To say the least, this spring has been a wet one\u00a0which means fields may be too wet to till and plant on time.\u00a0\u00a0Those with crop insurance might find some comfort knowing that their coverage can also help manage risk at planting time – in addition to helping with recovery from crop failure. This is because most crop insurance policies include provisions that provide compensation if weather-related issues prevent planting or cause losses that warrant replanting.<\/p>\n
What type of insurance coverage do you have?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Most crop insurance policies include a provision for prevented planting, some exceptions include fresh market sweet corn.\u00a0\u00a0Check your policy with your agent to see if the crop you\u2019re insuring is eligible for prevented planting provisions.<\/p>\n Did you miss the final planting date?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n This is the last date to insure the crop at the full insurance guarantee.\u00a0\u00a0This date is determined for each crop and county by the USDA Risk Management Agency and is listed in the crop insurance policy.\u00a0\u00a0See Table 1 for an example of final planting dates for Maine crops.<\/p>\n *Final planting dates vary based on the county. Review your policy for accurate dates.<\/p>\n Why weren\u2019t you able to plant on time?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n If you and your neighbors\u00a0experienced excessively wet conditions during the season that prevented planting or if a specific event, like flooding, impacted your field you may be eligible to file a prevented planting claim.\u00a0\u00a0The farm is only eligible for coverage on the total acres that are typically planted to that\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0crop and the crop acreage needs to have been planted in 1 of the last 4 years. Being physically unavailable, having broken machinery or other human error does not qualify for a prevented planting claim.<\/p>\n So you were prevented from planting due to the weather, now what?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n For prevented planting claims, notice must be provided to your agent within 72 hours after the final planting date, or, after the determination is made that you will not be able to plant during the late planting period. Good documentation is the key to receiving prevented planting payments.\u00a0\u00a0Keep detailed records of the dates different acres or fields were planted.<\/p>\n Once the claim is in, you have a few different options:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n What is a prevented planting payment?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The \u201cprevented planting coverage factor\u201d will be used to calculate the prevented planting payment and this factor changes depending on the crop.\u00a0\u00a0For instance, with small grains the prevented planting coverage factor is 60% of the production guarantee for timely planted acreage, whereas it is 55% for corn.\u00a0\u00a0If the producer\u2019s insurance guarantee for timely planting is $100\/acre, and the prevented planting coverage factor is 60%, the prevented planting payment would be $60\/acre (or 60% of the guarantee).\u00a0\u00a0Some policies have additional coverage options available for\u00a0prevented planting.\u00a0\u00a0As well, if you have revenue protection, the projected price will be used to calculate the insurance guarantee.<\/p>\n The weather destroyed the planting, am I eligible for the replant provision?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Check your policy or with your agent to see if the crop you\u2019re insuring is eligible for replant provisions.\u00a0\u00a0If so, in order to be eligible for replant provisions the acres to be replanted must be:<\/p>\n What steps of action do I take?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Notify your crop insurance agent within 72 hours upon discovering the loss. An adjustor will appraise your expected yield and determine whether it is practical to replant.\u00a0\u00a0Replant with the original crop if applicable.\u00a0\u00a0Your original planting guarantee will continue as if nothing happened (as long as you plant before the final planting date).<\/p>\n What is a replant payment?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The replant payment is typically equal to the lesser of either your actual costs of replanting or a formula provided in your crop insurance policy provisions (i.e. for corn, the per-acre replant payment equals the projected price\/bushel x 8 bushels).<\/p>\n Communicate regularly with your agent about any issues with your crop, especially before planting deadlines! This is essential for receiving prevented planting or replanting payments.<\/p>\n Visit the UMaine Crop Insurance website<\/a>.<\/p>\n A list of agents serving Maine can be found online using the Agent Locator tool<\/a>. This\u00a0article has material from the University of Vermont\u2019s Crop Insurance Outreach Education Program.<\/p>\n\n
Table 1. Final planting dates for most Maine spring-seeded crops.<\/h4>\n<\/caption>\n\n
\n Insured Crop<\/strong><\/th>\n Final Planting Date<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n\n \n Oats<\/td>\n 5\/30-6\/10*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Barley<\/td>\n 5\/31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Spring wheat<\/td>\n 5\/31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Potato<\/td>\n 6\/10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Grain & Silage Corn<\/td>\n 6\/15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Green Peas<\/td>\n 6\/30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \n
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Replanting the crop (you planted on time but lose the crop)<\/h3>\n
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Take Away<\/h3>\n
More Information<\/h3>\n