Risk Management Agency: USDA Extends Deadline to October 12 for Input on Crop Insurance Coverage for Prevented Planting

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency has issued the following news release:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the deadline for its Request for Information to Oct. 12, 2023, to solicit public comments on possible changes to prevented planting crop insurance coverage. USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) believes extending the deadline will enable additional time for comments and feedback from commenters and key stakeholders.

"We received great feedback from our listening sessions throughout the country, and we want to ensure everyone has an opportunity to have their voice heard" said RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger. "We recognize that folks, particularly farmers, had a busy summer, and we will provide some extra time to submit comments."

The request for information seeks stakeholder input on prevented planting topics, specifically:

* Harvest Price Option - Feedback on whether to allow the prevented planting payment calculations to be based on the higher of projected price or harvest price under the revenue protection plan of insurance.

* "1 in 4" Rule - Input on the challenges or experiences since the rule was implemented nationwide (to be eligible for a prevented planting coverage acreage, a producer must have planted, insured, and harvested a crop in at least 1 out of the previous 4 crop years)

* 10 percent additional coverage option - Input on if RMA should reinstate the option to buy-up prevented planting coverage by 10 percent.

* Contract price - Whether prevented planting costs are higher for contracted crops and how prevented planting payments should be calculated for contract crops.

* General topics - Willingness to pay additional premium for expanded prevented planting benefits, recommendations on other prevented planting limitations, etc.

The request for information, which includes details for submitting feedback, is available in this Federal Register notice (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/05/23/2023-10926/request-for-information-and-stakeholder-listening-sessions-on-prevented-planting).

In addition to the Request for Information, RMA held in-person and virtual listening sessions June through August to hear directly from producers. The in-person listening sessions were held in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas. RMA will accept written comments through its extended request for information until Oct. 12, 2023.

Prevented planting insurance provisions provide valuable coverage when extreme weather conditions prevent expected plantings. Prevented planting is when a producer is unable to plant an insured crop due to an insurable cause of loss in time to grow a viable crop. Final planting dates and late planting periods are detailed in a producer's crop insurance policy, and they vary by crop and location. Prevented planting coverage is intended to assist with normal costs associated with preparing the land up to the point of seed going into the ground (pre-plant costs).

More Information

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting your RMA Regional Office.

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Original text here: https://www.rma.usda.gov/en/News-Room/Press/Press-Releases/2023-News/USDA-Extends-Deadline-to-October-12-for-Input-on-Crop-Insurance-Coverage-for-Prevented-Planting