Keep An Eye On This Year’s Crop Insurance Prices

Crop insurance is an important tool for farmers to keep in their tool box, but in order for it to be effective, you have to know how to use it. Deanna Ranum, Agent for Premier Insurance Solutions, says that it’s important for farmers to sit down with their crop insurance agents, work with them one on one, and explain the changes that are happening on their farm – all of which could impact their crop insurance this year.

She also says that crop insurance premiums will likely be higher than last year, even with the same coverage options.

The USDA will track the average on corn and beans throughout the month of February, and prices will be officially announced on March 1st. The crop insurance deadline remains on March 15th, which is also the deadline for the USDA’s new insurance option for conservation-minded corn growers.

Corn farmers who split-apply nitrogen in Sauk, Richland, Vernon, Crawford, Grant, and Lafayette County have another option for insurance coverage this year. The Post Application Coverage Endorsement (PACE) will cover growers who feel they are at risk of not being able to put nitrogen down throughout the growing season.

The PACE coverage will only be in effect if a grower can not get their second pass of nitrogen down during the V3-V10 corn growth stages due to field conditions created by weather. … says the new coverage option won’t attract new farmers to split application, but will rather be another tool for growers to utilize.