INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM:  R&D-96-034

TO:      All Reinsured Companies
         All Risk Management Field Offices
         FSA Headquarters, Program Delivery & Field Operations

FROM:    Tim B. Witt
         Director
         Research and Development Division

SUBJECT: Income Protection - Wheat Pilot Program Expansion


The Board of Directors of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) has
granted approval to expand the Income Protection - Wheat pilot plan of
insurance for the 1997 through 1999 crop years.  For the 1997 crop year, the
Income Protection - Wheat pilot program will be expanded to the following
states and counties: 

Kansas:     Harper, Harvey, Jewell, Kingman, Mitchell, Osborne, Phillips,
            Reno, Rooks, Sedgwick, Smith, and Sumner

Montana:    Cascade, Fergus, Judith Basin, Pondera, and Teton

Washington: Whitman

Income protection is available at both the additional and catastrophic (CAT)
levels of coverage, but only through approved crop insurance agents.  
Coverage for the 1997 crop year must be purchased before September 30, 1996.  
This expansion includes the following major changes: addition of a 
catastrophic level of coverage and creation of hard copy rate tables for the 
calculation and quotation of premiums.

The rates, crop provisions, and other materials for Income Protection - Wheat
are available on the Reporting Organization Server in the Income Protection
Directory.  Information about Income Protection - Wheat is available on the
FCIC web site, http://www.act.fcic.usda.gov.  The Premium Calculation 
Software will be modified to provide users Income Protection - Wheat 
quotations.  The software and rate files are also available for 
downloading from the FCIC web site.  Hard copies of the crop provisions, 
special provisions, acknowledgment of difference, underwriting procedure, 
rate tables and loss procedure are being sent by mail.

If you have any questions about this pilot program, please contact Vondie
O'Conner at (816)-926-6343 or by fax at (816)-926-7343.