By William Edwards, Department of Economics
Most crop producers know that to achieve optimum yields it is important to plant early. However, in years like this when cold weather or frequent rains prevented tillage and planting from being completed, some adjustments may be made to the amount of coverage provided by Multiple Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) as well as other types of crop insurance. These adjustments are subject to revision each year by the Risk Management Agency and crop insurance vendors.
There are a few tools available to help Midwest crop producers make the tough decisions on delayed and prevented planting.
The first is my Delayed and Prevented Planting publication. On the ISU Extension Ag Decision Maker site there is an interactive online Excel spreadsheet that allows you to calculate the impact on your operation.
In addition, the University of Illinois farm business management experts have pulled together some additional tools to aid Midwest crop producers.
William Edwards is a professor of economics with extension responsibilities in farm business management.
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