LUBBOCK, Texas (RFD-TV) — Margin Protection (MP) is a county-level crop insurance option that protects expected operating margin using county yields, futures prices, and region-specific input costs. Coverage ranges from 70 percent to 95 percent, and MP can be paired with individual policies such as Yield Protection or Revenue Protection — but not with the Supplemental Coverage Option or Enhanced Coverage Option.
A Protection Factor from 80 percent to 120 percent lets producers scale coverage — higher than 100% for farms that typically beat county yields, or lower if they tend to trail.
For some southern crops, MP uses an earlier sales-closing and price-discovery window — August 15 to September 14, 2025 — offering the chance to lock in values ahead of the normal spring window (January 15 to February 14, 2026). For corn, USDA’s Risk Management Agency lists a projected MP price of $4.55/bu, implying about $4.32/bu of price protection if county yields and costs hold. MP also tracks input futures — Urea, DAP, diesel, and interest rates — with their own projected and harvest discovery periods.
Hunter Biram, Assistant Professor and Associate Director at the Southern Risk Management Center, says decision support is available through the University of Arkansas’s web-based MP tool, including breakeven estimates.
One example shows a $4.13/bu breakeven at 95% coverage if the 30-day average of December 2026 corn futures during harvest (August 15 to September 14, 2026) falls below that mark. A new option, the Margin Coverage Option (MCO), provides area-based margin coverage over an 86% to 90% or 95% band, uses the same county yields as SCO/ECO, and carries an 80% premium subsidy. 2026 SCDs include September 30, 2025, for cotton and sorghum, and February 28, 2026, for Arkansas rice.
Farm-Level Takeaway: MP and the new MCO add county-level margin tools — with earlier price discovery, input cost triggers, and high subsidy rates — to complement on-farm risk plans for 2026.
Tony St. James, RFD-TV Markets Expert
Strong balance sheets still matter, but liquidity, planning, and lender relationships are critical as ag credit tightens, according to analysis from AgAmerica Lending.
January 19, 2026 03:00 PM
·
New Resource Makes It Easier for People to Access Data on Rural Development funded Projects in Rural Communities
January 19, 2026 11:50 AM
In a landmark ruling delivered in late 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly narrowed the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act.
January 19, 2026 11:25 AM
·
Trade volatility and shifting export destinations increase marketing risk for producers heading into 2026.
January 18, 2026 07:00 AM
·
Rising rural business confidence supports local ag economies, but taxes and labor shortages remain key constraints.
January 17, 2026 02:00 PM
·
Farm CPA Paul Neiffer discusses how January’s WASDE report could impact ARC and PLC payments and updates on disaster relief programs as farmers navigate a challenging market environment.
January 16, 2026 01:34 PM
·
National Corn Growers Association Chief Economist Krista Swanson discusses corn supply pressures, market fundamentals, policy considerations, and producer outlook for the year ahead.
January 16, 2026 01:13 PM
·
The proposal signals a renewed push to offset tariff-driven losses, stabilize nutrition programs, and broaden eligibility for farm aid, though its path forward will depend on congressional negotiations.
January 16, 2026 11:58 AM
·
The application deadline is March 8, 2026. The 1890 National Scholars Program aims to encourage students at 1890 land-grant universities to pursue careers in food, agriculture, and natural resource sciences.
January 16, 2026 10:42 AM
·
