With forage supplies running short this year, some farmers who are considering cover crop options for seeding on their prevented planting acres are asking about alfalfa. Will USDA allow alfalfa as a cover crop in 2019? What are the rules for harvesting it for hay or forage in 2020?

USDA’s Risk Management Agency sets the rules for crop insurance and prevented planting acres. According to RMA, farmers have options when planting alfalfa on these acres in 2019. You can plant alfalfa as a cover crop and manage it accordingly, or you can plant it with the goal of using it as a 2020 forage crop.

With the 2020 forage crop scenario, a farmer has these options:

Alfalfa offers key advantages

Alfalfa provides much needed ground cover and many other beneficial attributes that should be considered when deciding what to plant on prevented planting acres.

“It’s hard to find a crop that is more beneficial to the soil and environment than alfalfa,” says Craig Sheaffer, University of Minnesota forage agronomist. “In addition to providing the most protein per acre, alfalfa reduces soil erosion and improves soil structure, moisture holding capacity and nutrient content. It also increases beneficial soil biota, suppresses weeds, provides habitat for beneficial predatory insects, facilitates crop pollinators, and provides wildlife habitat.”

Alfalfa provides energy savings as well by adding nitrogen to the soil, thereby reducing the need to apply fertilizer.

No impact on 2019 payment

Alfalfa can be planted as early as July 1 in some regions. If farmers plant alfalfa in 2019 on prevented planting acres for 2020 production and choose not to insure the crop, there are no planting date or harvest restrictions. And it is considered a first crop, regardless of insurance coverage, for the 2020 crop year. There will be no impact to the 2019 prevented planting payment.

“With the severe shortage of hay, alfalfa is a crop that farmers should strongly consider planting,” says Beth Nelson, president of the National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance. “Planting alfalfa on prevented plant acres in 2019 will provide farmers with high-quality forage early next spring, which is critical coming off a year of forage shortages.”

If a cutting of alfalfa is needed in the fall, the farmer could consider forgoing the forage seeding insurance, she notes.

In some areas of the country, farmers need to apply for a written agreement for a fall-seeded forage seeding policy and should consult their crop insurance agent to establish the request (due dates vary by region). For RMA’s answers to FAQ’s on planting alfalfa on prevented plant acres, visit USDA.

Source: National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance, which is responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and its subsidiaries aren’t responsible for any of the content in this information asset.