Published May 10, 2013

Cover Crops and Livestock/Crop Insurance
By Sarah Carlson

On Wednesday, May 8 the Risk Management Agency released a bulletin stating that “farmers growing cover crops who wish to graze or hay their cover crops may ask their crop insurance agent for a written extension up to May 22, 2013.” Current RMA cover crop rules state that cover crops must not be grazed or hayed after May 10, 2013. Due to the cool spring and expensive feed for livestock producers, RMA offered farmers more flexibility for using their cover crop to offset expensive feed costs.

Cover crops must be terminated before planting the cash crop you wish to insure. Termination must be using tillage or herbicide. Grazing, mowing or haying a cover crop is not considered as a termination event. Please read the 2013 RMA rules here for Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota’s region.

Haying and Grazing of a Cover Crop – FINAL – 5-8-13