by Margaret Smith, PhD
Forage Agronomist

Prevented Planting Requirements

Prevented planting is no one’s top choice, but due to frequent and sometimes heavy rains this spring, but it may be your best option. Guidelines for prevented planting acres are to ‘control weeds’ meaning if weeds aren’t controlled, weed seeds will be ‘the gift that keeps on giving’ for years to come.

You can prevent weed seed production with herbicides or tillage to fallow the field, but a more economical choice is to plant a cover crop to capture carbon during photosynthesis, help build soil health, maintain mycorrhizal fungal populations, and protect your soil from wind and water erosion.

Prevented Planting Seeding Options

Once you’ve decided to take prevented planting coverage, your options lead to either planting a forage crop or cover crop species. Forage species planted with the plan to harvest BEFORE November 1 are defined as another crop and will reduced your prevented planting coverage to 35% of your original potential payment. Forage or cover crops grazed or harvested AFTER November 1 allow you to receive full prevented planting payments.

Consider your options and determine your priority or objectives for your seeding. In addition to cost and weed suppression, objectives may include: nutrient capture (particularly where fertilizer – especially nitrogen for corn – was already applied for corn), soil building, nitrogen fixation, and/or forage production.

The quality of harvestable forage after November 1 is somewhat unpredictable and will vary with species, seeding date, temperature and moisture available in the late summer, frost date before or after November 1 and drying conditions after that date. Grazing options are the most reliable for late fall and include several brassica species. Brassica species do not support mycorrhizal fungi, so should be preceded by or interseeded with another cover crop.

CLICK HERE to view Albert Lea Seed Prevented Planting Seed Options with costs and /or call to discuss options. Options are available for both pure and mixed species seedings, including species from several different plant families.

Resources

For Business Decisions

Prevented Planting (USDA-Risk Management Agency)

Prevented Planting Decisions (University of Minnesota)

Delayed and Prevented Planting Provisions for Multiple Peril Crop Insurance (Iowa State University)

Crop Insurance: Important Dates, Resources and Tax Impacts (University of Minnesota)

Late and Prevented Planting Options and Crop Insurance for Wisconsin Farmers (University of Wisconsin)

Resources Help Assess Prevented Planting Options (University of Minnesota)

Agronomic Considerations / Planting Options

University of Minnesota Cover Crop Options (University of Minnesota)

Delayed Planting Challenges: Alternative Forages (South Dakota State University)

Weed Management on Prevented Planting Acres (University of Illinois)