Micheal Clements, NAFB News Service

The Department of Agriculture will allow farmers who planted cover crops on prevented plant acres in select counties in North and South Dakota to hay, graze or chop those fields starting next month. Typically, farmers cannot do so until November 1. USDA’s Risk Management Agency says the change is being made because of excessive moisture and flooding in 42 counties in the two states. USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey says, “We made this one-year adjustment to help farmers remain good stewards of the land and provide an opportunity to ensure quality forage is available for livestock this fall.” Flooding and excessive rainfall in parts of the country have resulted in a significant amount of prevented planting claims under Federal crop insurance. Given these weather events and the need for animal feed, flexibility around the use of a cover crop planted on prevented planted acreage for haying, grazing and cutting for silage has become necessary.