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Specialty crop growers might take a closer look at ECO crop insurance

A crop insurance agent from Michigan says updates to the Enhanced Coverage Option insurance program from the USDA could work well for specialty crop growers.

Cory Blumerick with GreenStone Farm Credit Services says specialty crops like apples, blueberries, grapes and walnuts now qualify, but more details are needed.

“We are waiting on the actuaries for ECO for a lot of our fruit crops, so we don’t know the rates or anything.”

But he says the USDA’s Risk Management Agency increased the subsidy level for ECO to 65%, which means growers are only responsible for paying 35% of the premium. And that makes this program more attractive.

“I do think there will be buy-in and there are things to consider with ECO, say a producer has a short crop and the rest of the county has a great crop. ECO might not trigger,” he says. “Just understanding how it works is important.”

Blumerick says he’s expecting actuaries to start coming in this month and producers should plan to meet with their insurance agents this fall to discuss.