January 6, 1995

BULLETIN NO.:  MGR-95-001

TO:       All Reinsured Companies
          CFSA Headquarters, State and County Offices
          All Risk Management Field Offices

FROM:     Kenneth D. Ackerman
          Acting Deputy Administrator

SUBJECT:  Extended Dates for 1995 Crop Year Catastrophic Risk Protection Sign
          Up for Certain Crops and 1995 and 1996 Crop Years for Arizona,
          California, and Texas Citrus Fruit


BACKGROUND:

The 1995 Crop Year Actuarial Table Supplement conforming to the Federal Crop
Insurance Reform Act of 1994 (Act) specifies that catastrophic risk
protection coverage (CAT) is available to producers of all insurable crops
until the crop sales closing date.  The supplement further states that on
crops for which the sales closing date has passed or for which insurance will
attach prior to January 1, 1995, the producer may sign up for CAT until the 
latest spring sales closing date in the county.  If the county does not have 
a spring sales closing date, March 15, 1995 will be the sales closing date 
for all eligible crops under CAT coverage. 

The Act also requires the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) to 
establish sales closing dates for all spring planted crops for the 1995 crop 
year that are 30 days earlier than those established for the 1994 crop year.
Therefore, the sales closing dates contained in the Special Provisions for 
the 1995 crop year have been moved at least 30 days earlier for all such 
crops. Due to the date of passage of the Act and attendant impact on program
development, these new sales closing dates may be an impediment to orderly 
sales of the revised crop insurance.  

Extended Dates for 1995 Crop Year Catastrophic Risk Protection Sign Up for 
Certain Crops and 1995 and 1996 Crop Years for Arizona, California, and Texas
Citrus Fruit.

ACTION:

To allow sufficient time for producers to apply for CAT coverage only, FCIC 
is extending the dates by which producers may apply for CAT coverage as 
follows:

1)  When the sales closing date has passed or insurance attaches prior to 
    January 1, 1995, the producer may sign up for CAT until the latest spring
    sales closing date in the county.  For those crops for which insurance 
    attached after January 1, 1995, and have a sales closing date prior to
    February 15, 1995, the sales closing date will be February 15, 1995.  If
    the county does not have a spring sales closing date, March 15, 1995, 
    will be the sales closing date for CAT for eligible crops.  This applies 
    to the 1995 and 1996 crop years for Arizona, California, and Texas citrus
    fruit.

2)  For any crop that has a sales closing date after February 15, 1995, 
    producers will have until that date for the crop to purchase CAT for the 
    1995 crop year.


The extended dates specified in item 1 apply only to producers who wish to 
purchase CAT coverage, provided they do not already have insurance in effect 
for the specific crop year.