Southwest canola producers in counties covered by the USDA Risk Management Agency winter canola crop insurance have until September 2 to buy policies.

Federal crop insurance also may be available to producers in non-covered counties, but farmers have an earlier deadline, July 31, to get a signed written agreement submitted to their crop insurance representatives. Written agreements also must be submitted by September 2, 2014.

Those written agreements are available from the local Farm Service Agency (FSA).

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Oklahoma and Texas producers may choose either the Revenue Protection Plan or the Yield Protection Plan in all counties where coverage is offered.

Several counties have recently been added to the insurance eligibility list. Comanche, Cotton, Canadian, Logan and Noble Counties are now eligible for the RMA crop insurance. Oklahoma counties already eligible are Alfalfa, Blaine, Caddo, Custer, Dewey, Garfield, Grant, Kingfisher, Major and Woods counties. Wichita and Moore Counties in Texas are now eligible for RMA canola crop insurance, the RMA stated.

Producers should visit crop insurance agents about eligibility for canola coverage. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA service centers and on the RMA website at www.rma.usda.gov/tools/agents.