February 2020

FOR MORE INFORMATION 

ABOUT COVER CROPS AND 

CROP INSURANCE, VISIT:

YOUR LOCAL USDA SERVICE CENTER: 

offices.usda.gov

USDA RMA WEBSITES: 

rma.usda.gov

COVER CROPS:

go.usa.gov/xph3Q

USDA NRCS WEBSITES:

nrcs.usda.gov

SERVICE CENTERS: 

go.usa.gov/xdrzH

COVER CROPS: 

go.usa.gov/xph3P

PHOTO CREDIT HERE

Cover Crops and 

Crop Insurance

Plant cover crops and 

insure your cash crops!

Starting with the 2020 crop year, once a cash 

crop is planted, insurance attaches, meaning 

coverage begins. 

Due to the 2018 Farm Bill, planting cover 

crops no longer impacts whether 

you have insurance.

In addition, USDA’s Risk Management Agency 

(RMA), Natural Resources Conservation 

Service (NRCS), and Farm Service Agency 

(FSA) have jointly developed guidelines for 

cover crops across all USDA programs.

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender.

PLANT COVER 

CROPS AND 

INSURE YOUR 

CASH CROPS
Cover Crops 

Cover crops are crops including grasses, 

legumes and forbs used for seasonal cover and 

other conservation purposes. They are used for 

erosion control, soil health improvement, weed 

and other pest control, habitat for beneficial 

organisms, improved water efficiency, nutrient 

cycling, and water quality improvement among 

other benefits. 

Cover crop management practices will be 

reviewed under RMA rules for Good Farming 

Practice (GFP) determinations, similarly to other 

management decisions such as fertilizer and 

pesticide application, tillage, seeding rates, and 

other management practices. 

A practice is considered a GFP if agricultural 

experts support that it does not impact the 

insured crop’s ability to mature or produce the 

yield to meet the producers crop insurance 

guarantee. For additional details, please see the 

RMA Good Farming Practice Handbook.

NRCS Cover Crop 

Termination Guidelines 

The NRCS Cover Crop Termination Guidelines 

were jointly developed by NRCS, FSA, and RMA 

to promote a consistent, simple, and flexible 

policy across all USDA programs. 

The guidelines are designed to provide an 

additional level of comfort for producers, whether 

they are unfamiliar with cover crops or are 

implementing innovative cover cropping systems. 

The guidelines provide up-front assurance 

that your crop is insured and cover cropping 

management decisions will be considered a GFP. 

Producers can choose to pursue any one of 

the following options to assure that their cover 

cropping management system is considered a 

GFP:

6 Follow the termination zone guidance 

provided in the NRCS Cover Crop Termination 

Guidelines.

6 Utilize already published materials from 

agricultural experts that are applicable for the 

crop and the area that support the cover crop 

management practice as a GFP.

6 Request an exception in writing by receiving 

support from an agricultural expert approved 

and listed in the RMA Good Farming Practice 

Handbook.

When cover crops are managed and terminated 

according to agricultural expert guidance, 

including the NRCS Cover Crop Termination 

Guidelines, producers know they are using a GFP.

Cover Crop Termination means a practice that 

historically and under reasonable circumstances 

results in the termination of the growth of a 

cover crop. These include but are not limited to: 

natural causes such as frost, chemical application, 

crimping, rolling, tillage, grazing, or cutting.

Cover Crops and Crop Insurance

Once a cash crop is 

planted, insurance 

coverage begins.

Cover crops are a Good 

Farming Practice reviewed 

like all other crop 

management decisions.

Cover Crop Termination Zones

Termination zones defined in the NRCS 

guidelines are divided into zones 1-4 in different 

areas of the country.

Zonal guidance can help determine when cover 

crops should be terminated – before planting, 

at planting, or before emergence 

of the cash crop.

RMA Summerfallow Cropping 

Practices and Cover Crops

Summerfallow is a common cropping practice 

in dry regions, the ground is left fallow 

(unplanted) to benefit the cash crop planted on 

the acreage. 

6 When cover cropped for part of the 

year, the cash crop may be insurable as 

Summerfallow in NRCS Termination Zones 

1-3. See the NRCS Cover Crop Termination 

Guidelines for more information.

Zone 1: Terminated cover crop 35 days or earlier before planting, except for RMA Summerfallow Practice

Zone 2: Terminated cover crop 15 days or earlier before planting, except for RMA Summerfallow Practice

Zone 3: Terminated cover crop at or before planting, except for RMA Summerfallow Practice

Zone 4: Terminated cover crop before crop emergence