Fall SCD Reminders

Tips and Tricks for Fall SCD Season

Please familiarize yourself with the information and tools provided on this page in order to make sure your SCD experience is as smooth as possible. 

If you have questions or encounter any problems, please fill out the form at the bottom of this page or contact your marketing representative, and we will be happy to assist you.

This information is meant to serve as a guideline and does not replace any handbook or provision.

Deadline Information

For the 9/30 SCD:

• Keying agents have 20 days to key, scan, and submit applications.
• Non-keying agents must submit applications within 5-10 days after the deadline.

Forage Production Underwriting/Acreage Report (FUR/AR):

• Keying agents have 30 days to key, scan, and submit reports.
• Non-processing agents must have reports submitted to their underwriter within 5-10 days after the deadline.

Applications and Policy Changes 

• These forms must be keyed into AgriNet, and the required paperwork must be uploaded into Document Management or FileZilla. 
• The information the agent keys in AgriNet should match the information insured certified on the application. Please double check the information keyed in AgriNet prior to saving.  
• For policies with no changes, no action is needed. 
• Please double check that all Tax ID numbers are correct.
• Make sure supporting documents are in your files for applicable entity types:  
  • For example, partnerships (Partnership Statement) and trusts (Trust Form).
• Articles of Incorporation and Articles of Organization forms are not required if the location of these documents is indicated on the application. 
• For partnerships, a member of the partnership must sign the application. 

When to Use the Application vs. the Policy Change Form

• The application is required for new crop coverage or to change plans from APH-based to area-based plans and vice versa.
• The policy change form (or application) may be used to request a change in plan of insurance within plan type (APH to APH or Area to Area), percentage of projected price/price election, or coverage level, on or before the SCD.

Power of Attorney (POA)

• POA documentation must accompany the application where a POA has signed.
• Applications and policy change forms will not be accepted without documentation uploaded.
• Needs to be notarized if required by state law.
• Must specify authority to sign for crop insurance purposes.
• FSA POAs or POAs executed according to state laws are acceptable.
• For FSA POAs: Notarization is not required if signed in an FSA office and witnessed by the FSA.
• For the "Individual-Married (Spousal)" person type, a POA form or legally sufficient document is required for the authorized spouse to sign on behalf of the named insured spouse.
• Either an FSA POA form or a POA form executed according to state laws is acceptable.
• In the case of a FSA POA form, notarization is not required if signed in an FSA office and witnessed by FSA staff.

Signature Requirements (Authorized Representatives)

• A signature statement on the application or policy change form serves as a legally sufficient document.
• Does not need to be notarized.
• Authorization is in place until the policy is cancelled, the option is removed, or a new application is required.
• For a spouse or other to sign for an insured, they must have a signed POA or Signature Statement.
• The Signature Statement allows the person rights to sign all policy documentation except the initial application.
• If the authorized rep or POA is signing documentation, it must be signed with the main policyholder's name by the person signing:
• For example: a Joe Farmer Farms policy must be signed ‘Joe Farmer Farms by Joe Farmer.’
• Another example: if Jane Farmer is the authorized rep or POA on Joe Farmer's policy, in order to sign she must do so as ‘Joe Farmer by Jane Farmer.’
• If these documents are not signed correctly, they will be sent back, and a correctly signed form will be required.

Beginning Farmer & Rancher

• Insured must complete MPCI Application and Beginning Farmer & Rancher Application by earliest SCD
• Each SBI of the policy must complete a separate BFR Application and must qualify as a BFR in order to receive BFR benefits
• You must contact your underwriter to key BFR policies as you do not have appropriate access.

Veteran Farmer & Rancher

• A Veteran who served in the active military, naval, or air service in the Armed Forces and was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable

AND

• Has not operated a farm or ranch
• Has operated a farm or ranch for not more than 5 years

OR

• Is a veteran who has first obtained status as a veteran during the most recent five-year period, even if that veteran has previously operated a farm or ranch for more than five years.

• If a producer qualifies for both VFR status and BFR status, the producer must choose from which program he/she wishes to receive benefits. A producer cannot receive benefits under VFR and BFR at the same time.
• Benefits are the same as BFR:
• Administrative Fee Waiver – All CAT and additional coverage administrative fees waived
• Additional Premium Subsidy of 10 Percentage Points
• APH Yield Adjustment (YA) – The producer receives 80% of the applicable T-Yield instead of 60%.
• When multiple VFR Applications are required and if all individuals qualify as VFRs, producers will receive VFR benefits equal to the individual with the fewest number of remaining VFR benefit Crop Years (CYs).
• With, the exception of the spouse, all parties listed on the application and within the SBIs must complete a separate VFR Application and qualify as a VFR. VFR now allows the spouse’s veteran status NOT to impact whether an individual or entity is considered a VFR.
• If a producer has a landlord/tenant policy, both must qualify as a VFR for the policy to be eligible for VFR benefits if the tenant/landlord will be insuring the other’s share.
• An application, along with all supporting documentation, needs to be submitted by the applicable sales closing date
• VFR status is continuous until the VFR Application is cancelled by the SCD or until the veteran or any SBI member no longer qualifies as a VFR

• You must contact your underwriter to key VFR policies as you do not have appropriate access.

