Frequently Asked Questions

Irrigated Prevented Planting - Republican River in Nebraska

May 30, 2013

The Topeka Regional Office has received a number of inquiries regarding the question below.

Q: The state government issued a Compact Call on the Republican River for 2013. As a result, inflows captured after January 1, 2013 in any of the 5 reservoirs from which irrigation water is delivered are not available to surface water irrigators. As a surface water irrigator supplied by one of these reservoirs, am I eligible for a prevented planting payment on the acres I cannot plant and irrigate?
A: Prevented planting payments can only be made if the producer was unable to plant due to an insured cause of loss. Specifically the Common Crop Insurance Policy basic provisions states prevented planting coverage will be provided against drought, failure of the irrigation water supply, failure or breakdown of irrigation equipment or facilities, or the inability to prepare the land for irrigation using your established irrigation method, due to an insured cause of loss.

Therefore, if the reason for the Compact Call is due to an insured cause of loss occurring within the prevented planting insurance period, the acres that could not be planted and insured under an irrigated practice may be eligible for a prevented planting payment. Section C of the prevented planting loss adjustment standards handbook contains provisions for determining whether an insured peril prevented the insured from planting the crop. “Decreased allocations resulting from the diversion of water for environmental or other reasons is not an insurable cause of loss unless the diversion is made necessary due to an insured cause of loss.” An analysis of precipitation data from March 2012 through March 2013 shows that the Republican River Basin received approximately 58% of normal precipitation. Surface water irrigators that can demonstrate their irrigation source relies on precipitation during the insurance period to replenish their irrigation supply may be eligible for a prevented planting payment. Producers must establish that normal precipitation occurring within the insurance period would have provided a reasonable expectation that their source of irrigation water would have been adequate to irrigate the claimed prevented planting acres.

Insured producers should contact their crop insurance agent.

Contact Information

For more information, contact the Topeka Regional Office.