Hay, Graze or Chop Prevented Plant Cover Crops

Late last week the USDA's Risk Management Agency announced that haying, grazing and chopping of cover crops on prevented plant acres would be allowed after September 1, 2019. The date was changed from November 1, 2019. Due to the weather there is a shortage of forage and it is very expensive. Dairy and cattlemen had requested that the USDA Risk Management Agency move the date earlier so the forage would have more nutritional value.

"We recognize farmers were greatly impacted by some of the unprecedented flooding and excessive rain this spring, and we made this one year adjustment to help farmers with the tough decisions they are facing this year," said Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey. "This change will make good stewardship of the land easier to accomplish while also providing an opportunity to ensure quality forage is available for livestock this fall."

Remember this change is for this year only. On the other hand, I hope it is many years before we have another spring that we are talking about prevented plant acres!