An estimated sixty percent of Missouri farmers ineligible for crop insurance if USDA deadline goes into effect
JEFFERSON CITY – Gov. Jay Nixon today asked Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster to file a lawsuit to block the United States Department of Agriculture from enforcing its crop acreage reporting deadline, which for producers in northwest Missouri is today, July 15. Producers must report acreage in order to be eligible for crop insurance.
As a result of severe weather and flooding, approximately 60 percent of Missouri producers have not been able to report their acreage. On June 18, Gov. Nixon declared a state of emergency in Missouri as heavy rain, flooding and flash flooding continue to impact large portions of the state.
Yesterday, the Governor sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting an extension, citing the frequent rain and flooding this spring and summer which have severely limited the number of days suitable for fieldwork, and thus delayed planting progress.
This morning, Missouri received notification from the USDA that the extension request had been denied.
“Farmers get enough headaches from Mother Nature without any more from Uncle Sam,” Gov. Nixon said. “The heavy rainfall and flooding recently experienced in Missouri makes it impossible for the majority of Missouri producers to meet the current deadlines. A simple extension is a reasonable request, and its denial by the USDA makes no sense. That’s why I’ve asked General Koster to take action to prevent the federal government from enforcing this unreasonable deadline that would hurt the majority of Missouri’s farmers and our number one industry.”
Each year, Missouri producers must submit acreage reports to Risk Management Agency (RMA). The RMA operates and manages the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation which provides crop insurance to American farmers.
“These unprecedented weather conditions will leave our farmers with drastically reduced yields during a time when commodity prices are already severely depressed,” said Gov. Nixon. “A deadline extension is critical to ensuring that farmers have proper and accurate insurance coverage so that Missouri farm families can endure these extreme conditions.”
To date, an estimated 1.5 million acres of soybeans have not been planted and only approximately 40 percent of Missouri producers have reported their acreage to their county Farm Service Agency. These numbers indicate that many farmers in Missouri are still making planting decisions and thus have not completed their reporting.
Missouri farmers are encouraged to continue submitting reports while litigation is pursued.
“The deadline for reporting is not realistic based on this year’s conditions,” said Missouri Director of Agriculture Richard Fordyce. “The Missouri Department of Agriculture is advising producers to continue submitting their acreage reports while we pursue legal action to protect Missouri farmers.”
