Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) insurance is federal crop insurance for grazing land and hay ground. It is run by USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) and sold only through private crop insurance agents.
It's different from most insurance. It doesn't measure your grass. It pays based on a rainfall index for the grid your land sits in.
How it works
- Grids. The country is divided into grids of 0.25° by 0.25°, about 17 by 17 miles. Rainfall for each grid comes from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- Two-month intervals. You choose which two-month windows to insure, such as April–May or June–July. Pick the months when rain matters most to your grass or hay.
- If the grid's rain index for an interval falls below your trigger, you may get paid. It doesn't matter what your own rain gauge said.
- It covers one thing: lack of rain. RMA says it is not designed to insure against ongoing or severe drought, because coverage is based on expected rain in specific intervals only.
The choices you make
- Coverage level: 70% to 90%. Higher coverage pays sooner and costs more.
- Productivity factor: 60% to 150%. This scales your dollar protection up or down to match how productive your acres are.
- Intervals: at least two. You can't use the same month twice; if you pick April–May, you can't also pick May–June. Each interval needs at least 10% of your value. The most you can put in one interval is set for your county in the Special Provisions.
- Acres and use: grazing or haying, irrigated or not. You don't have to insure every acre, but you can't insure more than you have.
New for 2027
RMA's 2027 PRF provisions (released August 2026) add a rule for grazing acres. You must have an ownership interest in enough livestock to equal at least 25% of a normal stocking rate on the insured acres. You must also keep stocking-rate records for 3 years after the crop year.
The deadline
The sales closing date is December 1 for the following crop year. That's the last day to buy a new policy or change your intervals, coverage, productivity factor or acres. For the 2027 crop year, that means December 1, 2026. The crop year runs January 1 through December 31.
The cancellation and termination dates are also December 1. If you already have PRF and do nothing, it generally continues with the same choices.
What to do next
- Find your grid with RMA's PRF Decision Support Tool at public-rma.fpac.usda.gov/apps/PRF. You can see past rainfall index results for your grid.
- Pick intervals that match when your grass actually grows. Many cool-season and warm-season operations differ.
- Talk to a licensed crop insurance agent before December 1. Use RMA's Agent Locator if you need one.
- Keep records: livestock inventories, leases and sale documents. The 2027 rules make stocking records more important.
Cownty can text you a reminder before the PRF sales closing date and show drought conditions for your county.
Cownty is an independent service, is not an insurance agent, and is not affiliated with USDA or RMA. This is general information, not insurance or financial advice. Your policy terms govern.
See it for your county
Check your county
Every county, by state: Texas · Oklahoma · Kansas · New Mexico
Official sources
- RMA – Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Pilot Insurance Program fact sheet (Sept. 2025)
- RMA – Rainfall Index PRF Crop Provisions for 2027 (27-RI-PRF)
- RMA – PM-21-051, PRF sales closing moved to December 1
- RMA – PRF Decision Support Tool / Grid locator
- RMA – Agent Locator
Rules and dates checked against these pages on Oct 18, 2026. Information only, not legal, tax, insurance or financial advice: the agency decides. Not affiliated with USDA or any government agency.