The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the expansion of crop insurance for camelina in direct response to the anticipated increase in demand for the crop for biofuel production.

The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is expanding crop insurance for camelina by allowing written agreements in select counties in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. In addition, the fall planted practice was expanded to Harper County, Kansas, which paved the way for the expansion in the Great Plains. RMA collaborated with stakeholders to make this expansion possible.

The camelina crop insurance policy offers Actual Production History coverage, which insures a producer’s historical yield. Only camelina grown under contract with a processor is eligible for coverage, and the price in the contract is used to establish the insurance coverage. Producers that are interested in planting and insuring camelina should speak to their crop insurance agent about additional details, including upcoming sales closing dates for their area and the written agreement process.

The changes to the camelina crop insurance pilot program are now available on the USDA Risk Management Agency website.