 "These questions and answers provide valuable information for
producers who want to take advantage of the conservation
benefits cover crops provide, while remaining in compliance with
federal crop insurance rules," said Brian Frieden, director of
RMA's regional office in Springfield.The FAQs are available
online at
www.rma.usda.gov/
help/faq/covercrops2014.html.
RMA made changes to provide more flexibility for cover crop
management, due to changing weather conditions and changes in
cover crop practices for the 2014 crop year. To ensure RMA
policies were up to date with evolving cover crop practices, the
agency coordinated with the NRCS and Farm Service Agency through
an interagency work group to develop a consistent, simple and
flexible cover crop policy that can be applied across all USDA
agencies.
Specifically, the group was asked to develop cover crop
management guidelines so producers could obtain the conservation
benefits of cover crops while minimizing the risk of reducing
yield in the following crop due to use of water in the soil.
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Using cover crops for conservation purposes has been around for
decades, but these crops are now being embraced on a wider basis due
to the increased understanding of the benefits for soil quality,
nutrient cycles, erosion control, weed management and soil water
availability.
More information about cover crops and crop insurance is
available at www.rma.usda.gov.
[Text from file received from
USDA Risk Management
Agency, Springfield] |
