Pasture Rangeland Forage (PRF) in California
California continues to experience continued hot dry weather conditions with prolonged drought. Many cattle ranchers are being forced to gather cattle sooner from their grazing allotments and put them in a feedlot. The hay producers may have reduced production because of these conditions. It doesn’t matter where you are in California, it is most likely you have been affected by drought. The Pasture Rangeland and Forage (PRF) Pilot Insurance Program is one of the few programs available for cattle and hay producers that is helping in California.
There are 5,399,103 acres enrolled in PRF throughout California for 2020. The Pasture Rangeland Forage claims are now at $25,139,068 and that is only through the June and July intervals, meaning that only accounts for about half of the year. With the amount of acres enrolled and the amount of claims paid it is evident how effective this program has been. It has been helping ranchers and farmers offset some of the increased production costs they are incurring because of a lack of rainfall.
PRF is designed to help producers when the average rainfall is below 90% in their area. It pays the producer directly with a streamlined claims process that doesn’t involve any adjusters. There aren’t any upfront costs because the premium isn’t billed until the following September. It is simple and straightforward, there is one peril it insures against, lack of precipitation. It is available on acreage that is used for grazing, including leases and allotments. It is also available on acreage used for perennial hay crops such as alfalfa.
