by providing valuable protection. Weather fluctuation and market volatility are major risks for crop producers. Crop insurance helps to manage this risk by providing protection against damage caused by hail, wind, frost, excess moisture, drought, disease, insects or wildlife.

Crop Growers sells and services crop insurance for 35 different crops along with dairy and livestock throughout an eight-state territory. Producers do not need to be a Farm Credit customer to purchase crop insurance. Contact your Crop Growers agent or the Crop Growers Customer Service Center at 1-800-234-7012 to learn more about the recent ECO expansion.

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