RMA Program & Policy
This RMA decision‑making body must approve new insurance products before they can be offered nationwide.
“What is the FCIC Board of Directors?”
This dataset determines a producer’s historical yield for insurance purposes.
“What is their APH database?”
This perennial nut crop represents one of the highest liabilities in Western specialty crop insurance.
“What are almonds?”
RMA was created under which USDA reorganization?
“What is the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994?”
This essential mineral found in blueberries supports bone health and enzyme function.
"What is manganese?"
This core RMA principle ensures crop insurance programs remain stable over time by closely monitoring premium-to-loss relationships.
"What is actuarial soundness?"
This dataset provides county‑level benchmarks used when a producer lacks sufficient actual yield history.
"What is the T‑yield?"
This environmental factor is the most significant driver of annual loss variability in Western irrigated crops.
“What is water availability or drought intensity?”
Before RMA existed, which entity primarily administered federal crop insurance?
“What is the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation?”
This desert fruit—grown in California and Arizona—is one of the oldest cultivated crops on Earth and is featured in RMA program development updates.
"What are dates (date palms)?"
This agreement defines how private Approved Insurance Providers share risk with the federal government.
“What is the Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA)?”
This factor represents the expected relationship between indemnities and premiums used to set rates.
“What is the loss cost factor?”
This major disease of vineyards cannot be insured as a stand‑alone cause of loss.
“What is Pierce’s Disease?”
The earliest federal crop insurance pilot program began with what crop?
“What is wheat?”
This berry, harvested by hand at peak ripeness in California, is known for high quality but high labor costs.
"What is the highbush blueberry?"
What internal RMA process is used to determine whether a producer followed good farming practices in a given crop year?
“What is the good‑farming‑practice determination review?”
This pricing component establishes the projected value of insured crops prior to the growing season.
"What is the projected price?"
This recurring climate phenomenon influences bloom timing and freeze exposure in tree crops.
“What is El Niño/La Niña (ENSO)?”
This year remains one of the highest indemnity payout years in modern crop insurance history due to nationwide drought.
“What is 2012?”
These high‑value specialty crops dominate California agriculture and frequently appear in RMA regional discussions due to their sensitivity to frost, drought, and market swings.
What are tree nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts)?
This crop insurance component defines the level of protection a producer selects and heavily influences premium cost.
“What is the coverage level?”
This adjustment allows historical yields to be updated to reflect long‑term county‑level improvements.
“What is trend adjustment?”
Because of alternate‑bearing tendencies, this group of crops requires special actuarial considerations.
“What are citrus crops?”
This predecessor program offered area‑based coverage long before current index‑style plans were introduced.
“What was the Group Risk Plan (GRP)?”
This fruit, widely produced in California’s San Joaquin Valley, is often dried, juiced, or eaten fresh — and its yield is monitored closely in RMA’s underwriting because of its alternating heavy/light production years.
"What are grapes?"