Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says North Dakota is among the states selected to participate in a new pilot program that offers more comprehensive crop insurance.

“After the passage of the new Farm Bill, I urged Risk Management Agency (RMA) administrator Brandon Willis to include North Dakota in the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program,” Goehring said. “This new program insures farm revenue, rewards diversity and gives our farmers and ranchers more options and greater flexibility in planning.”

Goehring explained that WFRP allows farmers to insure the value of crops and livestock on their farms, rather than insuring commodity by commodity, including coverage of specialty crops, fruits and vegetables and organic crops.

“This is especially important in North Dakota because of our agricultural diversity,” Goehring said.” Our state produces more than 40 different commodities, and many farmers grow four or five crops each season.”

Goehring said the program offers improved coverage and a premium discount for farmers with greater crop diversification. Farmers who direct market will be covered for the costs associated with getting their product to market, such as cleaning, trimming and packaging.

“This program will be especially useful to operators of smaller and mid-sized farms and to owners of integrated livestock and grain operations,” Goehring said.

Goehring said RMA will notify producers later this fall to contact their crop insurance providers for more information on WFRP coverage.

Source - http://www.farmandranchguide.com/