December 4, 1997
  
     
INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM: R&D-97-084
     
TO:       All Reinsured Companies
          All Risk Management Field Offices
               
FROM:     Tim B. Witt         /s/ Roberta E. Waggoner (for)
          Deputy Administrator
     
SUBJECT:  1998 Basic Provisions and Crop Provisions Including Late and
          Prevented Planting Changes
     
     
The Risk Management Agency (RMA) proposed changes to the Common Crop
Insurance Regulations, Basic Provisions, and Various Crop Insurance
Provisions in the Federal Register eliminating definitions found in
numerous crop provisions and incorporating such into the Basic
Provisions.  Additionally, RMA has removed late and prevented planting
provisions from individual crop provisions and incorporated new
provisions into the Basic Provisions.  This initiative will result in
the reduction of an estimated 4 million crop provision pages that will
no longer be distributed to policyholders.  RMA received comments to
these proposed changes during the proposed rule comment period and has
reviewed and responded to the comments, made revisions where
appropriate, and now published these regulations as Final Rule. 
     
Today, RMA placed on the Reporting Organization (RO) Server the revised
Common Crop Insurance Policy Basic Provisions, and all new crop
provisions effective for the 1998 and succeeding crop years with a
contract change date of November 30, 1997 (December 17, 1997 for the
1998 crop year).  In addition, the new Small Grains Crop Provisions
effective for the 1998 crop year in counties with a December 31, 1997,
contract change date are also available on the RO Server.  A brief
description of the significant changes has been included for each
document.  Please refer to the actual provisions for complete
information. All other new crop provisions with a contract change date
of December 31, 1997, will be placed on the RO Server in the near
future.  This information is also available on the RMA WebSite at
http://www.act.fcic.usda.gov/actuarial/index.html under the FTP Download
directory.
     
These policies are consistent with the Actuarial filing previously
released as reflected in Informational Memorandum R&D-97-079 and must be
issued to all new and carryover insureds for the 1998 crop year at least
30 days prior to the cancellation date. 
     
If you have any questions, please contact the Product Development
Division at (816) 926-7387.