Supplemental Crop Insurance in North Dakota: SCO and ECO Participation and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
By: Francis Tsiboe
A new brief from the Agricultural Risk Policy Center (ARPC) at North Dakota State University examines how North Dakota producers are using supplemental crop insurance and how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act changes the cost and availability of that coverage.
Written by Francis Tsiboe, Supplemental Crop Insurance in North Dakota: SCO and ECO Participation and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act tracks participation in the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) and Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO). Both supplement individual crop insurance policies with protection based on county-level losses.
USDA Risk Management Agency data reported through October 13, 2026, show substantial increases in North Dakota participation. ECO covered 53.9 percent of insured acres in 2026, approximately 11.9 million acres, up from 37.3 percent in 2025, while SCO covered 24.9 percent of insured acres in 2026, approximately 5.5 million acres, up from 5.3 percent in 2025.
Figure 1: 2026 SCO and ECO Adoption in North Dakota by Crop, Reported to Date, Relative to 2025
Note: Adoption is supplemental insured acres as a share of the insured acres of the underlying policies, both years from the Summary of Business as reported through October 13, 2026. Crops shown hold at least 2 percent of North Dakota insured acres. ARPC’s early-season projection method (Tsiboe and Zhao, 2026) gives 63.0 percent for ECO and 19.0 percent for SCO in North Dakota in 2026.
Source: NDSU Agricultural Risk Policy Center (ARPC) using data from USDA Risk Management Agency, as of October 13, 2026.
Beginning with the 2026 crop year, the legislation raises federal premium subsidies for both endorsements to 80 percent and allows producers to purchase SCO on acres enrolled in Agriculture Risk Coverage. Because these changes took effect together, the brief does not isolate their individual effects on participation.
The analysis also examines upcoming changes to coverage bands, which take effect in 2027 or 2028 depending on the crop. These changes will expand the layer covered by SCO and narrow the layer covered by ECO, affecting both premiums and the protection available to producers.
The brief provides state and county comparisons, participation trends by crop, and estimates of producer paid premiums and expected net benefits. Reported 2026 acreage figures remain subject to late reports and corrections.
Recommended citation: Francis Tsiboe (2026). Supplemental Crop Insurance in North Dakota: SCO and ECO Participation and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. ARPC Brief 2026–21. Agricultural Risk Policy Center, North Dakota State University. October 15, 2026.
Companion report citation: Francis Tsiboe, Henrique Monaco, Hongxi Zhao, Jennifer Ifft, Rwit Chakravorty, Dylan Turner, and Shawn Arita (2026). Trends and Outlook for Supplemental Crop Insurance in the United States, 2025. ARPC Report 2026–07. Agricultural Risk Policy Center, North Dakota State University. https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.412822
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