North Dakota Farmers Want Changes in Crop Insurance Rules

Some Upper Midwest farmers who thought they caught a break when the federal government eased crop insurance rules for land hit by prolonged flooding are finding it isn’t as easy to cash in as they first thought.

The “prevented planting” provision pays farmers if they can’t plant due to extreme weather like flooding. A new rule for the “prairie pothole” region of the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota and Iowa addresses multiple-year disasters – essentially letting farmers collect as long as they had planted a crop on the land at least once in the past four years.

But there also are other provisions. The Risk Management Agency recently published memorandums clarifying rules, and some farmers aren’t meeting them.

Members of North Dakota’s congressional delegation are urging the RMA to address the issue.