The federal crop insurance and Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) deadlines are near. Farmers need these risk management decisions made by March 15.

Federal crop insurance covers crop losses from natural adversities such as drought, hail and excessive moisture. NAP covers losses from natural disasters on crops for which no permanent federal crop insurance program is available, including perennial grass forage and grazing crops, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, floriculture, ornamental nursery, aquaculture, turf grass, ginseng, honey, syrup, bioenergy and industrial crops.

However, farmers should be aware of the many changes to crop insurance in 2017. Shane Albertson, crop insurance team leader for FCS Financial, sorted through this year's federal crop insurance program and found all of the changes that affect Missouri farmers and ranchers.

For crop farmers, there are two changes that need to be looked at with a crop insurance agent, according to Albertson — the corn transitional yield, or T-yield; and high-risk ground ratings.

The T-yield, or variable T-yield, is used for operations that do not have more than four years of actual production history data (APH). There are changes for some counties on both corn and grain sorghum. In addition, Albertson says farmers adding land into an operation, or beginning farmers, will see the greatest impact. In one Missouri county, the corn T-yield was lowered by 13 bushels per acre. That drop can have a significant impact on guarantees per acre.

Albertson also noted that high-risk ground ratings in some Missouri counties along the Missouri River also changed. The USDA Risk Management Agency completed a review of high-risk classification for 25 counties along the Missouri River. Some saw increases, others decreases. Farmers in those counties need to speak to a crop insurance agent to see just how this will impact their protection levels.

More on Albertson's assessment of crop insurance changes can be found by clicking the following links:

• 6 Changes to crop insurance farmers should know
• What are the crop insurance changes for 2017?