Overview
As part of a broader set of commitments made by President Biden and Secretary Vilsack to increase domestic food production amid potential global food shortages related to the invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is simplifying sign-up and expanding double cropping coverage availability for the 2023 crop year. These efforts will help enable agricultural producers to have coverage on two crops on the same land each year, such as spring planted soybeans or grain sorghum following the harvest of a crop such as winter wheat.
In General:
The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds agricultural producers that for the 2023 crop year there may be options for insuring double crop soybeans or grain sorghum and other crops in counties where the Following Another Crop (FAC) practice is not available.
- Producers intending to plant soybeans or grain sorghum after wheat and other fall seeded crops in counties where double crop insurance coverage is not available, may have the option to request coverage by applying for a written agreement through their crop insurance agent.
- In addition, producers in some areas of the country also have the option to request coverage for soybeans planted into wheat using a relay cropping practice, which is where a second-planted crop (“relay crop”) is planted (using a generally recognized seeding rate) into an established crop (other than a cover crop) where the crops are planted in a manner that allows separate agronomic maintenance and harvest of the crops.
Please see the attached resources below outlining the details of the initiative and requirements to apply for coverage.
Announcements
- July 12, 2022 USDA Makes It Easier for American Farmers to Grow Food, Ease Burdens for American Families
- May 11, 2022 Remarks by President Biden on Supporting Farmers and American Families
Bulletins
- MGR-23-007 - Relay Cropping Practice Insurable by Written Agreement for Soybeans seeded into a small grain crop or camelina for the 2024 and Succeeding Crop Years
- IS-23-003 - Following Another Crop Written Agreement Details for 2024
- IS-22-003 - Following Another Crop Written Agreement Details for 2023
- MGR-22-009 – Relay Cropping Practice Insurable by Written Agreement
Maps of Double Cropping Expansion
2025
2024
2023
Frequently Asked Questions
- Double Crop Written Agreements - February 2023
- Double Cropping – Expanded Insurance Coverage - July 2022
- Double Cropping Initiative – October 2022
Regional Specific Underwriting Guidance
- Billings, MT
- Jackson, MS
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Raleigh, NC
- Springfield, IL
- St. Paul, MN
- Topeka, KS
- Valdosta, GA