Billings RO: USDA Expands Insurance Options For Conservation-Minded Corn Farmers

BILLINGS, Mont., Dec. 6, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) today announced that it has expanded the Post-Application Coverage Endorsement (PACE) insurance option for corn farmers who “split-apply” nitrogen.  

To “split-apply” nitrogen, growers make multiple fertilizer applications during the growing season rather than providing all the crop’s nitrogen requirements with a single treatment before or during planting. This practice can lead to lower input costs and helps prevent runoff and leaching of nutrients into waterways and groundwater. 

“Expanding PACE provides corn growers with critical financial protection against weather conditions that prevent timely nitrogen application, helping them manage both yield risks and environmental stewardship effectively,” said Eric Bashore, Director of RMA’s Regional Office that covers North Dakota and South Dakota.

PACE provides payments for the projected yield lost when producers are unable to apply the post/split nitrogen application during the V3 through V10 corn growth stages (from a plant with three visible collared leaves to ten visible collared leaves) due to field conditions created by weather.  

For crop year 2025, PACE will be available in all counties in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin where non-irrigated corn is insurable. See map.  

PACE is available as supplemental coverage for Yield Protection (YP), Revenue Protection (RP), and Revenue Protection with Harvest Price Exclusion (RP-HPE) policies. The next sales closing date to purchase insurance is March 15, 2025. 

This expansion builds upon RMA’s efforts to support conservation-minded farmers and ranchers. To further encourage farmers and ranchers to integrate conservation and climate-smart practices, RMA recently released an updated Good Farming Practices handbook. This updated handbook recognizes all conservation practices offered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as Good Farming Practices in crop insurance. 

More Information

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Producers can learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting their RMA Regional Office.  

RMA secures the future of agriculture by providing world class risk management tools to rural America through Federal crop insurance and risk management education programs. RMA provides policies for more than 130 crops and is constantly working to adjust and create new policies based on producer needs and feedback. 

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.

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