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Crop insurance agent says drought raising prevent plant questions

A crop insurance agent says ongoing drought has more farmers in the Central Plains are evaluating prevent plant options.  

Ben Rand with the Federal Crop Insurance Agency says the strategy is commonly used in the Upper Midwest and Eastern Corn Belt due to excessive water issues. “The reality here is that it’s completely the opposite. We have no water.”

He tells Brownfield prevent plant is an option if growers do not have an adequate amount of water at the time to raise an average yield, or total APH. “That is a new problem for anyone who’s been farming since 2002. The last time we dealt with this was in 2002 in the North Platte Valley. This time it spreads from Great Falls, Montana, to southern Colorado.”

Rand says the lack of snowpack runoff has severely limited surface water irrigation levels. He says producers need to be in contact with their local water ditch districts because that will help determine if producers are eligible. “That is what’s going to set a realistic expectation for that farmer to get that water he needs it at the time he needs it to grow his APH.”

Rand says the program can be cumbersome and includes exceptions. For example, “If you take prevent plant on irrigated ground and you decide to put a cover crop in it, you can hay or chop that for silage. However, if you mechanically harvest that cover crop for seed or grain, you will forfeit your entire prevent plant payment.”

He says producers should consult with their agent to help find the best option that fits an operation’s needs.

Ben Rand: