Crop Insurance Iowa

Multi-Peril Crop Insurance protects against major production risks such as drought, excessive moisture, frost, disease, and pests. Premiums are cost-shared between the producer and the federal government. You can choose coverage levels from 50% to 85% of your approved yield, depending on your risk tolerance and budget. 

SCO adds a county-level layer of protection that covers a portion of your deductible under your base policy (such as RP or YP). It helps close the gap between your base coverage and 86% of expected county revenue or yield. 

 
Important: SCO cannot be used on crops enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program. It can, however, be used with PLC (Price Loss Coverage). Confirm your FSA election before enrollment. 

ECO provides additional county-based protection from 86% up to 90% or 95% of expected county revenue. Like SCO, ECO premiums are partially subsidized. It’s available for most major crops in Iowa (corn, soybeans, oats, wheat). 

 
Note: ECO and SCO can be stacked together with a base policy (e.g., RP), but cannot overlap with ARC. 

For crops not eligible for federal crop insurance, the USDA Farm Service Agency offers NAP coverage. It provides similar protection against natural disasters for specialty crops, forages, and other commodities that lack MPCI availability. 
 

Sold directly through FSA offices, not private agents. 

RP insures against revenue loss due to low yield, low price, or both. It uses both projected and harvest prices to calculate revenue guarantees. If the harvest price rises, your guarantee increases — giving flexible protection. 

 
This is Iowa’s most common policy type for corn and soybeans. 

RP-HPE is similar to Revenue Protection but does not increase your guarantee if prices rise at harvest. This reduces premium costs, but coverage is less robust in rising markets. 

ARPI policies insure based on county-level yields or revenues rather than individual farm results. You receive an indemnity if county performance falls below the trigger, even if your own farm performs differently. These are useful for producers comfortable with area-based risk management. 

• PACE (Post-Application Coverage Endorsement) — available in select Iowa counties for corn acres. Protects against weather events that prevent timely nitrogen application after planting. 

• AIM (Added Individual Modifier) — allows adjustments for farms that outperform their county. 

• Replant Coverage — reimburses certain costs if crops must be replanted due to weather or pest damage. 

• Cover Crop Insurance Discount Program (Iowa-only) — Iowa producers who plant fall cover crops can earn a $5/acre crop-insurance premium reduction through a state conservation incentive. Applications typically open December 1 for the prior fall’s cover crop. (Source: Iowa Dept. of Agriculture & Land Stewardship) 

YP protects only against yield losses caused by weather, pests, or disease — not price declines. It’s simpler and usually lower-cost but leaves you exposed to market price risk. 

The Margin Coverage Option (MCO), effective for the 2026 crop year, is an area-based endorsement that protects against declines in operating margin (revenue minus input costs). It attaches to existing policies such as RP, RP-HPE, YP, or APH. 

 
Available for select Iowa counties and crops (corn, soybeans, spring wheat, cotton, grain sorghum, rice). Check RMA maps for participating counties. 

Crop-Hail policies provide extra protection for hail damage — often added to MPCI. These can be tailored to specific fields and are sold privately by agents. Some policies also cover wind, fire, and transit losses.