Prevent Plant: What Could Happen & What You Can Do

What is prevent plant?

First off, let’s get into the details. “Prevent Plant” or “PP” are both commonly used terms for Prevented planting – when a farmer or rancher fails to plant a crop by the final insurable planting date. These dates can vary from crop to crop, as well as by area. Prevent Plant coverage provides money to farmers who aren’t able to plant their crops due to insurable causes, which are typically either flood or drought. This coverage can be a valuable option for farmers who live in areas with unpredictable weather conditions that vary from year to year. The final planting date in our home state of South Dakota for corn is May 25th for the majority of the state, and May 31^st for counties in the southeast corner. The final planting date for soybeans is June 10th across the entire state.

So, what’s the situation?

We don’t have to tell you twice that right now, farmers and ranchers are facing wet field conditions across the region. This has caused delays in planting for many farmers and is affecting their ability to get cash crops in the ground, which means Prevent Plant policies may come into effect this growing season.  If the wet conditions continue and cash crops can’t be planted as expected, that leaves farmers with lots of decisions to make. Luckily, there are a variety of options available when deciding what to do with your land – and Renovo has the seed you need.

Here’s what you can do

First up, we need to clarify what your goals are. Depending on your goals, Renovo can help you reach them with our specific mix options to maximize soil health and grow forage on Prevent Plant acres. We broke it down into a few categories:  grazing, haying, chopping, or implementing cover crops.

If your goal is to produce forage for grazing, we recommend Ranch Hand or Premium Graze. These are two diverse and high-yielding mixes that can be planted in June or July and will run you about $20 – $30/acre.

If your goal is to produce hay, we recommend Japanese Millet, HayMax Pearl Millet, or German Millet. These species are multi-cut, drought tolerant, and can be planted in June or July. They will run you around $19 – $24/acre.

If you’re looking to chop for feed, we recommend SorMax 85, Cow Conditioner, or RS 9000. These high-quality sorghum and sorghum-sudangrasses can be used for grazing or as a quick forage. Planted in June or July, they will run you around $20 – $30/acre.

Finally, if you are looking for a nice cover crop, we recommend the Classic Trio or Nutrient Builder. These mixes can help with weed suppression, plant diversity, and nitrogen fixing while you’re taking a year off from your typical cash crops. Planted from mid-June to August, they will run you $16 – $31/acre. If you’re looking for more cover crop options, you can get a custom recommendation with our Cover Crop Seed Selector.

See the chart below for more information on our available mixes!

*Final plant dates and prevent plant eligibility will vary. Check with your crop insurance agent for details.

For information on available options for your wet acres, give us a call at 605-627-1901