Annual Forage
The United States currently comprises about 954 million acres of farmland. The Annual Forage pilot program provides coverage to acreage that is planted each year and used as feed and fodder by livestock. This pilot program utilizes the Rainfall Index to correlate to this acreage. Also see livestock policies and resources.
Rainfall Index (RI) is based on weather data collected and maintained by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. The index reflects how much precipitation is received relative to the long-term average for a specified area and timeframe. Additional information on NOAA CPC’s interpolation and quality control process can be found in NOAA CPC’s Conceptual Description Paper.
Rainfall Index (RI) is based on weather data collected and maintained by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. The index reflects how much precipitation is received relative to the long-term average for a specified area and timeframe. Additional information on NOAA CPC’s interpolation and quality control process can be found in NOAA CPC’s Conceptual Description Paper.
The Annual Forage Program provides coverage against unusually low rainfall for acreage that is planted each year and grown for the use of:
- grazing
- grazing/grain
- grazing/green chop
- grazing/haying
- haying
- haying/green chop
- silage
Annual Forage is for annual plants only. All acreage of a crop must be insured before the program may be applied to that crop.