Apiculture
The Apiculture policy (API) provides a safety net for beekeepers' primary income sources: honey, pollen collection, wax, and breeding stock. Apiculture systems consist of different types of plants or crops and often contain mixtures of different species, each with different growth habits and seasons, precipitation requirements, and other climate conditions necessary to maintain plant growth over extended periods of time.
The Rainfall Index plan of insurance does not measure, capture, or utilize the actual crop production of any producer or any of the actual crop production within the grid. It utilizes NOAA CPC-gridded interpolated precipitation data and is not drought insurance. It does not insure against abnormally high temperatures or windy conditions.
The United States currently produces about 163 million pounds of honey each year. The following insurance programs utilize various indexing systems to assess plant growth and vigor, which correlates to honey production.
Rainfall Index
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.