USDA Announces Implementation of Improvements to Prevented Planting Coverage and the Beginning and Veteran Farmer and Rancher Program

Dec 03, 2020

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) today announced that improvements to prevented planting coverage and to the beginning and veteran farmer and rancher program took effect on November 30 for crop year 2021. These improvements, among others, were made to the Common Crop Insurance Policy Basic Provisions.

“These improvements are the result of feedback from producer groups and other stakeholders,” said RMA Administrator Martin Barbre. “These changes will improve prevented planting coverage and the beginning and veteran farmer and rancher program for years to come.”

Improvements to prevented planting coverage include:

Expanding the “1 in 4” requirement nationwide, requiring producers to plant, insure and harvest acreage in at least one of the four most recent crop years.
Making modifications to ensure that producers’ prevented planting payments adequately reflect the crops the producer intended to plant.
For more information, see the previous announcement and these Frequently Asked Questions.

The improvement to the beginning and veteran farmer and rancher program will allow participants with farming experience to use the Actual Production History (APH) of the previous producer, with permission, on newly acquired land. Previously, the APH could only be used if the beginning or veteran farmer or rancher was involved on the specific acreage acquired.

RMA is authorizing additional flexibilities due to coronavirus while continuing to support producers, working through Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) to deliver services, including processing policies, claims and agreements. RMA staff are working with AIPs and other customers by phone, mail and electronically to continue supporting crop insurance coverage for producers. Farmers with crop insurance questions or needs should continue to contact their insurance agents about conducting business remotely (by telephone or email). More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private insurance agents. A list of insurance agents is available online using the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov.

Source : usda.gov

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.