Browse Ambrook’s collection of grants, loans, discounts, cost shares, easements, and insurance for risk management.

Application must be completed online at https://bit.ly/CCOF-GRANT.

The Organic Transition program gives $10,000 grants to farmers transitioning their land to organic production. 

When farmers transition their land from conventional to organic, they have to wait three years before achieving certification and selling their products as organic. This&#x2004;three-year period is incredibly risky for farmers—they’re learning new farming techniques, creating new systems for their business, and cultivating a new market for their soon-to-be-organic products, all while growing food without earning the price premiums afforded to certified organic goods. Organic Transition grants eliminate the financial barrier for farmers who want to make the leap to organic production. 

Program participants receive grants, mentorship, and technical support in agronomy, business and financial literacy, marketing, and market development over a three-year period. 



The Organic Transition program gives $10,000 grants to farmers transitioning their land to organic production. 
When farmers transition their land from conventional to organic, they have to wait three years before achieving certification and selling their products as organic. This three-year period is incredibly risky for farmers—they’re learning new farming techniques, creating new systems for their business, and cultivating a new market for their soon-to-be-organic products, all while growing food without earning the price premiums afforded to certified organic goods. Organic Transition grants eliminate the financial barrier for farmers who want to make the leap to organic production. 
Program participants receive grants, mentorship, and technical support in agronomy, business and financial literacy, marketing, and market development over a three-year period. 

- Be farming or ranching on the California Central & Southern Coasts and Central Valley (Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Colusa, Glenn, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, Yolo, and Yuba Counties)
- Already be practicing organic production methods
- Have a business plan for transitioning to certified organic production or have identified a means to develop a plan for how they will transition or expand organic acreage on their farm or ranch
- Demonstrate financial need
- Reside and farm/ranch in the United States (this includes U.S. territories)
- Have a minimum of five years of agricultural production experience
- Have at least two years of running or owning their business and/or equivalent experience
- Be willing to conduct an interview as part of the application process
- Submit a Letter of Reference with your application 
- Submit a yearly report and a final report at the end of the grant period

A lump sum of money for a specific purpose that does not need to be paid back.

Grant

Succession

Distribution

Diversification

Events

Trade Show

Certified Organic

Trade Relief

Legal & Finance

Certification

Marketing

Conservation

Research

Compliance

All multi-peril crop insurance, including CAT policies, are available from private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA service centers and on the RMA website at www.rma.usda.gov/Information-Tools/Agent-Locator-Page.

Risk Management Agency

Nursery Value Select (NVS) is a pilot program that allows nursery producers to select the dollar amount of coverage that best fits their risk management needs. NVS, which is an asset-based form of insurance, runs concurrently with the existing&#x2004;nursery program and covers similar causes of loss. NVS is another crop insurance option for nursery crop producers, including those growing hemp, in addition to the Nursery crop insurance program. This NVS pilot program is available in select counties in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.

NVS was developed with input from nursery producers. The pilot program is based on the existing Nursery crop insurance program, with these changes:

- Simplification of the application and annual policy renewal process;

- Allowing nursery producers to select the dollar amount of coverage that best fits their risk management needs, and for buy-up policies; coverage tailored by an individual practice (container or field grown) or by choosing from any of 10 potential plant categories;

- A simplified loss adjustment process that uses a more accurate approach to determining plant values by placing greater reliance on the nursery producer’s actual sales receipts, along with increased producer participation in determining damaged plants’ ability to be marketed or rehabilitated;

- Elimination of a plant list based on third-party software and greater reliance on the producer’s inventory records, along with plant category naming conventions more familiar to the nursery industry;

- Tailored program dates that are better suited to the agronomic and industry nursery management practices in different regions across the country; and

- A new Occurrence Loss Option (OLO), moving the deductible from a unit level to a plant level for an additional premium (only available for buy-up policies).




