Lancaster Farming quotes Roche in article on pasture and forage insurance

Lancaster Farming quoted Erin Roche, the Crop Insurance Education Program manager with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, in an article about pasture and forage insurance. Roche moderated a recent webinar in which experts outlined the Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) Rainfall Index Crop Insurance Program that can help farmers in the continental United States make up for drought-related losses, the article states. Roche said PRF insurance covers farmland based on rainfall received in a 17-by-12-mile grid. “Loss payments are not based on a single farm’s experience, but based upon the grid’s average,” said Roche. While insurance premiums are an additional expense for farmers, in dry years, “Buying off-farm feed can be very costly. PRF can offset these expenses,” said Roche. Farmers also must choose which months to insure, with a minimum of two, two-month intervals, and decide between hay or grazing insurance for each plot. The deadline for insurance sign-ups is Nov. 15, Lancaster Farming reported. “We encourage folks to contact a crop insurance agent sooner than later,” said Roche. UMaine Extension was a co-sponsor of the free webinar.