Conservation Compliance

• Insureds now have until premium billing date to have a signed AD-1026 form on file with the  FSA
• Conservation Compliance Exemption form must be signed by the later of premium billing or 60 days after a transfer is approved – only allowed the first-year farming
• Please verify compliance status with insureds, as non-compliant insureds will not be eligible for premium subsidies

Winter Crop Inspections

• If the special provisions only list a spring final planting date, any fall planted crops are not insured unless you request coverage (e.g.,  wheat, canola, barley)
• Request for a winter crop inspection needs to be completed and scanned by SCD
• We will determine if there is an adequate stand in the spring in order to insure the fall-planted acreage as the spring type

New Producer Verification

• To qualify for new producer, the insured must not have produced the insured crop in the county for more than two APH crop years
• We continue to receive lists of potential New Producer misreporting, so it is especially important to verify New Producer status with your insureds
• We require the New Producer Certification box checked on either the Application or Production Reporting Form.
• Intended Acres must be listed on the application

IMPORTANT: When the producer has produced the crop, they are required to certify those years of acreage and production by PRD.

*A producer can recertify their NP status in the following crop year if they still qualify*

Quality Loss Option (QL)

• Allows exclusion of quality loss from an APH database in circumstances where a quality loss occurs
• Producers can replace post-quality production amounts in APH databases with pre-quality production amounts. This can increase actual yields for individual CYs
• Must be elected by the applicable SCD on Application form in the Option Box listing QL on a crop/county basis
• May choose by APH database and by eligible CY whether to replace actual yields based on post-quality adjusted production (net production) with actual yields based on the pre-quality total production (gross production)
• If the approved APH yield calculation chosen by the producer replaces at least one actual yield due to QL, the average yield is used as the rate yield and the effective coverage level (based on the adjusted yield) is used for determining premium rate.

Forage Seeding and Forage Production Changes  

• This is a dual season crop, so the deadline to add it to a policy would have been 7/31
• Existing Alfalfa insurable types were replaced with new insurable types: Alfalfa 90-100 and Alfalfa 60-89
• Existing Alfalfa Grass Mixture insurable types were replaced with a new insurable type: Alfalfa 25-59
• Existing Grass Alfalfa Mixture insurable types were replaced with a new insurable type: Alfalfa 1-24

Dual Season Crops (Wheat and Forage Seeding) 

• An application or policy change form is needed to change plan of insurance, coverage level, options, or endorsements. 
• If the producer plants fall acreage, they will not be able to make any changes to the policy in the spring. All options selected at fall SCD will also apply to the spring units. 
• If the producer does NOT plant fall acreage, they can amend the policy in the spring.
• Enterprise units must be elected by the insured on or before the earliest SCD for the insured crops in the county.  The unit election may be changed before the spring SCD if there is not any insured fall planted acreage. 
• Only one coverage type needs to be keyed into AgriNet with no type selected. Once units are set up, the type can be selected there.

Admin Fees  

• The CAT administration fee is now $655.

Insuring the Landlord's Share 

• A landlord's SBI information MUST BE reported on the application and keyed in AgriNet using the entity type of "L".
• The Authorization to Insure the Landlord's Share form needs to be completed by the sales closing date and uploaded through Document Management or FileZilla within 20 days of sales closing. 

 Multi-County Enterprise Unit (MCEU)

• MCEU allows a producer to combine acreage of an insured crop, by irrigation practice, if applicable, in two contiguous counties in the same state into one enterprise unit.
• To qualify for a MCEU, one county must qualify independently for an enterprise unit and the other county must not qualify for an enterprise unit.
• Both county crop policies in the MCEU must be with the same AIP.
• MCEU must be elected on the application for both counties. Both counties must also have the same elections for insurance plan, coverage level, and enterprise unit or enterprise unit by irrigation practice (not allowed for ET).
• The election combines all insured acreage of the crop (or all insured acreage of the irrigation practice if enterprise unit by irrigation practice is elected) in both counties into a single enterprise unit.
• Premium, guarantee, and liability will be calculated separately for each county based on the acres physically located in that county and using the actuarial documents for that county.
• The enterprise unit premium discount will be determined by using the total acres contained in the MCEU.
• Primary and secondary counties must be indicated on the Acreage Report.

Enterprise Unit by Irrigation Practice (EI)

• Separate enterprise units for irrigated and non-irrigated are available if specified in the actuarial documents (EI)
• Additionally, an insured can elect EU for one practice and OU or BU for the other practice
• Must be elected by SCD by designating EI in the option box and qualification will be determined at Acreage Reporting time

Enterprise Unit by Type (ET)

• Separate enterprise units by type are available if specified in the actuarial documents (ET) – eligible crops are wheat, dry peas, dry beans, and sunflowers
• If the insured has wheat on their policy, they can now choose to elect EU by Spring and EU by Winter
• Dry beans and dry peas with multiple types on their policy must specify what types they want ET to apply to. If they do NOT specify, ET will be applied to every crop.
• Must be elected by SCD by designating ET in the option box and qualification will be determined at Acreage Reporting time.

Enterprise Unit by Cropping Practice (EC)

• FAC and/or NFAC practices.
• Election is identified with EC option code
• If the insured does not separately designate on the Application or Policy Change form, which cropping practice they want EC to apply to, it will apply to both.
• EUs by FAC and/or NFAC are only allowed when provided in the actuarial documents and available for each irrigation practice the insured uses.
• MCEU is NOT available for EUs by FAC and/or NFAC cropping practices.
• Insured elects EUs by FAC and/or NFAC -- they may NOT elect EUs or OUs by irrigation practices.
• Terms “one practice” and/or the “other practice” mean either irrigation practices or FAC/NFAC cropping practices.

Separate Coverage Levels by Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Practices (LP)

• Spring crops may have separate coverage levels for irrigated and non-irrigated practices if specified in the actuarial documents
• Indicate LP in options box
• Must be elected by SCD

AgriSompo North America is one of the nation’s largest underwriters of federally-sponsored crop insurance. We’re dedicated to protecting the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers by offering direct and customized agribusiness risk management products through a nation-wide network of exceptional independent crop insurance agents.

For general questions, information regarding agency appointments, or to find an AgriSompo North America agent in your area, contact us today.