Every operation is unique. Your coverage should be too. At The Assure Group, we don't believe in one-size-fits-all insurance. We believe in understanding your specific risks, analyzing your historical data, and building a coverage strategy that protects what matters most to your operation.
From federally-backed programs to private market options, we offer access to the full spectrum of crop insurance products. Our role is simple: help you understand your options, model the costs and benefits, and recommend the combination that delivers the most value for your premium dollar.
Your insurance should reflect how you actually farm—your crops, your practices, your risk tolerance. We customize coverage to your real-world operation, not generic templates.
We believe informed decisions are better decisions. Before you sign anything, you'll understand exactly what you're buying, what it covers, and how it pays out.
More coverage isn't always better coverage. We help you find the sweet spot where protection meets premium efficiency, so every dollar works harder for your operation.
The foundation of agricultural risk management, federal crop insurance programs are subsidized by the USDA Risk Management Agency and offer reliable, broad-based protection for most major crops.
The most popular federal crop insurance option
Revenue Protection is the cornerstone of crop insurance for good reason. It protects against both yield losses and price declines, using the higher of the projected price or harvest price to calculate your guarantee. This means if prices rise after planting, your coverage rises with them.
Why This Matters
In volatile markets, the Harvest Price Option can significantly increase your indemnity payment if prices spike during the growing season—even if your yields are normal.
Pure production risk coverage
Yield Protection focuses on what farmers control most directly: growing the crop. It protects against yield losses due to natural causes, using only the projected price (set at planting) to calculate guarantees and indemnities.
Coverage that accounts for input costs
Margin Protection takes crop insurance a step further by protecting your expected operating margin—the difference between your expected revenue and projected input costs. When input costs rise or revenues fall, MP can provide coverage that traditional policies miss.
County-based coverage with unique advantages
Area Risk Protection Insurance uses county-level data rather than your individual farm data to determine losses. If the county average yield or revenue falls below the trigger, you receive a payment—regardless of your individual farm's performance.
Example
If the county has a widespread drought, all producers with area coverage may receive payments—even if a few individual farms happened to have better results.
Supplemental products are designed to work alongside your base federal policy, filling coverage gaps in the deductible range and providing additional protection when you need it most.
County-based deductible coverage
SCO provides coverage in the gap between your individual policy coverage level and 86% of expected revenue. It's county-triggered, meaning it pays when the county—not your individual farm—experiences losses.
Why This Matters
SCO allows you to get near-90% coverage while still participating in ARC-CO farm program benefits—something not possible with standalone coverage above 85%.
The highest level of county-based protection
ECO extends coverage into a band above SCO, protecting the range from 86% to either 90% or 95% of expected county revenue. It's the newest supplemental option and provides the closest thing to "full coverage" available.
Private insurance products fill gaps that federal programs can't cover, offering protection for specific perils, higher coverage levels, or unique situations not addressed by USDA programs.
Named-peril protection you control
Crop hail insurance provides dollar-per-acre protection against hail and wind damage—the most common and devastating sudden-loss events in agriculture. Unlike federal policies, you choose the coverage amount, and claims are adjusted quickly in the field.
Why This Matters
Federal crop insurance won't pay until your total losses exceed your deductible. Hail insurance pays on the first dollar of hail damage, providing immediate relief for partial losses.
Private revenue enhancement
RAMP is a private product that can boost your total revenue protection above what federal programs alone provide. It's designed for producers who want revenue coverage beyond the 85% cap on federal policies.
Livestock and dairy operations face unique price and margin risks. These federally-backed programs provide protection against market downturns, helping stabilize cash flow when prices decline.
Price floor protection for cattle and hogs
LRP functions like a put option, establishing a price floor for your livestock. If market prices fall below your coverage price at the end of the endorsement period, you receive a payment for the difference.
Why This Matters
LRP is subsidized by USDA, making it more affordable than equivalent put options in the futures market—with no margin calls or brokerage accounts required.
Quarterly milk revenue insurance
DRP protects dairy producers against declines in quarterly milk revenue caused by falling prices or unexpected production loss. You can protect class pricing, component pricing, or both.
Margin-based protection for livestock and dairy
LGM protects the margin between the market value of livestock or milk and the cost of feed. Unlike LRP, which only covers price, LGM accounts for both revenue and input costs, protecting your actual operating margin.
For livestock operations dependent on grazing and forage, weather-index programs provide protection against drought and excessive moisture that reduce carrying capacity.
Weather-based pasture and forage coverage
The Rainfall Index program uses NOAA weather data to measure precipitation in your area. If rainfall falls below (or exceeds) historical norms during your coverage periods, you receive a payment—no individual loss adjustment required.
Why This Matters
When drought forces you to buy hay or destock, the indemnity payment arrives automatically—often before you've even felt the full financial impact of the dry spell.
Specialty and emerging crops present unique insurance challenges. These programs are designed for operations growing non-traditional commodities or crops newly eligible for federal coverage.
Federal coverage for regulated hemp production
Hemp crop insurance is now available through USDA's Multi-Peril Crop Insurance program. Coverage is available for hemp grown for fiber, grain, or CBD, with policies designed to accommodate the unique aspects of hemp production and regulation.
Expanding coverage for new commodities
USDA continues to expand crop insurance availability to more crops and regions. If you're growing a specialty or emerging crop, coverage options may be available—or on the horizon.
Building your optimal coverage package is a systematic process, not guesswork.
We start by understanding your operation—crops, acres, historical yields, and risk tolerance. No assumptions, just facts about how you farm.
Using your production history and market data, we model how different coverage combinations would have performed in past years. Real scenarios, real numbers.
Every coverage option has a cost. We analyze premium-to-protection ratios, identify coverage gaps, and find where your dollars work hardest.
Armed with data and analysis, we recommend a coverage package tailored to your goals—whether that's maximum protection, premium efficiency, or balanced risk management.
Get answers to the questions we hear most from producers.
Federal crop insurance programs are subsidized by USDA's Risk Management Agency, meaning the government pays a portion of your premium. They're standardized products with set coverage options. Private insurance fills gaps federal programs don't cover—like specific perils (hail/wind), higher coverage levels, or specialty risks. Many producers use both in combination for comprehensive protection.
Absolutely, and that's often the smartest approach. A typical layered strategy might include a base federal Revenue Protection policy, SCO or ECO to reduce your effective deductible, crop hail insurance for named-peril protection, and potentially private products for additional coverage above federal caps. We help you design combinations that work together without gaps or redundant coverage.
Coverage level selection depends on your risk tolerance, financial situation, and farming goals. Higher coverage levels offer more protection but cost more in premium. We analyze your break-even costs, loan covenants, and historical loss patterns to recommend coverage levels that make financial sense. There's no universal right answer—the best coverage level is the one aligned with your specific operation.
Federal crop insurance has strict deadlines. For spring-planted crops, sales closing dates are typically in late winter (March 15 for most corn/soybean areas). Fall-planted crops have fall deadlines. Acreage reports, production reports, and claims all have specific due dates. Private insurance can often be purchased closer to or during the growing season. We track all deadlines and ensure you never miss a critical date.
New producers have options. Transitional yields (T-yields) provide a starting point based on county averages. Written agreements can establish coverage for crops or situations without standard programs. Area-based plans like ARP don't require individual yield history at all. As you build your own production records, your coverage and premiums will increasingly reflect your actual farming performance.
Every season brings new risks and opportunities. Let's analyze your operation and design coverage that protects your investment while maximizing premium efficiency.
Schedule a Coverage Consultation