Nursery Value Select (NVS) is a pilot program that allows nursery producers to select the dollar amount of coverage that best fits their risk management needs. NVS, which is an asset-based form of insurance, runs concurrently with the existing nursery program and covers similar causes of loss. NVS is another crop insurance option for nursery crop producers, including those growing hemp, in addition to the Nursery crop insurance program. This NVS pilot program is available in select counties in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.
NVS was developed with input from nursery producers. The pilot program is based on the existing Nursery crop insurance program, with these changes:
- Simplification of the application and annual policy renewal process;
- Allowing nursery producers to select the dollar amount of coverage that best fits their risk management needs, and for buy-up policies; coverage tailored by an individual practice (container or field grown) or by choosing from any of 10 potential plant categories;
- A simplified loss adjustment process that uses a more accurate approach to determining plant values by placing greater reliance on the nursery producer’s actual sales receipts, along with increased producer participation in determining damaged plants’ ability to be marketed or rehabilitated;
- Elimination of a plant list based on third-party software and greater reliance on the producer’s inventory records, along with plant category naming conventions more familiar to the nursery industry;
- Tailored program dates that are better suited to the agronomic and industry nursery management practices in different regions across the country; and
- A new Occurrence Loss Option (OLO), moving the deductible from a unit level to a plant level for an additional premium (only available for buy-up policies).


NVS is available in select counties in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.

A price safety net or insurance on a product that might face situational changes.

Insurance

Nursery Crops

Cactus

Christmas Trees

Floriculture

Nursery Trees

Turfgrass Sod

Cut Flowers

Cut Greenery

Fruit Trees

Nut Trees

- Nursery Value Select Press Release
- Nursery Value Select Fact Sheet
- Nursery Value Select Crop Provisions
- Nursery Value Select Pilot Crop Insurance Standards Handbook
- Nursery Value Select Pilot Loss Adjustment Standards Handbook
- Nursery Value Select Pilot Loss Adjustment Standards Handbook (Slipsheets Only)
- Nursery Value Select Frequently Asked Questions


The Nursery Value Select Program is an insurance program with detailed terms regarding coverage and loss. Review the Fact Sheet for full terms.

PRF policies can be bought from a crop insurance agent by the sales closing date shown for each county in the actuarial documents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA service centers and on the RMA website at the Agent Locator.

RMA National Office

The Risk Management Agency’s (RMA) Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) Pilot Insurance Program is designed to provide insurance coverage on pasture, rangeland, or forage acres. The PRF program utilizes a rainfall index to determine precipitation for coverage purposes, and does not measure production or loss of products themselves. The Rainfall Index uses National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center (NOAA CPC) data, which utilizes a grid system to determine precipitation amounts within an area. Each grid is 0.25 degrees in&#x2004;latitude by 0.25 degrees in longitude, which translates to approximately 17 by 17 miles at the equator. Acres will be assigned to one or more grids based on the location to be insured.

The Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage insurance was designed to help protect a producer’s operation from the risks of forage loss due to the lack of precipitation. It is not designed to insure against ongoing or severe drought, as the coverage is based on precipitation expected during specific intervals only.



The Risk Management Agency’s (RMA) Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) Pilot Insurance Program is designed to provide insurance coverage on pasture, rangeland, or forage acres. The PRF program utilizes a rainfall index to determine precipitation for coverage purposes, and does not measure production or loss of products themselves. The Rainfall Index uses National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center (NOAA CPC) data, which utilizes a grid system to determine precipitation amounts within an area. Each grid is 0.25 degrees in latitude by 0.25 degrees in longitude, which translates to approximately 17 by 17 miles at the equator. Acres will be assigned to one or more grids based on the location to be insured.
The Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage insurance was designed to help protect a producer’s operation from the risks of forage loss due to the lack of precipitation. It is not designed to insure against ongoing or severe drought, as the coverage is based on precipitation expected during specific intervals only.

PRF is available in the 48 contiguous states with the exception of a few grids that cross international borders.
Check the Actuarial Documents to see the deadline for buying PRF policies in your county.

