Cover Crops

Insurance coverage begins on a crop following a cover crop when:

• The cover crop meets the definition provided in the Basic Provisions;
• Planted within the last 12 months; and
• Managed and terminated according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) guidelines.

If the growing conditions warrant a deviation from the guidelines, producers should contact either Extension or local NRCS for management guidance. For information on cover crop management and termination guidelines, refer to the Cover Crop Termination Guidelines published at Natural Resources Conversation Service.

• Plant a cover crop and receive a full prevented planting payment (but do not harvest or graze this cover crop before November 1 or otherwise harvest at any time).
• Plant a cover crop after the late planting period or after the final planting date, if no late planting period is available. You may also harvest or graze the cover crop at any time, and receive a prevented planting payment equal to 35 percent of the prevented planting guarantee.

Overseeding and Interseeding - With respect to cover crops, overseeding and interseeding is planting one or more cover crop species into an existing or established crop. According to NRCS Termination Guidelines, common uses that involve over-seeding or interseeding include over-seeding a grass and/or legume cover crop into an existing stand of small grain at an appropriate time for the cover and germination, or seeding a cover crop into an existing crop (e.g., corn or soybeans) at a time that will not impact the yield or harvest of the insured crop.

Interplanting - Multiple crop species grown together, with no distinct row pattern and does not permit separate agronomic maintenance or management. If a cover crop and cash crop are planted in a way that does not permit separate agronomic maintenance or management, then the cash crop will not be insured. This would also apply to cover crops if interplanted into the main crop and the cover crop interfered with the agronomic management and harvest of the main crop.

Double Cropping - Harvesting at least two crops from the same land in the same year. This does not include cover crops.

Prevented Planting - Failure to plant the insured crop by the final planting date, or within any applicable late planting period, due to an insured cause of loss that is general to the surrounding area and that prevents other producers from planting acreage with similar characteristics.