USDA Risk Management Agency Strategic Plan for FY2010 – 2015
Country
Type of law
Policy
Abstract
The USDA Risk Management Agency Strategic Plan for FY2010 – 2015 is a national sectoral strategic plan of the United States of America. Its main objective is serving America’s agricultural producers through effective, market-based risk management tools and solutions to strengthen the economic stability of agricultural producers and rural communities.
More specifically, the Plan provides to increase the availability and effectiveness of Federal crop insurance as a risk management tool while enhancing and protecting the soundness of the program; ensure that Federal crop insurance products are fundamentally and actuarially sound and continue to review products and make appropriate changes; establish and develop appropriate crop insurance policies, premium rates, coverage provisions, transitional yields, and other appropriate insurance data; facilitate and foster development of new insurance products, non-insurance risk management tools, and other risk management solutions to fill identified gaps in the farm financial safety net for crops such as pasture, rangeland, and forage, organics, energy crops, and others; expand existing crop insurance programs where appropriate; improve the effectiveness of existing programs in southern states and other regional or local areas by refining offers to be better tailored to unique types and practices, and where appropriate, adjusting premium rates, transitional yields, initial and final planting dates, acreage reporting dates, coverage conditions, and high risk or other map areas within each county to recognize structural changes to the risks of growing the crop in the area; continue to refine and expand the availability of innovative, grid-based, weather-derivative, insurance products to crops and areas that are either uninsured or under insured; monitor climate change research, to the extent that climate changes emerge over time, and update program parameters such as final planting dates and sales closing dates, to reflect such adaptation or other changes; improve the effectiveness of products and services to address demonstrated market needs through product review, handbook reviews, and market assessment(s); provide additional opportunities for risk coverage for producers and commodities through county, crop, type, practice, variety, and whole-farm types of program expansion; monitor and evaluate pilot program operations at the local level to ensure the actuarial soundness and effectiveness of pilot programs; interact with producers, universities, insurance providers, farm organizations, and other stakeholders at a local level to identify improvements in insurance programs and implement recommendations; identify and correct insurance policy and procedural inconsistencies at all levels that contribute to misunderstandings or misconceptions by producers, insurance agents, loss adjusters, and routinely issue guidance until procedures can be clarified; complete the work of the USDA Acreage Crop Reporting Streamlining Initiative and implement the changes to allow producers to report common USDA program data just one time; evaluate and implement improvements to update and modernize the Actual Production History program; regional Offices develop and maintain maps used to identify high risk areas, uninsured acreage, and coverage; and regional Offices develop special provisions of insurance to address unique crop or regional conditions to enhance the program or address potential program vulnerabilities.
Additionally, the Plan aims to ensure a fair and effective risk management product delivery system; identify and address barriers to the understanding and use of crop insurance, particularly in the underserved States and for producers with limited English proficiency, therefore expanding the ability to reach underserved producers through traditional and nontraditional channels and developing technologies. provide technical assistance to insurance providers to improve producers’ ease of access to, awareness of, and understanding of crop insurance products; work with insurance providers to resolve complaints of unequal and impartial servicing of risk management products; provide civil rights training for insurance providers’ employees and partners; improve program delivery by implementing the new Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA); provide producers customized insurance offers through a written agreement from the Regional Office that makes available insurance coverage for unique regional needs tailored to distinctive types and practices; and where appropriate, adjusting premium rates, transitional yields, initial and final planting dates, acreage reporting dates, conditions of coverage, and high risk or other map areas within each county to recognize structural changes to the risks of growing the crop in the area; continue implementing CIMS to reduce the burden on producers for reporting acreage and yield data and to lessen reporting of different data for RMA and FSA programs; provide situational reports to headquarters to assist with RMA’s response to natural disasters that may require an immediate response and possible temporary adjustments to policies and procedures to meet local program needs; improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and actuarial soundness of handling exceptions to standard crop insurance offers (written agreements, added land, deter¬mined yields, and hybrid seed coverage). Develop meth¬ods to edit insurance policies with exceptions through the Agency’s Data Acceptance System; increase the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) remote sensing and data mining technologies to more accurately and efficiently manage RMA’s programs to enhance delivery of products; provide program consultation to FSA offices in all states; and actually seek prospective crop insurance agents, loss adjusters, claims and underwriting personnel with mul-tilingual and multi-cultural skills through a collaborative effort between RMA and insurance providers.
