USDA Reports 400,000 Acres of Prevented Plant Cropland in Nebraska

Aug 21, 2019

By Jim Jansen, Jeff Stokes

Crop producers across Nebraska reported more than 400,000 acres of prevented plant land in 2019, according to data published this week by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In total, the USDA reported more than 19.3 million acres of prevented plant cropland across the United States for the current growing season. Nationally, Nebraska ranked 16th among states with prevented plant acres (Table 1).

Table 1. USDA Farm Service Agency prevented plant acres by state, August 2019a

Rank	State	Corn	Sorghum	Soybeans	Wheat	Otherb	Total
1	South Dakota	2,845,194	31,135	850,864	126,403	10,970	3,864,567
2	Illinois	1,140,026	786	330,638	27,107	3,175	1,501,731
3	Ohio	880,992	4	598,981	5,833	109	1,485,919
4	Missouri	744,273	2,285	477,731	84,389	79,531	1,388,209
5	Arkansas	325,154	6,536	190,469	255,664	549,531	1,327,353
6	Minnesota	999,513	2	161,528	7,608	1,928	1,170,579
7	Indiana	708,746	624	231,161	3,562	122	944,215
8	Michigan	498,046	19	349,481	20,366	2,114	870,026
9	Texas	174,821	57,964	9,071	375,798	248,863	866,517
10	North Dakota	574,197	—	193,348	59,238	3,868	830,650
11	Kansas	218,182	49,334	157,070	187,466	16,759	628,812
12	Mississippi	350,569	123	115,479	46,722	109,430	622,323
13	Wisconsin	457,158	49	125,281	8,749	1,571	592,808
14	Louisiana	217,186	576	110,482	59,175	81,156	468,575
15	Iowa	381,015	2	82,216	1	105	463,339
16	Nebraska	332,065	3,107	69,914	1,584	852	407,522
17	North Carolina	1,344	—	2,841	309,954	4,679	318,819
18	Tennessee	30,834	280	50,126	145,871	23,515	250,625
19	New York	153,033	—	69,933	19,490	2,574	245,029
20	Oklahoma	16,626	7,115	115,007	39,950	59,614	238,312
	Other States	161,651	7,907	59,085	424,528	120,823	773,994
	Grand Total	11,210,627	167,847	4,350,704	2,209,457	1,321,290	19,259,925
a Source: USDA-Farm Service Agency, FSA Crop Acreage Data Reported to FSA, Aug. 12, 2019. b Other crops include barley, ELS cotton, cotton upland, oats, rice, sugar beets, and sugar cane.

South Dakota, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, and Arkansas accounted for about half of the prevented plant land in the United States with approximately 9.5 million acres. South Dakota led the United States with about 3.8 million acres, more than twice that of any other state. Corn, soybeans, and wheat were the top three prevented plant crops accounting for 17.7 million acres. Traditional grain belt regions reported the largest share of prevented plant acres in the United States.

Prevented Plant Acres in Nebraska

As of August 1, the USDA Farm Service Agency reported 417,125 acres of prevented plant land in Nebraska, 407,522 of which would have been planted to the state’s major row crops (Tables 1 and 2). Eleven of Nebraska’s 93 counties reported more than 11,000 acres each of prevented plant.

Holt County accounted for 47,292 acres or over 10% of the state’s total. Areas of northeast Nebraska, including Holt County, had an unusually wet fall followed by a series of heavy spring rains that didn’t allow for fieldwork. From October 1 to August 15, O'Neill has had 33.35 inches of precipitation, according to the High Plains Regional Climate Center. This compares to a 30-year normal (1981-2010) of 21.40 inches. Atkinson has had 29.42 inches, compared to a normal of 20.82 inches.

The top five Nebraska counties with prevented plant acres are: Holt - 47,292 acres, Merrick - 27,011 acres, Pierce - 17,207 acres, Burt - 14,759 acres, and Richardson - 14,487 acres (Table 2).

The number of prevented planted acres across the state varied, depending on a county’s location. A considerable amount of prevent planted acres occurred in counties that bordered or incorporated streams, rivers, or other bodies of water. These areas included counties along the northern and eastern tier of the state bordering the Niobrara and Missouri rivers between Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri. Roads, bridges, and municipalities also suffered excessive damages in these counties as well as across Nebraska.

Considerations for Producers

Producers facing prevented plant or failed cropland acreages need to maintain good communication on disaster-related issues with their crop insurance agent and local USDA FSA service center. Also, other federal, state or local authorities may need to be informed. Maintaining direct lines of communication with the appropriate government entity or insurance company ensures producers understand their rights and responsibilities on properties impacted by a natural disaster.

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