The Importance of Production Records when Insuring your Apple Crop

Authors: Kelsey Linder and Cuyler Reynolds

With harvest upon us, apple bins are being filled and moved into storage. While this is a busy time of year for growers, it’s important to ensure you are proactively keeping track of production. We all have different ways to capture production information — whether it be a software with bin tags, hard copy logs from each trucker or sales records. The most important thing is the record keeping is done accurately. 

There are different requirements based on varietal group or fresh pricing coverage, as well as new plantings based on year or spacing. Consumer demand is constantly changing and impacting popular varieties, so farmers need to consistently update their acreage to stay relevant. This blog aims to provide key tips for apple producers to keep in mind when it comes to acceptable production records. 

Production must be tracked by unit

If you only have one location and one unit, this becomes relatively easy with just one number to total. If you have many different varieties and locations, it can be more challenging as these numbers need to be tracked separately. Having a pick record to corroborate with sales receipts is often the best way to stay on track.

For direct marketers with varietal groupings, it is important to get a pre-harvest appraisal conducted by the insurance company to allocate your production to each unit. 

Young Acreage Record Keeping 

Newly planted fruit will become insurable once each planting reaches 150 bu/acre. Any planting from the last few years that has not reached this number will need to be kept separate and reported as such to prove that this planting has reached insurability requirements. Pre-harvest appraisals can be used on newly insurable fruit to determine if the block has met the 150 bu/acre minimum. 

Once a young planting that is part of a larger unit reaches insurability with separate records, production records can then be consolidated and kept by the farmer. Your crop insurance agent will maintain it separately until there is four years of prorated production before combining into the main unit. 

Open Claims

For growers who have current open claims, keep in touch with your agent and adjuster on any issues as they arise so appraisals can be done while the apple is on the tree. We advise growers to collect delivery and sales receipts for these units as they come in. 

Once you have final disposition of the crop, you can close the claim on a unit-by-unit basis. Records must indicate the buyer, the seller, quantity sold, price, and the unit number or location. 

Connect with your Crop Growers agent today to learn more about risk management solutions tailored for your farm.

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Cuyler Reynolds | Crop Insurance Specialist 

I specialize in perennial and whole farm crop insurance policies, working with fruit and vegetable growers primarily in New York’s Hudson Valley. As a specialist, I’m able to focus on specific crop policies and industries to serve my customers more effectively, helping them make informed decisions about risk management that can protect their operations during difficult times. I aim to educate producers, guide them in understanding their policies, and help them choose plans that fit their unique needs. I keep current with industry trends, by attending fruit and apple conferences and collaborating with crop insurance agents from other major apple-producing regions across the country.  I enjoy being part of the Farm Credit East Crop Growers team, working to safeguard farms and strengthen our agricultural communities. 

Kelsey Linder | Northeast Marketing Agent 

As a perennial crop specialist, I work primarily with commercial apple growers in Wayne County, NY, collaborating with producers to analyze their operations and recommending the most suitable coverage levels. Though I grew up on a dairy farm, I’ve truly enjoyed immersing myself in the fruit industry. I stay actively engaged by monitoring industry updates and maintaining a strong network with crop insurance agents in apple-growing regions to ensure I stay ahead of best practices and evolving trends. Agriculture has always been close to my heart, and there’s truly no better group of people to work with than Farm Credit customers and employees.