Finally, the Plan also provides for education and outreach to stakeholders to ensure access to risk management tools and products; and safeguarding the integrity of the Federal crop insurance program.
More specifically, the Plan provides to increase the availability and effectiveness of Federal crop insurance as a risk management tool while enhancing and protecting the soundness of the program; ensure that Federal crop insurance products are fundamentally and actuarially sound and continue to review products and make appropriate changes; establish and develop appropriate crop insurance policies, premium rates, coverage provisions, transitional yields, and other appropriate insurance data; facilitate and foster development of new insurance products, non-insurance risk management tools, and other risk management solutions to fill identified gaps in the farm financial safety net for crops such as pasture, rangeland, and forage, organics, energy crops, and others; expand existing crop insurance programs where appropriate; improve the effectiveness of existing programs in southern states and other regional or local areas by refining offers to be better tailored to unique types and practices, and where appropriate, adjusting premium rates, transitional yields, initial and final planting dates, acreage reporting dates, coverage conditions, and high risk or other map areas within each county to recognize structural changes to the risks of growing the crop in the area; continue to refine and expand the availability of innovative, grid-based, weather-derivative, insurance products to crops and areas that are either uninsured or under insured; monitor climate change research, to the extent that climate changes emerge over time, and update program parameters such as final planting dates and sales closing dates, to reflect such adaptation or other changes; improve the effectiveness of products and services to address demonstrated market needs through product review, handbook reviews, and market assessment(s); provide additional opportunities for risk coverage for producers and commodities through county, crop, type, practice, variety, and whole-farm types of program expansion; monitor and evaluate pilot program operations at the local level to ensure the actuarial soundness and effectiveness of pilot programs; interact with producers, universities, insurance providers, farm organizations, and other stakeholders at a local level to identify improvements in insurance programs and implement recommendations; identify and correct insurance policy and procedural inconsistencies at all levels that contribute to misunderstandings or misconceptions by producers, insurance agents, loss adjusters, and routinely issue guidance until procedures can be clarified; complete the work of the USDA Acreage Crop Reporting Streamlining Initiative and implement the changes to allow producers to report common USDA program data just one time; evaluate and implement improvements to update and modernize the Actual Production History program; regional Offices develop and maintain maps used to identify high risk areas, uninsured acreage, and coverage; and regional Offices develop special provisions of insurance to address unique crop or regional conditions to enhance the program or address potential program vulnerabilities.
Additionally, the Plan aims to ensure a fair and effective risk management product delivery system; identify and address barriers to the understanding and use of crop insurance, particularly in the underserved States and for producers with limited English proficiency, therefore expanding the ability to reach underserved producers through traditional and nontraditional channels and developing technologies. provide technical assistance to insurance providers to improve producers’ ease of access to, awareness of, and understanding of crop insurance products; work with insurance providers to resolve complaints of unequal and impartial servicing of risk management products; provide civil rights training for insurance providers’ employees and partners; improve program delivery by implementing the new Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA); provide producers customized insurance offers through a written agreement from the Regional Office that makes available insurance coverage for unique regional needs tailored to distinctive types and practices; and where appropriate, adjusting premium rates, transitional yields, initial and final planting dates, acreage reporting dates, conditions of coverage, and high risk or other map areas within each county to recognize structural changes to the risks of growing the crop in the area; continue implementing CIMS to reduce the burden on producers for reporting acreage and yield data and to lessen reporting of different data for RMA and FSA programs; provide situational reports to headquarters to assist with RMA’s response to natural disasters that may require an immediate response and possible temporary adjustments to policies and procedures to meet local program needs; improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and actuarial soundness of handling exceptions to standard crop insurance offers (written agreements, added land, deter¬mined yields, and hybrid seed coverage). Develop meth¬ods to edit insurance policies with exceptions through the Agency’s Data Acceptance System; increase the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) remote sensing and data mining technologies to more accurately and efficiently manage RMA’s programs to enhance delivery of products; provide program consultation to FSA offices in all states; and actually seek prospective crop insurance agents, loss adjusters, claims and underwriting personnel with mul-tilingual and multi-cultural skills through a collaborative effort between RMA and insurance providers.
Finally, the Plan also provides for education and outreach to stakeholders to ensure access to risk management tools and products; and safeguarding the integrity of the Federal crop insurance program.
Attached files
Date of text
Entry into force notes
FY2010 - 2015
Repealed
No
Source language
English
Legislation Amendment
No