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 help protect their operation when precipitation within their selected grid falls below the historical average. 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 federally subsidized insurance plan that provides affordable coverage and can help protect your operation during periods of below average precipitation. With PRF, you can cover all, or a portion of your acreage, allowing for a more custom-tailored risk management strategy.
Producer Advantages
Protect up to 90% of normal rainfall on your perennial grass and hay ground
As an index-based policy, it’s simple—no need to submit a loss claim or to notify your agent of a claim.
Silveus’ exclusive software, RangeCalc™, turns rainfall data into knowledge
Silveus Insurance Group can create a custom plan tailored to fit your operation.
Contact us to learn more about Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage insurance:
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) through the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), which measures the approximate rainfall for each grid in a .25 degree latitude by .25 degree longitude area. The area measured approximates to about a 17 mile North to South by 14 mile East to West grid. Each index interval represents a 2-month period in which rainfall data is calculated. A minimum of two index intervals must be selected for any acreage insured under PRF policies. A payment may be triggered when precipitation in the selected grid and interval falls below the below the coverage level chosen by the producer.
Producers select which index intervals, coverage level, productivity factors, and the portion of value assigned to each interval. Your index interval selection is critical to PRF’s effectiveness as a risk management tool for your operation. PRF can be purchased by eligible landlords, tenants, and owner/operators who have an insurable interest in qualfying acreage used for grazing or haying. Learn more about PRF here.
To learn more about the change from NOAA’s CPC to the NCEI system as the source for rainfall data, stop by our post: RMA Upgrades Coming to Rainfall Data Collection System…!
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.
