USDA's Risk Management Agency is offering a new Fire Insurance Protection-Smoke Index (FIP-SI) endorsement for California grape growers for the 2025 crop year, in response to increasing risk of wildfires across the state.
To enroll, growers must have an insurance policy under the Grape Crop Provisions, elect FIP-SI on or before Jan. 31, elect a FIP-SI Smoke Coverage percentage and adhere to all terms of the FIP-SI endorsement.
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The FIP-SI protection is for loss across a county, not for individual vineyard yields or revenue loss. The endorsement covers part of the Grape Crop Provisions deductible when the insured county experiences a minimum number of smoke events. While there are fees and premiums due for varieties covered by the endorsement, some may be waived for veteran, beginning or limited resource farmers.
The California Association of Winegrape Growers released a statement in support of the crop insurance endorsement. CAWG will host a webinar Nov. 14 detailing how FIP-SI “interacts with growers’ existing policies."
