USDA Upgrades Rainfall Data Source for Key Crop Insurance Programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. — April 30, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced an upgrade to the precipitation database utilized across several key Federal crop insurance programs.
The agency will transition from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center (CPC) data stream to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). The migration began on April 30, 2026, with the Tropical Storm Option on the Hurricane Insurance Protection - Wind Index (HIP-WI) program.
Affected Insurance Programs
This data modification affects multiple index-based insurance programs that rely on rainfall measurements to calculate premium coverage and payouts:
- Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF): Scheduled for transition on August 31, 2026.
- Apiculture & Shellfish: Scheduled for transition on August 31, 2026.
- Annual Forage (AF): Scheduled for transition on April 30, 2027.
Key Improvements
According to RMA Administrator Pat Swanson, the geographic grids and actuarial structures will remain identical to avoid disruption. Key operational improvements include:
- Data Accessibility: NCEI delivers precipitation datasets in common formats like Microsoft Excel, replacing the technical CPC binary structures that required specialized software to parse.
- Infrastructure Scaling: Working with state climatologists, the RMA aims to integrate more local weather stations into the NCEI dataset over time.
- Operational Support: A formal agreement with NCEI secures dedicated support staff, leading to faster calculations and more predictable indemnity payouts.
Historical models demonstrate that loss ratios will remain equivalent under the new data feed.
