Prevented Planting

In Nebraska, for crop insurance purposes, the final planting date for corn in all counties is May 25 and the final planting date for soybeans is June 10. Farmers may be eligible for a prevented planting payment if acres have not been planted due to an insured cause of loss by the final planting date. Prevented planting will provide coverage equal to 55 percent of the original production guarantee in the crop insurance policy.

To qualify for prevented planting: 1) acres must be eligible for prevented planting due to an insured cause of loss; 2) the tract must be at least 20 acres or represent 20 percent of the field; 3) prevented planting must be general to the surrounding area; and, 4) the acres must have a history of being planted to corn or soybeans. In addition, the USDA just announced that prevented planting acres will not receive per acre “trade aid” payments to be distributed later this year. 

Farmers can still plant a crop after the final planting date and receive crop insurance coverage. However, the coverage will be reduced 1 percent per day after the planting final date during the late planting period. The late planting period runs until June 14 for corn and July 5 for soybeans. Insurance agents must be notified within 72 hours after the final date of the late planting period if acres are left unplanted to be eligible for prevented planting coverage.

Other Resources on Prevented Planting . . .

USDA Risk Management Agency
https://www.rma.usda.gov/en/Fact-Sheets/National-Fact-Sheets/Prevented-Planting-Insurance-Provisions-Flood

University of Nebraska
https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2019/flood-damage-and-prevented-planting

Kansas State University
http://www.agmanager.info/prevented-planting-options-2019-kansas-corn-growers

University of Illinois
https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2019/05/corn-price-increases-and-prevented-planting.html