Nov. 3: With much of the Corn Belt experiencing a delayed harvest due to extremely wet conditions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency has offered guidance on its crop insurance procedures to affected farmers. RMA has posted to its Web site (www.rma.usda.gov) a checklist and explanations to assist farmers who may be impacted by crop losses due to this fall’s adverse weather.

“This year’s harvest has been a challenge for many farmers with moisture content so high that it makes harvest impossible,” NCGA President Darrin Ihnen said. “Now that the crop insurance deadline is drawing nearer, growers who can’t get into their fields would be well advised to contact their crop insurance agents and report a loss and if needed, request additional time to harvest in order to protect their coverage.”

The end of the insurance period for most spring planted crops is Dec. 10, 2009, but the actual date can be located in your policy’s crop provisions. RMA notes that the contractual date cannot be extended through the agency. Instead, farmers should review the conditions listed on RMA’s Web site that must be met before the crop insurance company is allowed to authorize additional time for harvesting the crop and settlement of any claims.

Also, it is important to note that most crop insurance policies will cover loss of quality, reduced yield and revenue losses if revenue coverage was chosen. However, it will not cover the cost of drying the harvested crop.

“NCGA thanks RMA for its assistance during this unusually difficult harvest,” Ihnen said. “It is important that our members have the most up to date information on crop insurance procedures and this information will be extremely helpful. I would urge all grower members to research their options on the RMA and NCGA Web sites.”