- PRF Decision Tools
- PRF Fact Sheet
- PRF Actuarial Documents
- Agent Locator

Weather

Disaster Relief

Emergency

Coverage and Claims
Coverage is based on a producer’s selection of coverage level, index intervals, and productivity factor. The index interval represents a two-month period, and the period selected should be the one when precipitation is most important to a producer’s operation. Policyholders can select a coverage level from 70 to 90 percent. The rainfall index does not measure direct production or loss. The producer is insuring a rainfall index that is expected to estimate production.
Producers select a productivity factor to match the amount of protection to the value of the production that best represents the operation and the productive capacity of the producer’s acres. Producers do not have to insure all acres. However, producers cannot insure more than total number of insurable acres.
Insurance payments are determined by using NOAA CPC data for their grid(s) and index intervals that were chosen to insure. When the final grid index falls below the policyholder’s “trigger grid index”, the producer may receive an indemnity. This insurance coverage is for a single peril -- lack of precipitation. Coverage is based on the experience of the entire grid. It is not based on individual farms or ranches or specific weather stations in the general area.
Tools
Producers need to make several choices when insuring their grazing or hay production, including coverage level, index intervals, irrigated practice, productivity factor, and number of acres. Producers should work with their crop insurance agent to view the Grid ID Locator map and index grids for their area, and assign acreage to one or more grids based on the location and use of the acreage to be insured. RMA encourages the use of the Grid ID Locator, historical indices tool, and decision support tools available on RMA’s website to help decide whether PRF is the right insurance coverage for a producer’s operation.

You can buy Whole-Farm Revenue Protection from a crop insurance agent by the sales closing date shown for each county in the actuarial documents at
webapp.rma.usda.gov/apps/actuarialinformationbrowser/. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA service centers and on the RMA website at www.rma.usda.gov/en/Information-Tools/Agent-Locator-Page.

Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) provides a risk management safety net for all commodities on the farm under one insurance policy and is available in all counties nationwide. This insurance plan is tailored for any farm with up to $8.5 million in insured revenue, including farms with specialty or organic commodities (both crops and livestock), or those marketing to local, regional, farm-identity preserved, specialty, or direct markets.



Eligibility for WFRP coverage requires you to:
- Be eligible to receive Federal benefits;
- Be a U.S. citizen or resident;
- File either a Schedule F tax form or other farm tax form that can be converted to a Substitute Schedule F for a specified number of years;
- Have no more than $8.5 million in insured revenue, which is the farm revenue allowed to be insured under the policy multiplied by the coverage level you select (see table above)
    - Coverage of expected revenue from animals and animal products is limited to $2 million;
    - Coverage of expected revenue from greenhouse and nursery is limited to $2 million;
- Have no more than 50 percent of total revenue from commodities purchased for resale;
- Have ‘buy-up’ coverage levels on any Federal crop insurance plans you choose in addition to the WFRP insurance plan;
- Meet the diversification requirements of the policy by having two or more commodities if a commodity you are raising has revenue protection or actual revenue history insurance available; and
- Meet the diversification requirements of the policy by having two or more commodities if there are potatoes on the farm.


- 2023 Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Pilot Handbook (Reissued)
- Whole-Farm Revenue Protection
- RMA Announces Changes to Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Policy for 2020
- Aquaculture Fact Sheet (Oysters, Clams, WFRP)
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Producer Perspectives
- Introduction to WFRP Pilot PowerPoint

WFRP is an insurance program with detailed terms regarding coverage and loss. Review the Fact Sheet for full terms.

Apply online at this online portal. Account creation is required.

Crop insurance in an integral part of the farm safety net that provides protection for farmers after bad weather impacts their crops. Cover crops can help prevent erosion and improve water quality and soil health, among other benefits.

The&#x2004;Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and partners worked with the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) to establish a project aimed at expanding usage of cover crops in Iowa. 

Through this project IDALS will provide up to $5/acre for cover crops to eligible applicants. Funding will be provided through USDA-RMA as an additional insurance premium discount through normal crop insurance processes. The premium reduction will be available for fall-planted cover crops with a spring-planted cash crop. Some policies may be excluded, such as Whole-Farm Revenue Protection or those covered through written agreements. Participating farmers must follow all existing good farming practices required by their policy and work with their insurance agent to maintain eligibility.

