Spring planting delays and crop insurance
Farm and Ranch May 26, 2011 Cool and extremely wet weather in the inland Northwest has caused crop damage and slowed planting this spring. Dave Paul, Director of USDA’s Risk Management Agency Spokane Regional Office, encourages producers faced with questions on prevented planting, replant or crop losses this spring to contact their insurance agent. Paul says producers who are unable to plant an insured crop by the final planting date due to an insurable cause, such as excess moisture and flooding, have a number of options. Paul: “One of those options is they can continue to plant the insured crop and we have generally a 25 day late planting period with a reduction in the production guarantee of one percent a day for each day planting is delayed after the final planting day. So let us assume that the final planting date is May 15th on a crop and the producer plants the crop on May 20th so they are five days late. They still maintain their insure coverage for that crop, just their guarantee on their crop insurance would be reduced by five percent.” Another option; producers may leave acreage idle and receive a full prevented planting payment or a producer may be able to plant to another crop and receive a reduced payment. Paul says the major delays in planting are in southeast and northern Idaho and the Washington Palouse area. Again, Paul urges growers to check with their local crop insurance agent. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net.
