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With 2022 behind us, we are looking forward to the 2023 spring planting season. Crop insurance continues to be an important risk mitigation tool, and this is the time of year we begin discussing changes to the crop insurance program that may impact coverage for 2023. Here are a few changes we would like to bring to your attention.

Planting Date Changes – Several changes have occurred for producers throughout Missouri on planting dates for soybeans.  

  • Initial Planting Date – The initial planting date for soybeans has changed across the state to 4/15/2023.  For producers to be eligible for Multiple Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) replant coverage, the crop must be planted on or after the initial planting date.    
  • Final Planting Date and Late Plant Period – In counties where first crop soybeans (NFAC) and second crop soybeans (FAC) are insurable, the Risk Management Agency (RMA) has separated the final plant dates for each practice.  In these counties, NFAC soybeans have a final plant date of 06/25 and a 25-day late plant period.  For FAC soybeans, the final plant date will be 07/05 and will have a 15-day late plant period.  As a reminder, soybeans planted during the late plant period will lose 1% of the insurance guarantee each day.      

Double Crop Insurability – In July 2022, RMA issued a news release about expanding double crop insurance opportunities for soybeans and grain sorghum in 2023. Missouri producers in 81 counties for soybeans and 44 counties for grain sorghum will be able to request coverage through a written agreement. This written agreement will not require past double crop production history to qualify. Coverage approved through a written agreement may impact how unit structure and claims are determined for your policy. We encourage you to visit your crop insurance agent before the March 15, 2023, sales closing date if you have an interest in insuring double crops. 

High-Risk Area Changes – RMA completed a review of high-risk areas across Missouri, and as a result, there have been numerous changes.  If you are farming near any high-risk areas, we encourage you to review high-risk maps with your agent and discuss policy options prior to the March 15, 2023, sales closing date.  Although this is not an exhaustive list, many changes have occurred along the Missouri River or tributaries and include the following waterways:

Big Creek Moreau River
Big River Nishnabotna River
Bourbeuse River Nodaway River
Crooked River One Hundred Two River
Fishing River Osage River
Gasconade River Perche Creek
Grand Glaize Creek Platte River
Maries River Tarkio River
Meramec River Third Fork Platte River
Missouri River Wakenda Creek


T-Yield Changes – County T-Yields have been adjusted across the state for corn and grain sorghum.  MPCI policies use T-Yields to establish guarantees for new producers, producers adding land, and for certain database adjustment options. If you fall into any of these categories, talk to your agent about the impact these changes may have on your policy. 

Missouri Expansion of Spring Crop Insurability - Under the MPCI program, corn insurance has become available in Texas County.  For soybeans, insurance coverage has become available in Christian, Douglas, and Texas counties.  To obtain coverage for 2023 in one of these counties, be sure to have an application for coverage completed by the sales closing date of March 15, 2023.  Contact an FCS Financial agent today for details.  

Relay Cropping Written Agreement Insurability Available -A recent RMA Manager’s Bulletin was released notifying producers that insurance can be requested for planting soybeans into an existing small grain crop via a written agreement.  Specific requirements and deadlines do exist, but RMA has informed us that new requests for Missouri producers do not require relay cropping experience for approval.  Please contact your agent today regarding details or to complete a request for actuarial change.       

Revenue Protection & Yield Protection for Oats – Insurance for oats has been available in 15 Missouri counties under an old Actual Production History (APH) plan of insurance, but RMA has now expanded oat coverage under Revenue Protection (RP) and Yield Protection (YP) policies. Converting to the RP and YP products helps achieve RMA’s goal of making these policies more reflective of crop values.  Coverage is available in the following Missouri counties: Audrain, Bates, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Daviess, DeKalb, Harrison, Johnson, Nodaway, Randolph, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, and Vernon. Sales closing date will be March 15, 2023. 

Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) & Micro-Farm – Are you looking for a subsidized insurance product that covers all commodities on the farm? For 2023, RMA has announced an increase to the maximum insurable revenue for WFRP from $8.5 million to $17 million. Micro-Farm is a simplified version of WFRP designed for smaller operations and was introduced in 2022. For 2023, RMA has announced an increase in the maximum approved revenue from $100,000 to $350,000. The sales closing date for these policies is March 15, 2023, but we encourage anyone interested to discuss this coverage early to make sure required documents can be completed in a timely manner.  

Post-Application Coverage Endorsement (PACE) Expansion – This endorsement is for producers who split-apply nitrogen and provides payments for projected yield losses when a producer is unable to apply due to weather related causes of loss during V 3-V 10 corn growth stages. For 2023, this endorsement is available in some counties in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, but is not available for Missouri.  We may see opportunities for this coverage to expand into Missouri in coming years.  
 

Precision Ag Data & Crop Insurance

Precision farming tools have a myriad of uses, one of which is for crop insurance acreage and production reporting. Crop insurance companies continue to expand our ability to transition USB or cloud-based data into crop insurance entry systems. Our experience has shown customers benefit by more accurate acreage information, more precise APH guarantees, time savings and greater flexibility. If you have questions about how your precision equipment might be used for crop insurance reporting, contact your agent. 

Reporting Accurate Production

Accurate production reporting protects the integrity of the crop insurance program and has continued to be an area of increased scrutiny by RMA (Risk Management Agency). In 2022, some production will be reported through the claims process, but where producers experienced good yields, we caution you to not be complacent just because you did not have a claim. Being disciplined in record keeping is essential to protect the value of your coverage and allow you to successfully navigate production audits. We encourage you to certify production as soon as possible so your policy is up to date when making 2023 crop insurance decisions. As you prepare to report your 2022 production, here are a few reminders:

  1. Each database with planted acres will require total production and a record type. The record type reflects the documentation you used to determine reported production and is identified with a legend on your production report.
  2. Reported production should be adjusted for discounts including moisture. Moisture charts are available to properly shrink wet bushels and can be accessed at: https://www.fmh.com/resources/moisture-and-pack-factors.
  3. Make sure all production (insured and uninsured) is reported. 
  4. Any production commingled between two or more insurance units needs to be specifically designated on the production report. Visit with your agent if this is your situation. 
  5. Upon request, you must be able to provide supporting documentation for yields certified by database. Certified yields unable to be substantiated will result in assigned yields negatively impacting your APH, unit structure and coverage. 

Producers are required to keep complete records (planting, replanting, inputs, harvesting and disposition of the crop) for insured and uninsured acreage for three years after the end of the crop year in which records were certified. The required record retention period can be extended if requested in writing before it ends. While three years is the general rule of thumb, there are times where additional years of records can be beneficial and necessary (transfer of production, recertification of production due to a new entity, etc.).

 

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