(NDAgConnection.com) – Cold, wet weather in the Northern Plains is delaying many agricultural producers’ plans to plant or replant. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds producers to speak early and often with their crop insurance agents.
“It’s been a cold, wet spring for many North Dakota and South Dakota farmers, and we’ve heard about challenges getting into the fields to plant or replant,” said Eric Bashore, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) Billings Regional Office director. “We recommend you stay in touch with your crop insurance agents, so you know all the options available. The Federal Crop Insurance Program has several options built in to address these situations. We will continue to monitor the condition and communicate with stakeholders and our crop insurance industry partners, Farm Service Agency colleagues, and State Agriculture Departments to ensure producers have all the information they need to make decisions throughout the planting season.”
Producers unable to plant by the final planting date due to an insurable cause of loss may receive a prevented planting payment or receive a reduced insurance guarantee if they choose to plant within the late planting period. Additionally, producers may choose to plant a different crop with a later final planting date while still receiving a partial prevented planting payment. Learn more about prevented planting and replanting.
Producers with crop insurance may now hay, graze or chop cover crops at any time and still receive 100% of the prevented planting payment, provided the act of haying, grazing or chopping the cover crop did not contribute to the acreage being prevented from planting. RMA updated this policy in 2021 to support the use of cover crops, an important conservation practice if producers are unable to plant a cash crop. Cover Crops can reduce soil erosion and help re-establish soil health and create pathways for air and water to move through the soil. Learn more about their benefits.
Producers considering non-conventional planting practices, such as broadcasting and then incorporating the seed, should contact their agent to see if an Unrated Practice or Type (TP) written agreement is required to insure the practice. The deadline to request a TP written agreement for crops with a March 15 Sales Closing Date is July 15. Learn more in our May 23, 2022, news release.
For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers should contact their crop insurance agent. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. If producers have additional questions, contact RMA’s Regional Office in Billings at (406) 657-6447.