Is the Pilot Crop Insurance Program for FL oyster growers worth it?
November 21, 2025
The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) is currently running a pilot insurance program for oyster growers. The shellfish pilot crop insurance program, in its third year, offers ‘actual production history-price component’ (APH-PC) insurance for container-grown oysters commercially cultivated for the half-shell market. Additionally, the program allows farmers in eligible counties who purchase the APH-PC insurance to purchase ‘event-driven’ Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index (HIP-WI) protection as an add-on policy. Oyster growers must decide whether to invest in insurance for their crops as well as pay an additional premium to purchase HIP-WI protection. Dr. Andrew Ropicki, a marine economist with Florida Sea