What exactly is prevented planting coverage?

  • Prevented planting coverage provides producers valuable protection in the event they are unable to plant an insured crop by the final planting date or during the late planting period due to an insured cause of loss.
  • The amount of prevented planting coverage is calculated as a percent of the insurance guarantee the insured would have had for a timely planted crop.
  • For example, suppose a producer’s corn insurance guarantee is 170 bushels x 80% (coverage level) x $4.00 (spring price) = $544 guaranteed an acre. Since corn’s prevented plant coverage factor is 55%, the prevented planting payment would be $544 (MPCI guarantee) x 55% (factor) = $299.  The prevented planting factor varies by crop and are listed in the table.

What is the Late Planting Period, and what is its role in my decision as to whether to plant or not?

  • The Late
    Planting Period for MOST crops is the 25 day period following the Final
    Plant Date of the crop.
    • If you plant any acreage of the insurable crop during the Late Planting
      Period your guarantee for that acreage will be reduced by 1% per day for
      up to 25 days past the Final Plant Date.
    • The Premium on Late Planted acreage is the same as timely planted
      acreage.
    • Acreage planted during the Late Planting Period to anything other
      than an FSA approved cover crop is not eligible for a Prevent Plant payment.

For the acreage to be eligible for Prevent Plant:

  • Prevent Plant must be general to the area.
  • The acreage must have been planted, harvested
    and insured in 1 of the most recent 4 years.
  • Must meet the lesser of 20 acres or 20% of the
    crop’s acreage in the unit.

For the crop acreage to be eligible for Prevent Plant:

  • Must provide input receipts to support your intent.
  • If the field has some crop planted, only that crop can be claimed for Prevent Plant unless:
    • There is a 2 crop history in 1 of the 4 most recent years.
      • 2 crop history is when both crops were planted in the same field within the same year and one of them is being declared as Prevent Plant. 
    • You can provide sufficient evidence of intent to plant a different crop.

In May, my insured fall-planted wheat crop failed as the result of flooding. The fall-planted wheat acreage is too wet to prepare and plant corn. Can I receive a prevented planting payment on the corn?

  • No.
    The fall planted wheat acreage must have failed prior to the normal planting period for corn for the county. In addition, if the wheat had insurance available, the spring crop is not eligible for prevented planting (except in double cropping situations).

I currently have Enterprise Units for my corn and soybean crops. If I cannot plant any corn or soybeans, how will this impact my Enterprise Unit structure?

  • At least two of the sections, section equivalents, FSA farm serial numbers, or units established by written agreement must each have planted acreage that constitutes at least the lesser of 20 acres or 20 percent of the insured crop acreage in the enterprise unit. If you do not plant any acreage, there is no Enterprise Unit subsidy and your crops will revert back to BU. However, the insureds will be charged OU premium if no acres are planted because the BU discount is also determined by the number of planted acres. If there aren’t any planted acres, there is no BU discount.

I qualify for a prevented planting payment for my corn acreage. How do you determine the number of eligible corn acres for prevented planting?

  • Initially, the prevent plant acreage must meet the eligibility requirements as stated in the MPCI Basic Provisions. For example, acreage planted at any time to the prevented crop is not eligible for prevented planting.
  • If the producer has planted any crop in the county for which prevent plant coverage was available, or has received a prevented plant guarantee, in any one of the four most recent crop years:
    1. The eligible acres will be based on the maximum number of acres the producer certified for APH purposes or insured acres reported for insurance for the crop in any one of the four most recent crop years (not including reported prevented plant acreage that was planted to a second crop).
    2. The total number of acres eligible for prevented plant cannot exceed the number of cropland acres. −Eligible prevented plant acreage is reduced when acres of the same crop were planted.
    3. PP Example: Producer has 300 eligible corn acres. They have planted 75 corn acres. Eligible prevented plant acres remaining is 225 (300 –75 = 225).

Why would corn prevented planted acreage not qualify for prevented planting coverage?

  • The most common reasons are as follows, but not limited to:
    • Acreage must constitute the lesser of 20 acres or 20 percent of the insurable crop acreage in the unit.
    • Any crop was planted within, or prior to the end of, the late planting period for the prevented planted crop.
    • If a cover crop was planted before the end of the late planting period of the prevented crop, and then if hayed or grazed before November 1 or otherwise harvested at any time, there is no prevented plant payment. If the cover crop was planted after the end of the late plant period of the prevented crop, and then is hayed or grazed before November 1, or otherwise harvested at any time, the prevented plant payment is reduced to 35%.    
    • Prevented plant acreage that exceeds the number of acres eligible for a prevented plant payment.
    • Not meeting the definition of “physically available for planting” in Prairie Pothole States. 

How will the corn prevented plant payment impact my corn actual production history for next year?

  • If you do not plant a 2nd crop on the prevented plant acreage, there will be no impact on your corn database. However, if a 2nd crop is planted on acreage after the end of the late planting period of the prevented crop, the insured will receive a yield equal to 60 percent of the previous year’s approved yield for the first insured crop prevented plant acreage (corn) to calculate the insured’s average yield for subsequent crop years on this acreage, (unless the second crop planted is a cover crop as approved by the FSA).

 My spring crops were prevented from planting and the acreage will not be available for field work until July.  Can I prepare the ground for next year’s crop and plant winter wheat this fall?

  • Yes.
    The fall planted wheat crop is considered the next year crop and will not impact any current year prevented planting payments.

Discuss your plans to plant a cover crop with your assigned Prevent Plant adjuster prior to planting the cover crop to ensure approval and any effect on your prevent plant payment