Wisconsin is among 21 states where hemp farmers will be eligible for a new pilot insurance program for their crops starting this year. This program will make Actual Production History (APH) coverage under Multi-Peril Crop Insurance available to Wisconsin farmers. The pilot program will be available to farmers who grow hemp for fiber, grain or cannabidiol (CBD) in the 2020 crop year.
“APH policies insure producers against yield losses due to natural causes such as drought, excessive moisture, hail, wind, frost, insects and disease,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) explains. Farmers can choose up to 85% of the average yield to insure, as well as a percentage of the crops’ value between 55% and 100%. The other states that will benefit from this pilot program are Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. Another Win for Hemp This represents an important step toward the reestablishment of hemp as a legitimate and important crop. When President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law in December 2018, hemp was federally legalized, designating it as a commodity crop. But it took nearly a fully year for the USDA to draft the roadmap to bring hemp into the realm of legitimacy, and we are still in that transition period. Starting Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019, and until the same date next year, interim regulations will rule the budding market surrounding hemp. One of the key issues that required regulation by the USDA is crop insurance. It’s incredibly risky to bet one’s livelihood on a crop that could be wiped out by bad weather or a single natural disaster. This is particularly true in Wisconsin, where the cold and wet climate is not best suited to grow hemp. “This crop, whether growing it for grain, fiber or CBD, doesn’t like wet weather,” said Bryan Parr, agronomist for Minnesota-based company Legacy Hemp. “That’s unfortunate, because for the two years that we’ve been able to grow this crop in Wisconsin, that’s the type of weather we’ve had to deal with. It’s difficult for farmers, because they can’t get their work done on time, and it created additional challenges such as weeds and diseases.” In August, 2019, the USDA initially announced that some industrial hemp growers would be able to obtain crop insurance under the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection program in 2020, but that it would be limited to “hemp grown for fiber, flower or seeds.” This excludes farmers who cultivate hemp for its CBD and represent a large portion of local hemp growers in Wisconsin. Another option for our farmers will be the Nursery Crop Insurance program, which will be available starting 2021. Once the U.S. leaves its current transitionary period, hemp will be treated as the commodity crop the law now designates it as; meanwhile, the insurance pilot program serves to protect hemp farmers. Multi-Peril Crop Insurance will only be available through private crop insurance agents. To be eligible for it, Wisconsin hemp growers must comply with the state’s hemp pilot research program, which was established in March 2018. They must also have “at least one year of history producing the crop and have a contract for the sale of insured hemp,” according to a USDA statement, which also warns that “hemp having THC [tetrahydrocannabinol] above the federal statutory compliance level will not constitute an insurable cause of loss.” Source - https://shepherdexpress.com2024 AgroInsurance International Conference: New Partners and Agenda updates
26.02.20242024 AgroInsurance International Conference will take place on June 3-5, 2024 in Belgrade, Serbia, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Planet Labs (USA) and GAF AG (Germany) are sponsors of our conference. Agremo (Serbia) has been confirmed as the Organization Partner. More partners and sponsors to be announced in March 2024.
Spain - 30% of La Palma's banana production has already been lost due to the advance of the lava
14.10.2021More than three weeks after the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted, the lava that continues to flow from its interior continues to devastate everything in its path, destroying houses, infrastructure, and banana plantations. The production of Platanos de Canarias is the economic engine of the island, accounting for 50% of its GDP and 30% of the jobs on the island.
Ukraine - Frosts damaged part of harvest of early apples and stone fruits
As a result of the latest frosts in Ukraine, the peak of which occurred on April 19-20 of this year, orchards of apples, pears and stone fruits were partially damaged, EastFruit analysts report.
Italy - Strong demand for strawberries but yields dropped by up to 50% compared to a year ago
Favorable prices and low yields are marking this recent part of the strawberry season in Southern Italy. "Here in the Basilicata region, in about 40 days, the campaign will be over for many, referring to traditional cultivars like the Sabrosa-Candonga," says Maria Ferrara of the wholesale fruit and vegetable company Fe.Vi Frutta.
South Africa - Water scarcity threatens the agricultural sector and food security
South Africa is naturally a water-scarce country – among the 30 driest countries in the world. But, combined with unpredictable climate changes that tend towards hotter and drier conditions, diminishing water tables, and the chronic mismanagement of water systems, water availability is becoming a cause for concern across all sectors of the economy.
India - Farmers claim crop damage on 7,800 acres in Indri, Nilokheri
In the wake of recent rain and hailstorm that lashed the region on Friday, nearly 1,500 farmers in the Indri and Nilokheri blocks of the district have registered claims on the e-Kshatipurti portal, stating extensive losses to their wheat crop on approximately 7,800 acres of land.
Hunger in Southern Africa: addressing climate change effect
As a result of climate disasters, millions of people in Southern Africa face the threat of starvation. The onset of El Niño caused scorching heat waves that destroyed crops and dried up essential water sources in the region.
Safeguarding crop diversity in genebanks
Ensuring food security and agricultural resilience in the face of environmental challenges depends on preserving and utilizing crop diversity, according to the Crop Trust. Genebanks serve as the ultimate guardians of this diversity. However, they are susceptible to various risks that could jeopardize their invaluable collections.
USA - Northwest Ohio farms prepare to protect crops from the cold temperatures
With the expected cold weather this week, farmers are starting to monitor their crops. It isn't strawberry season yet, but farmers are starting to prepare the plants now. The freezing temperatures could impact the crops.
Singapore - Researchers pioneer nanosensor multiplexing for real-time decoding of different plant stresses
Researchers from the Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP) Interdisciplinary Research Group (IRG) of Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore, in collaboration with Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have developed a cutting-edge nanosensor that allows for the real-time monitoring of salicylic a cid (SA) during the early stages of stress response.