Deadline Nears for Insuring Double Crop Grain Sorghum and Soybeans

The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds producers in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska that for the 2023 crop year there may be options for insuring double crop grain sorghum as well as double crop soybeans in counties where the Following Another Crop (FAC) practice is not available. Producers intending to plant soybeans or other crops after wheat or other small grains in counties where double crop insurance coverage is not available, may have the option to request coverage through their crop insurance agent.

In support of the President’s and Secretary’s commitments, the Topeka Regional Office (TRO) expanded the availability of insurance options for Following Another Crop (FAC) soybeans and grain sorghum in 2023. Please see maps on the TRO Underwriting Guidelines webpage for the county availability and options for insurance FAC soybeans and grain sorghum.

Producers interested in obtaining coverage may request a Blanket Written Agreement (Standardized Written Agreement) or Type Practice (TP) written agreement through their crop insurance company to insure the crop where applicable. In the Topeka region, blanket written agreements are only available for the irrigated FAC practices for soybeans and grain sorghum in western Kansas. Producers requesting coverage for these practices for the first time, have until the sales closing date, if requesting a blanket written agreement, or acreage reporting date, if requesting a TP, to submit a request for coverage through their agent. Blanket and Type Practice written agreements will be issued at the county level, insuring all the double crop grain sorghum or soybean acres in the county.

“It's important that producers know they have insurance options for double cropping, even in counties where coverage was only previously available via written agreement,” said Collin Olsen, RMA’s Topeka Regional Office Director. “If you’re looking at relay cropping or double cropping in counties without coverage, please contact your crop insurance agent for details on requesting a written agreement to provide coverage and any applicable deadlines.”

Information regarding the details of the expansion of these options can be found at the Topeka Regional Office’s website: Topeka RO

RMA has also published additional details, including frequently asked questions, maps, and other material specifically related to the expansion effort and more general information about double cropping.

RMA’s expansion of double cropping is part of a broader effort to help producers boost production and address global food insecurity. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is also improving opportunities for nutrient management. This includes targeting funding, increasing program flexibilities, launching a new outreach campaign to promote nutrient management’s economic benefits, and expanding partnerships to develop nutrient management plans.