Historical flooding and excessive rainfall throughout much of the country will likely lead to an unprecedented amount of prevented planting claims under Federal crop insurance. Given these extraordinary events and the need for animal feed in many parts of the country, flexibility around the use of a cover crop planted on prevented planted acreage for haying, grazing, and cutting for silage, haylage, and baleage has become necessary.

A cover crop is defined in the policy as a crop generally recognized by agricultural experts as agronomically sound for the area for erosion control or other purposes related to conservation or soil improvement.

Currently November 1 is used as a reference point throughout procedure for cover crops. For example, a cover crop planted after the Late Planting Period (LPP) for the prevented planted crop may be hayed or grazed after November 1 and receive a full prevented planting payment. If the cover crop is hayed or grazed before November 1, or otherwise harvested at any time, the prevented planting payment will be reduced by 65 percent.

“Otherwise harvested” as used in this context means harvested for other than haying or grazing. This could be for silage, grain, seed, haylage, etc.

For the 2019 crop year only:

Cutting for silage, haylage, and baleage will be treated the same as haying or grazing. In addition, all references to the November 1 date, as it relates to haying and grazing, in any procedure will be replaced with September 1.

DISPOSAL DATE:
December 31, 2019