Important Nursery Insurance Meeting 6/27/17

This important message from FNGLA to growers who have nursery crop insurance...

A significant meeting is set for Tuesday, June 27 for Florida's nursery growers to share your frustrations with the federal nursery crop insurance policy and what's needed to improve the policy. USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently awarded a contract to conduct research and obtain information for a proposed new alternative nursery crop insurance policy. The proposal is the direct result of FNGLA's persistent multi-year push to overhaul the existing policy, in part, by eliminating most of the upfront burdens such as price lists, Datascape plant values, and plant inventory inspections at time of application. If adopted by RMA, the new policy crafted by FNGLA allows you to select a level of insurance coverage which makes business sense for your nursery. Sales records will need to be produced only at times of loss.

The meeting is 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Palm Beach County Extension Exhibit Hall B located at 559 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach 33415. RMA is requiring "listening sessions" be held throughout the country so input can be gathered from nursery growers. This grower session will be followed by a 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. "listening session" for Florida crop insurance agents and insurance company representatives. If you are upset with crop insurance coverage at time of loss, or believe the paperwork and plant inventory inspections at time of application are overly burdensome, then please attend this crucial June 27 meeting! If you're happy with the policy, RMA needs to hear that too.

Since Florida's growers purchase the lion's share of the nation's nursery crop insurance policies, FNGLA pushed for three sessions to be held (one each in North, Central and South Florida). Nonetheless, June 27 will be the only Florida session. So, it's important lots of nursery growers show up from all across our state! This is an opportunity to voice your concerns with the existing policy! To make it easy for you, FNGLA will have available at the meeting a one-pager of suggested talking points to help you drive home the need to overhaul the current nursery crop insurance policy. If you plan to attend, yet have not let FNGLA know, please do so ASAP by emailing info@fngla.org. If crop insurance is important to your nursery, then you need to be with us on June 27!