Transitional and Organic Grower Assistance (TOGA)

Overview

For the 2023 RY, RMA is funding the Transitional and Organic Grower Assistance (TOGA) subsidy program. The TOGA program assists producers that transition to and continue using organic agricultural systems. This crop insurance aims to address the economic challenges that arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic to support growers as part of building more and better markets for American growers and consumers and increasing the resilience of the food supply chain. During the organic transition period, producers traditionally face lower yields without the increased prices received from organic production, which TOGA will help offset.

TOGA premium assistance will be based off the plan of insurance and commodity as well as the organic cropping practice.

• For WFRP, qualifying producers will receive an additional 10% premium assistance on their qualifying policies if any acreage is reported as transitioning to organic or already organic certified.
• For other plans of insurance that are not annual forage or endorsements, producers will receive up to 10% premium assistance for all crops that are reported as organic transitional or organic certified.

Lastly, for qualifying producers with organic grain and feed crops covered under non-WFRP plans, that are not endorsements, there will be premium assistance of $5 per insured acre.

To learn more, consult the farmers.gov website.

TOGA can be stacked with other subsidies—such as state subsidies from IA, IL, IN, and soon WI.

PCCP can also be applied if this subsidy is offered again for RY 2023.

TOGA requires that the producer AND SBIs must also be "In Compliance" for Conservation Compliance.

Written Agreements and Prevented Plant acreage are eligible for these subsidies.

TOGA only applies to coverages with additional/buy-up coverage. The subsidy is limited to no more than the total premium amount owed.

TOGA does not apply to endorsements (SCO, ECO, HIP, PACE, related MP & related STAX) to an underlying policy. Standalone MP and standalone STAX are eligible for TOGA.

No enrollment paperwork is required for TOGA. Eligible producers who already have an active 2023 policy will still receive the subsidy.

Eligible organic grain and feed crops: alfalfa seed, barley, buckwheat, corn, cultivated wild rice, dry beans, dry peas, flax, forage production, forage seeding, fresh market sweet corn, grain sorghum, hybrid seed corn, hybrid popcorn seed, hybrid sorghum seed, hybrid sweet corn seed, millet, oats, crops insured under the Pasture, Rangeland and Forage policy, peanuts, popcorn, rice, rye, safflower, sesame, silage sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, sweet corn, triticale, and wheat.

Insureds will automatically receive the premium assistance for the 2023 reinsurance year, which covers applicable policies with sales closing dates from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, if they meet the requirements for assistance when mark complete is run.