Reminder: Crop Insurance Deadline for Perennial Fruit Crops

CORTLAND, N.Y. — The deadline to insure Northeast perennial crops for the 2025 crop year is November 20, 2024. Insurable perennial crops include apples, peaches, grapes, cranberries, blueberries, pears and cherries. Coverage availability varies by county, so please review the information available at CropGrowers.com, or contact a Crop Growers agent.

To protect investments in the 2025 crop, fruit growers should contact their Crop Growers agent well in advance of the November 20 deadline to sign up or make changes to their coverage. Adding the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) to your current crop insurance coverage strengthens your risk management plan by providing up to 86% yield protection for area-based losses.

Additionally, the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently expanded the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) to include several fruits for the 2025 crop year and increase premium support to make the coverage more affordable. ECO will now include apples, blueberries and grapes, providing new coverage opportunities for Northeast fruit producers. Both SCO and ECO options must be added at the sales closing of your underlying crop insurance policy.

Growers who are renewing coverage should report to their crop insurance agent any changes in their business, such as bringing a new member into the business or forming an LLC or corporation.

The crop insurance program has become the backbone of many Northeast farms risk management plans. 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 throughout an eight-state territory. Crop Growers is owned by Farm Credit East. 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.

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