Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF)
The United States currently comprises about 588 million acres of pasture and
rangeland and 61.5 million acres of hay land. The following insurance programs
for pasture, rangeland, and forage (PRF) utilize various indexing systems to
determine crop conditions. Buying an insurance policy is one risk management
option.
Rainfall Index (RI)
The Rainfall Index is based on weather data collected and maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
Climate Prediction Center. The index reflects how much precipitation is received relative to
the long-term average for a specified area and timeframe. The program divides the country
into six regions due to different weather patterns, with pilots available in select counties.
Vegetation Index (VI)
The Vegetation Index is based on the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth
Resources Observation and Science (EROS) normalized difference vegetation
index (NDVI) data derived from satellites observing long-term changes in
greenness of vegetation of the earth since 1989. The program divides the
country into six regions due to different weather patterns, with pilots
available in select counties.
This information is intended for informational purposes only. Nothing contained herein can or should be
interpreted to take precedence over policy language, Federal Crop Insurance Corporation/Risk Management Agency regulation, and Underwriting or Loss Adjustment rules.
Last Updated March 2011
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