Farmers are encouraged to wait to apply until their cover crop seeding has been completed. Please note that cover crop acres currently enrolled in state and/or federal programs are not eligible for this program. 



Crop insurance in an integral part of the farm safety net that provides protection for farmers after bad weather impacts their crops. Cover crops can help prevent erosion and improve water quality and soil health, among other benefits.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and partners worked with the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) to establish a project aimed at expanding usage of cover crops in Iowa. 
Through this project IDALS will provide up to $5/acre for cover crops to eligible applicants. Funding will be provided through USDA-RMA as an additional insurance premium discount through normal crop insurance processes. The premium reduction will be available for fall-planted cover crops with a spring-planted cash crop. Some policies may be excluded, such as Whole-Farm Revenue Protection or those covered through written agreements. Participating farmers must follow all existing good farming practices required by their policy and work with their insurance agent to maintain eligibility.
Farmers are encouraged to wait to apply until their cover crop seeding has been completed. Please note that cover crop acres currently enrolled in state and/or federal programs are not eligible for this program. 

Applicants must be located in Iowa, and plant an eligible cover crop on federally insured acreage.

Row Crops

Alfalfa

Amaranth Grain

Barley

Buckwheat

Canola

Corn

Einkorn

Emmer

Grains

Guar

Indigo

Kenaf

Khorasan

Millet

Mustard

Oats

Oilseeds

Peanuts

Quinoa

Rapeseed

Rice

Safflower

Sorghum

Soybeans

Speltz

Sugar

Sugar Beets

Sunflowers

Teff

Triticale

Wheat

Malting Barley

Sweet Corn

Grain Corn

Crambe

Sesame

Sunflower Seeds

Industrial Rice

Japonica Rice

Long Grain Rice

Medium Grain Rice

Sweet Rice

Wild Rice

Raw Sugars

Refined Sugars

Sugarcane

Durum Wheat

Hard Red Spring Wheat

Regenerative

To learn more about this program, contact your local USDA service center.

The Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs were authorized by the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills.


If you received a post card from FSA about ARC/PLC enrollment, contact your tenant if you have one or contact your local FSA Office if you don't have a tenant.


**Agriculture Risk Coverage-County (ARC-CO)**: The ARC-CO program provides income support tied to historical base acres, not current&#x2004;production, of covered commodities. ARC-CO payments are issued when the actual county crop revenue of a covered commodity is less than the ARC-CO guarantee for the covered commodity.


**Price Loss Coverage (PLC)**: PLC program payments are issued when the effective price of a covered commodity is less than the respective reference price for that commodity. The effective price equals the higher of the market year average price (MYA) or the national average loan rate for the covered commodity.



The Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs were authorized by the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills.

If you received a post card from FSA about ARC/PLC enrollment, contact your tenant if you have one or contact your local FSA Office if you don't have a tenant.

Agriculture Risk Coverage-County (ARC-CO): The ARC-CO program provides income support tied to historical base acres, not current production, of covered commodities. ARC-CO payments are issued when the actual county crop revenue of a covered commodity is less than the ARC-CO guarantee for the covered commodity.

Price Loss Coverage (PLC): PLC program payments are issued when the effective price of a covered commodity is less than the respective reference price for that commodity. The effective price equals the higher of the market year average price (MYA) or the national average loan rate for the covered commodity.

Flax

Cotton

Dry Peas

Lentils

Chickpeas

ELS Cotton

Upland Cotton

Pima Cotton

Fibers

Peas

Pulse Crops

Other Commodities

- Program Definitions
- ARC/PLC Fact Sheet
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Yield Update Calculator (2020 Crop Year) and CCC-867 Generator
- 2018 Farm Bill Decision Aid
- ARC/PLC Calculator

