Risk Management/Crop Insurance Education Program

Nursery

Nursery crop insurance is available in Massachusetts to all persons operating nurseries that meet certain criteria. Insurance coverage will apply, by practice (field­grown or container), to all of your nursery plants in a county that:

  • Are on the Eligible Plant List;
  • Are grown in a nursery that receives at least 50 percent of its gross income from the wholesale marketing of nursery plants;
  • Meet all the requirements for insurability; and
  • Are grown in an appropriate medium.

Nursery containers containing two or more different genera, species, subspecies, varieties, or cultivars cannot be insured. Plants grown for sale as Christ­mas trees cannot be insured, and plants grown as stock plants or grown solely for harvest of buds, flowers, or greenery cannot be insured. Plants pro­ducing edible fruits and nuts can be insured if the plants are available for sale (harvesting the edible fruit or nuts does not affect insurability).

Important Dates

The insurance period begins June 1 and continues through May 31 of the following year.  The contract change date is January 31 before the current crop year.  The sales closing date is May 1 before the current crop year.

Revenue Policies

Massachusetts nursery producers also have an option of purchasing a revenue based policy.  Whole Farm Revenue Program is a whole-farm revenue protection plan of insurance which protects against low revenue due to unavoidable natural disasters and/or market fluctuations. 

Where can you purchase a policy

Federal Crop Insurance is sold by private crop insurance agent. Click on this link to find a crop insurance agent in Massachusetts.

Non-Insured Disaster Assistance Program (NAP)

Growers of nursery crops, not covered by crop insurance, can cover those crops through the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP).  NAP provides catastrophic coverage at 50% of the potential production and 55% of the established price. The 2014 Farm Bill provided for "buy-up" coverage under NAP, however with the expiration of the 2014 Farm Bill on 9/30/18, "buy-up" coverage is not available for the 2019 crop year.  For more information and applicable deadlines, contact your local FSA office.