Rural Iowa — Iowa farmers who’ve been unable to plant corn yet this year face a deadline this week. Corn planted by May 31st is covered by crop insurance. If that corn fails to sprout because of cold and soggy conditions, insurance will help farmers RE-plant their fields in June.
Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says there’s been a “historically slow pace” to planting corn AND soybeans this season.
Naig says planting soybeans in June rather than corn is an option for some.
June 15th is the deadline for planting soybeans that can be covered by crop insurance. Farmers debating whether to plant corn or soybeans this week face the dynamic of a soybean market that has been roiled by trade disputes.
But Naig says there are other factors at work, like deciding which corn or soybean hybrids will yield best if planted late. Some farmers may not be able to plant a crop at all this year — and that makes them ineligible for the next round of federal farm payments the USDA announced last week. Naig says 100-thousand acres of western Iowa farm ground in Pottawattamie, Mills and Fremont Counties was flooded in March — and in some areas, there’s still water coming through broken levees.
The federal “prevented planting” program provides payments to farmers who cannot plant a crop at all. Naig made his comments during an appearance on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program.