What has changed under the 2018 Farm Bill compared to the 2014 Farm Bill?
- The effective reference price replaces the reference price for calculating benchmark revenues under ARC and payment rates per unit under PLC.
- ARC-county yields are based on data from the Risk Management Agency rather than data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
- ARC-county yields are trend adjusted.
- Yield designation status under ARC county increases the number of counties from an “All” type designation to an irrigated/non-irrigated designation.
- Seed cotton was added as a covered commodity and generic base acres were eliminated beginning with the 2018 crop, the last year of the 2014 Farm Bill. Seed cotton continues to be included as a covered commodity under the 2018 Farm Bill.
- Producers may elect for ARC or PLC by covered commodity or ARC-IC for 2019 and 2020 and re-elect each year thereafter through 2023.
- One-time opportunity to update PLC program payment yields that take effect beginning with the 2020 crop year.
- The effective reference price, ARC-county benchmark yields, and ARC-county benchmark prices calculations are based on a one-year lag (i.e., For program year 2019, crop years 2013-2017 will be used to calculate the effective reference price, ARC-county benchmark yields, and ARC-county benchmark prices, and ARC-individual coverage).

Producers automatically receive the benefit if they filed the Report of Acreage form (FSA-578) by March 15, 2022 with their local FSA office. 
For qualifying cover crops that are planted after March 15, producers now have through May 31, 2022 to report those cover crop acres. To file the report, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center (above) to make an appointment.
As part of filing the Report of Acreage, producers need to provide:
- cover crop type or variety;
- number of acres of the cover crop;
- map with approximate boundaries for the cover crop;
- planting dates;
- planting pattern, when applicable;
- producer shares; and
- irrigation practices.
The March 15, 2022 reporting date is distinct from the normal acreage reporting date. The normal acreage reporting deadline with FSA will not change, but to receive the premium benefit, producers must file by March 15.

Agricultural producers who have coverage under most crop insurance policies are eligible for a premium benefit from USDA if they planted cover crops during this crop year. The Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP), offered by USDA’s [Risk Management&#x2004;Agency](https://www.rma.usda.gov/) (RMA), reduces producers’ overall premium bills and helps them maintain their cover crop systems.

Cultivating cover crops requires a sustained, long-term investment, and the economic challenges of the pandemic make it financially challenging for many producers to maintain cover crop systems. PCCP helps ensure producers can continue this important conservation practice

PCCP is part of USDA’s [Pandemic Assistance for Producers](https://www.farmers.gov/pandemic-assistance) initiative, a bundle of programs to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and producers who are feeling the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions.



Agricultural producers who have coverage under most crop insurance policies are eligible for a premium benefit from USDA if they planted cover crops during this crop year. The Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP), offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), reduces producers’ overall premium bills and helps them maintain their cover crop systems.
Cultivating cover crops requires a sustained, long-term investment, and the economic challenges of the pandemic make it financially challenging for many producers to maintain cover crop systems. PCCP helps ensure producers can continue this important conservation practice
PCCP is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, a bundle of programs to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and producers who are feeling the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions.

PCCP is available for most insurance policies, including Whole Farm Revenue Protection beginning in 2022.
There are a few exceptions related to policies that already provide the benefit through underlying coverage.
PCCP is not available for: 
- Post-Application Coverage Endorsement (PACE)
- Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO)
- Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI)
- Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO)
- Stacked Income Protection (STAX) (if an underlying policy)
- Margin Protection (MP) (if an underling policy)

Qualifying cover crops include all that are reportable to FSA, including cereals and other grasses, legumes, brassicas and other non-legume broadleaves, and mixtures of two or more cover crop species planted at the same time. A full list of qualifying cover crops is available in FSA Handbook 2-CP.

- News Release: Producers with Crop Insurance to Receive Premium Benefit for Cover Crops
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Pandemic Cover Crop Program fact sheet
- Pandemic Cover Crop Rule in the Federal Register
- RMA Managers Bulletin: Product Management Bulletin
- RMA Cover Crops webpage

Soil Health

Reduced Tillage

PCCP provides premium support to producers who insured their crop with most insurance policies and planted a qualifying cover crop during the 2022 crop year. The premium support is $5 per acre, but no more than the full premium owed.
Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa have existing programs for producers to receive a premium benefit for planting cover crops. Producers who participate in one of these programs can receive an additional benefit through PCCP.
Also, PCCP does not change acreage reporting dates, reporting requirements, or any other terms of the crop insurance policy.

List of Agricultural Funding for Risk Management