INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM:  R&D-96-024

TO:       All Reinsured Companies
          All Risk Management Field Offices
          FSA Headquarters, Program Delivery and Field Offices 
          (For Informational Purposes Only) 

FROM:     Tim B. Witt
          Director
          Research and Development Division

SUBJECT:  Group Risk Plan (GRP) Common Policy and Barley and Wheat Crop 
          Provisions for the 1997 Crop Year
     
Attached are the GRP Common Policy (97102) and the Barley (97191) and Wheat 
(97111) Crop Provisions that will become effective for the 1997 and 
succeeding crop years.  Please note the following changes:

1.   GRP Common Policy

     The preliminary payment has been eliminated.  Meetings with focus 
     groups indicated that the preliminary payment was of limited benefit 
     and caused a significant amount of confusion.

2.   Barley and Wheat Crop Provisions

     The Program Dates Section has been changed in both Crop Provisions.  
     These changes are the same as the proposed date changes for all other 
     wheat and barley crop provisions for the 1998 crop year.

The new policy and crop provisions are available on the Reporting 
Organization Server in WordPerfect 6.0/6.1.  You can find this file in the 
/Miscellaneous_Files/directory as "97endor.zip".  Any questions on these 
changes should be directed to the Research and Evaluation Branch at
(816) 926-6343.

Attachments

NOTE:  For Farm Service Agency offices, this Bulletin is for informational 
       purposes only.