Cover Crop ‘Forage’ an Option for Prevented Planting Acres

By Stan Smith

According to USDA’s June 9 Crop Progress Report only 89% of Ohio’s corn had been planted. At the same time soybean planting progress stood at 84% complete. Today, as we sit here on June 11, we know a few things for certain:

• Throughout Ohio there remain thousands of unplanted acres that were originally intended for either corn or soybeans.
• The Risk Management Agency (RMA) ‘final planting date’ that allows planting without reducing the crop insurance guarantee for corn in Ohio was June 5, and is June 20 for soybeans.
• Despite the value of producing corn and soybeans for the marketplace, for those with coverage, today the income resulting from the Prevented Planting option offered by crop insurance must be considered a viable alternative. (see the recent C.O.R.N. newsletter and Ohio AgManager blog posting June Considerations When Using the Prevented Planting Option)