NSAC Responds to the Positive Changes Made to Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP).

Organic producers have a more flexible federally supported management tool to use after changes were approved by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced important changes to the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) policy.

 The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) responded to these WFRP policy changes, noting the positive benefits for organic producers.

NSAC  Interim Policy Director Juli Obudzinski responded: 

“Adequate risk protection for diversified operations has long been a priority for NSAC, and we are pleased to see approval for important policy changes that will strengthen and add flexibility to WFRP. NSAC helped to secure WFRP’s inclusion in the 2014 Farm Bill, and we have continued to work closely with RMA to ensure that the program is tailored to best serve farmers for whom standard risk management options are not applicable or appropriate.

The changes announced today will address some of the biggest barriers cited by farmers interested in using program. For example, the option to moderate the impact of disaster years on historic farm revenue – as well as the exclusion of disaster payments and other state and federal program payments from revenue-to-count and allowable revenue – will substantially decrease the risk of underinsuring for producers. These changes also level the playing field between WFRP and other revenue products, making it less likely that farmers would experience unequal treatment under WFRP and subsequently abandon the program.

Additionally, increasing the livestock cap will allow more integrated grain-livestock and dairy farms to utilize WFRP by allowing producers to utilize WFRP and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) together. Used in concert, WFRP and NAP will provide producers with significantly better risk management options.”

NSAC invites comments and questions from producers.

About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more and get involved at: http://sustainableagriculture.net

 

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