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USDA’s Weaned Calf Risk Protection (WCRP) is federal crop insurance for eligible beef cow-calf producers in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota and Texas. It protects reported calves through yield and revenue coverage under policy rules; it is neither a guaranteed sale price nor a fixed payment for each calf that dies. For the 2026 crop year, the projected price is $4.04 per pound in Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota, and $3.30 per pound in Texas. These are policy inputs, not predicted auction prices or a claim amount.
What WCRP covers—and who may qualify
The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) describes WCRP as Actual Production History-based insurance for eligible beef cow-calf producers in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota and Texas. Coverage applies to eligible calves reported under the policy, not to cows or unborn calves. RMA’s FAQ describes eligible livestock as spring-born beef calves and says purchased calves are not insurable under the terms it discusses. Eligibility can depend on the applicable crop-year policy and county Special Provisions, so confirm those documents before relying on a general description. RMA’s WCRP FAQ and program materials explain the program and link to controlling documents.
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Covered causes listed in the FAQ include adverse weather, fire, wildlife, earthquake, volcanic eruption, qualifying disease and certain other causes that directly damage grazing, as well as calf death caused by an insured peril during the insurance period. Disease losses resulting from insufficient or improper disease-control measures are excluded. Under Revenue Protection, the FAQ also identifies specified changes in harvest price from projected price. A death loss affects production to count; it does not automatically trigger a set per-head benefit. An indemnity is payable only when the applicable policy guarantee calculation supports one.
How coverage begins and ends
Coverage attaches to calves as specified by the calf report and the policy. It ends at the earliest applicable termination event, which can include total destruction, final loss adjustment, abandonment, use for another purpose such as backgrounding, weaning, sale, moving calves to another country, or January 31 for spring calves. The actual sequence of events matters: RMA’s FAQ gives an example in which coverage ended at weaning before a previously committed sale was delivered. Check the applicable policy for the event and date that govern your calves.
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What changed for 2025 and later crop years
RMA’s November 26, 2024 bulletin made changes for the 2025 and succeeding crop years. The changes include a longer calving period and clarified application, price-discovery, inspection and reporting rules.
| Policy item | Change for 2025 and succeeding crop years |
|---|---|
| Calving period | Extended from 60 days to 90 days. |
| Projected-price discovery | The end date moved from January 15 to January 14. |
| Application | Clarified that the application lists one county. |
| Notices and reporting | Clarified requirements involving backgrounding, moving and weaning. |
| Pre-Acceptance Inspection Report | The insurer’s completion deadline increased from 30 days to 60 days. |
These changes do not make every date or provision permanent. Use the documents for the crop year being insured; the bulletin is RMA Manager’s Bulletin PM-24-081, dated November 26, 2024.
2026 projected prices and volatility factor
For the 2026 crop year, RMA published the following projected prices on January 15, 2026:
| State(s) | 2026 projected price | 2026 price volatility factor |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota | $4.04 per pound | 0.16 |
| Texas | $3.30 per pound | Not stated in the January 15, 2026 bulletin. |
These figures are crop-year-specific policy inputs. They do not forecast what calves will bring at auction, guarantee a payment or determine an individual producer’s indemnity by themselves. The figures are from RMA Manager’s Bulletin PM-26-005, dated January 15, 2026.
Plans, coverage levels and premium context
RMA materials describe Yield Protection, Revenue Protection and Revenue Protection with Harvest Price Exclusion; availability depends on the applicable offering. The RMA fact sheet published in 2024 lists coverage levels from 50% to 85% in five-percentage-point increments. It also gives the following subsidy and producer premium-share percentages by coverage level. These are fact-sheet reference figures, not a quote for a particular operation.
| Coverage level | Premium subsidy | Producer premium share |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | 67% | 33% |
| 55% | 64% | 36% |
| 60% | 64% | 36% |
| 65% | 59% | 41% |
| 70% | 59% | 41% |
| 75% | 55% | 45% |
| 80% | 48% | 52% |
| 85% | 38% | 62% |
The same 2024 fact sheet describes CAT coverage as 50% of approved yield and 55% of the price election, with a $655 administrative fee per county. Those published figures should not be treated as a current individual premium quote; check the applicable crop-year materials and obtain operation-specific pricing from an approved agent. See the RMA WCRP fact sheet (May 2024).
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Key dates to verify for your crop year
RMA’s FAQ says producers must apply on or before the sales closing date and gives January 31 for spring-born calves. The 2024 fact sheet lists August 1 as the final calf-reporting date. Because dates can be crop-year-sensitive, confirm the current sales closing and reporting dates in the applicable policy documents rather than assuming these dates carry forward unchanged.
Weaning weights, sampling and records
RMA says calves must be weighed within five business days after weaning under the prescribed process. If calves are backgrounded before a weaning weight can be obtained, the Background Adjustment Report process applies. The FAQ describes a representative sample of at least 20% of the calves, capped at 30, with a larger sample possible if the adjuster or approved insurance provider representative considers it warranted. A disinterested third party must be present, with insurer oversight and administration under the applicable process.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsA producer may use an on-farm scale only if it meets the applicable Loss Adjustment Manual requirements. A livestock scale for cattle can be a practical tool for recordkeeping, but neither a scale category nor any particular product is a USDA endorsement or proof of compliance. Confirm scale and weighing requirements with the insurer before weighing calves.
How to compare WCRP choices
Compare the actual policy options against the operation’s calves, records and risk needs, rather than choosing on projected price alone. Review:
- Plan type: Yield Protection, Revenue Protection or Revenue Protection with Harvest Price Exclusion, if offered for the applicable crop year.
- Coverage level: The level selected changes the guarantee and, as the 2024 fact sheet shows, the subsidy and producer-share percentages.
- Yield and price inputs: Confirm the approved yield and the applicable projected-price terms.
- Premium: Get a quote for the operation and county; published subsidy percentages do not establish the producer’s premium.
- Eligibility: Check the county, calf type and other conditions in the current policy and Special Provisions.
- Compliance workload: Account for calf reports, notices, movement and backgrounding rules, weighing deadlines and supporting records.
RMA’s Livestock Insurance Plans page links to WCRP commodity provisions, exchange-price provisions, the insurance standards handbook, loss adjustment handbook, fact sheets, FAQs and regional price methodologies. An approved crop insurance agent can help apply those terms to a specific operation.
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