RMA expands prevented-planting coverage for 2026

The USDA Risk Management Agency has finalized its 2026 prevented-planting provisions, expanding coverage levels in 114 counties across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, and Missouri and extending the final planting date window by three days in portions of the western Corn Belt where spring soil conditions have historically been limiting. The changes apply to all multi-peril crop insurance policies sold through RMA-approved agents for the 2026 crop year.

Prevented-planting coverage compensates producers when wet soil conditions, flooding, or other insured causes prevent them from planting their intended acreage by the final planting date. The basic prevented-planting payment is 55% of the insured’s approved production history (APH) guarantee for corn and 60% for soybeans. Producers who elect the prevented-planting coverage endorsement can increase that percentage, and the 2026 changes affect both the base coverage levels and the endorsement multipliers available in the expanded counties.

What changes in the affected counties

In the 114 newly expanded counties, the prevented-planting payment factor for corn increases from 55% to 60%, and the endorsement that boosts that factor rises from a maximum of 70% to 75%. For a producer with a 200-bushel APH guarantee and a $4.50 spring price election, the difference between the old and new maximum prevented-planting payment is $45 per acre. On a 500-acre prevented-planting claim, that is a $22,500 improvement in coverage.

The final planting date extension affects producers in portions of western Iowa, eastern Nebraska, and northern Missouri. In those areas, the corn final planting date moves from May 31 to June 3 for 2026. The practical effect is that acreage that would have automatically moved to the late-planting period — with its reduced guarantee — on June 1 of a wet spring will now have three additional days of full coverage protection.

In a year like 2024, those three days would have changed the math for a lot of operators in northwest Iowa. The extension is a real improvement, not just paperwork.

How to verify your coverage

The specific final planting dates and coverage levels for each crop in each county are published in the RMA’s actuarial data browser, accessible at rma.usda.gov. Producers should confirm the specific parameters for their county and crop combination with their crop insurance agent when they sit down for their 2026 policy review — which should happen before the sales closing date, typically February 28 for spring crops.

One procedural point worth confirming: the prevented-planting provisions apply based on the county where the field is physically located, not where the farmer’s FSA farm is recorded. For operations that cross county lines, this matters — coverage levels can differ by county even on adjacent fields.

Documentation practices matter

RMA prevented-planting claims require documentation that the failure to plant was caused by an insured cause. That means maintaining contemporaneous records: field condition notes or photos with dates, communication with the FSA office about flooded or saturated field conditions, and records of planting equipment availability and attempted planting dates where applicable.

Producers in counties with a history of prevented-planting claims should review their documentation practices before spring. Adjusters verify claims against NRCS and NOAA weather data, but producer field records that corroborate those sources accelerate claim processing and reduce the risk of a contested adjustment.