No—not across the board. A 2025 USDA rule removed the additional prevented-planting buy-up, but the Risk Management Agency announced on August 5, 2026, that it would reinstate an additional 5% option for eligible crops associated with the August 31, 2026 filing date, beginning with the 2027 crop year. Which rule applies depends on the crop and its dates, so producers should check with their crop-insurance agent.
What happened to prevented-planting buy-up coverage?
The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation’s Expanding Access to Risk Protection (EARP) final rule removed the administrative option that let producers buy additional prevented-planting coverage. Before its removal, the option provided an indemnity payment 5% above basic prevented-planting coverage in exchange for a higher premium. The option had been offered through annual Risk Management Agency (RMA) notifications. The final rule took effect November 30, 2025.
That removal was later reversed in part. On August 5, 2026, RMA announced that it was reinstating the additional 5% option for crops associated with the August 31, 2026 filing date, for the 2027 and succeeding crop years. RMA’s announcement does not mean every crop or producer automatically has the option; confirm its availability for your crop and policy with your insurance agent.
Which crop years and dates matter?
The 2025 rule’s effective date did not create one universal start date for all crops. Its phase-in depended on the crop’s contract change date. The later reinstatement uses a filing-date threshold and applies to 2027 and succeeding crop years.
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| Change | Timing and applicability | What producers should verify |
|---|---|---|
| Removal under the EARP final rule | Effective November 30, 2025. Applied beginning with the 2026 crop year for crops with a November 30, 2025 contract change date, and beginning with the 2027 crop year for crops with an earlier contract change date. | The crop’s contract change date and the policy provisions for its crop year. |
| Reinstatement announced by RMA | Additional 5% option begins for crops associated with the August 31, 2026 filing date and applies to the 2027 and succeeding crop years. | Whether the crop and filing date qualify, and whether the election is available under the producer’s policy. |
The removal dates are specified in the final rule and RMA’s implementation bulletin; the reinstatement timing is in RMA’s August 2026 announcement. Because the two changes use different dates and crop-year rules, do not assume the option’s status based only on the calendar year.
Why did USDA remove the option?
In the final rule, FCIC said the buy-up mainly benefited farmers in the Dakotas seeking to plant in the Prairie Pothole Region, where the agency said most prevented-planting crop-insurance payments were made. FCIC also said it viewed the option as unnecessary given Congress’s history of providing ad hoc disaster assistance for widespread flooding. Those statements describe the agency’s rationale; they are not, by themselves, an evaluation of how the rule affected individual farms.
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What prevented planting means for a claim
USDA generally describes prevented planting as a failure to plant an insured crop with proper equipment by the final planting date because of an insured cause of loss. If you do not intend or are unable to plant, USDA says to notify your insurance agent within 72 hours after the final planting date. Check your policy and contact your agent about the required notice and documentation for your situation. USDA’s prevented or delayed planting guidance explains reporting and acreage options.
RMA’s EARP implementation bulletin also says the insured-land requirement was removed from the “1-in-4” rule. A producer must still show that the land was planted and harvested, or adjusted for an insurable cause of loss, in one of the four previous crop years. The buy-up’s reinstatement does not change these separate eligibility and reporting requirements.
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What to do before choosing coverage
- Ask your crop-insurance agent whether the additional 5% option is available for your crop, county, filing date, and crop year.
- Review the current policy documents for the basic prevented-planting coverage, any available election, and its premium.
- If planting may be prevented or delayed, follow the policy’s notice requirements; USDA’s general guidance calls for notice within 72 hours after the final planting date when you do not intend or are unable to plant.
- Ask your agent about cover crops and other options for acreage that could not be planted. These are separate provisions and are not changed by the buy-up’s return.
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