Crop Insurance Rule Causing Confusion For Some
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Some Upper Midwest farmers are worried they won't qualify for crop insurance on land they couldn't plant because it was too wet.
At issue is a rule affecting whether farmers qualify for "prevented planting" payments for cropland that's too wet or dry to plant. To qualify, a farmer has to have been able to plant a crop on the land at least once in the previous four years.
Some farmers believe they won't qualify this year because of a federal memo that some believe indicates last year doesn't count toward the one-in-four requirement because it was abnormally dry.
Federal officials say farmers are misinterpreting the memo. But they won't say that 2012 may be used as a qualifying year, saying it's up to insurance providers to determine a farmer's eligibility.
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