Producers with crop insurance can now hay, graze or chop cover crops and still receive 100 percent of the prevented planting payment. Previously, cover crops could only be used after November 1, otherwise the payment was reduced by 65 percent.
USDA added this flexibility to encourage use of cover crops. For the 2021 crop year and beyond, the Risk Management Agency will not consider a cover crop planted after a prevented planting claim to be a second crop. The agency will however consider a cover crop harvested for grain or seed to be a second crop and it will remain subject to the payment reduction.
To learn more about the policy change, visit rma.usda.gov/Topics/Prevented-Planting.
