INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM:  R&D-96-072
     
     TO:       All Reinsured Companies
               All Risk Management Agency Field Offices
               FSA Headquarters, Program Delivery 
               & Field Operations - FYI only
     
     FROM:     Tim B. Witt /s/ Roberta E.  Waggoner (for)
               Acting Deputy Administrator
     
     SUBJECT:  Group Risk Plan (GRP) Common Policy and Corn, Cotton, Forage
               Production, Grain Sorghum, Peanuts, and Soybeans Crop
               Provisions for the 1997 Crop Year
          
     
     Attached are the GRP Common Policy (97102), and the Corn (97141), Cotton
     (97121), Forage Production (97133), Grain Sorghum (97151), Peanut
     (97175), and Soybean (97181) GRP Crop Provisions that will become
     effective for the 1997 and succeeding crop years.  Since these have not
     cleared the Federal Register, GRP remains a pilot program for the 1997
     crop year.  Please note the following changes:
     
     1.  GRP Common Policy
     
     The GRP Common Policy (97102), issued in June 1996, with the GRP Barley
     and GRP Wheat Crop provisions will also be used with the above listed
     crops.  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.  Corn, Cotton, Forage Production, Grain Sorghum, Peanuts, and
     Soybeans Crop Provisions
     
     The Program Dates Section has been changed in all Crop Provisions. 
     These changes are the same as the proposed date changes for the APH crop
     provisions for these crops for the 1998 crop year.
     
     The GRP Common Policy and crop provisions are available on the Reporting
     Organization Server in WordPerfect 6.0/6.1 format.  You can find this
     file in the /Group_Risk_Plan/ directory as "97grpspg.zip".  Any
     questions on these changes should be directed to the Research and
     Evaluation Division at (816) 926-6343.
     
     Attachments - NOTE: Hard copy AND attachments will be mailed.