
Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Insurance
Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) policy is an area-based insurance plan that covers perennial pasture, rangeland, or forage used to feed livestock. It provides producers with a risk management tool to cover the precipitation needed to produce forage for their operation. The PRF program is a single peril program, the lack of precipitation is the only insurable cause of loss covered under this program.
PRF is a highly subsidized insurance plan that provides affordable coverage while helping to offset additional feed expenses in times of drought, keeping your bottom-line strong. With PRF, you can cover all, or a portion of your acreage, allowing for a more custom-tailored risk management strategy.
Producer Advantages
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What Are Rainfall Index (RI) Policies?
The Rainfall Index (RI) is used for several crop insurance plans including Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF), Annual Forage (AF), and Apiculture (API). These plans insure against a decline in an index value that is based on the long-term historical average precipitation. The data measured in the index is collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which measures the approximate rainfall for each grid. The area measured approximates to about a 12×12 mile grid. Each index interval represents a 2 month period in which rainfall data is averaged. A minimum of two index intervals must be selected for any acreage insured under PRF policies. Losses are determined when the current year’s rainfall data within the selected grid and index interval fall below the long-term historical average.
The insured selects which index intervals to cover, productivity factors, and the amount of coverage. Selection of index intervals is critical to PRF’s effectiveness as a risk management tool. Do note that coverage is based on indexes for the grid, not the producer’s actual rainfall. PRF can be purchased by landlords, tenants, and owner/operators for those acres important to their haying or grazing operation. Learn more about PRF here.
There are over 10,000 NOAA Weather Stations across the country. While impossible to accurately measure the exact precipitation every ranch receives this way, It is possible to create an index to monitor how rainfall in an area compares to historical averages.
The USDA Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Support Tool
This tool allows you to identify which grids applies to your operation. Enter your address in the box at the top left of the map, and the tool will display the grid information for that specific location. You can also use the zoom grid tool to zoom in on the map and show each specific grid line. Click anywhere on the grid, and the tool will show the address and tell you which grid that location falls in.





