Economic

Research

Service

Economic 

Information

Bulletin

Number 125

May 2014

United States Department of Agriculture

Multi-Cropping Practices: 

Recent Trends in Double Cropping 

Allison Borchers

Elizabeth Truex-Powell

Steven Wallander

Cynthia Nickerson
Economic Research Service 

www.ers.usda.gov

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Recommended citation format for this publication:

Borchers, Allison, Elizabeth Truex-Powell, Steven Wallander, and Cynthia Nickerson. 

Multi-Cropping Practices: Recent Trends in Double Cropping, EIB-125. 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, May 2014.

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United States Department of Agriculture

Economic 

Research 

Service

Economic

Information

Bulletin

Number 125

May 2014

Multi-Cropping Practices: 

Recent Trends in Double Cropping

Allison Borchers, Elizabeth Truex-Powell, 

Steven Wallander, and Cynthia Nickerson

Abstract

Over the last decade, growing demand for agricultural commodities—for both food and 

fuel—has increased the incentives for farm operators to increase production. One way to 

expand production and potentially increase the return to farming is by intensifying the use 

of existing cropland. One form of intensification is double cropping—the harvest of two 

crops from the same field in a given year. From 1999 to 2012 double cropping occurred 

on about 2 percent of total cropland in most years. Soybeans were, on average, the most 

common crop found on double-cropped acres over this time period, and, in 2012, winter 

wheat most commonly preceded these soybean plantings. However, regional and temporal 

variation is apparent in all double-cropping trends, likely indicating farmers’ responsiveness to local conditions and changing market incentives. Although double cropping has 

the potential to limit the environmental consequences associated with cropland expansion 

(such as increased soil erosion and loss of wildlife habitat or carbon sinks) as U.S. farmers 

increase production to meet growing global demand, it also may introduce negative environmental consequences of its own. The trends and analysis provided in this report are 

intended to support future discussion on the factors influencing its use and help inform 

discussions about the merits of expanding its use.

Keywords: Multi-cropping; double cropping; June Area Survey; crop combinations

Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the reviews by Roger Claassen, USDA, Economic Research Service; 

Tom Worth, USDA, Risk Management Agency; Art Barnaby, Kansas State University, 

Agricultural Economics Department; and one anonymous external reviewer. They would 

also like to thank Maria Williams for editorial input and Cynthia Ray for design support.

About the Authors

Allison Borchers, Steven Wallander, and Cynthia Nickerson are economists in the USDA, 

Economic Research Service (ERS). Elizabeth Truex-Powell, a former ERS research 

intern, is currently a PhD candidate in Agricultural, Environmental, and Development 

Economics at Ohio State University.
ii

Multi-Cropping Practices: Recent Trends in Double-Cropping, EIB-125

Economic Research Service/USDA

Contents

Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Double Cropping As One Type of Multi-Cropping Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Economic Benefits and Barriers to Double Cropping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Double-Cropped Acreage by Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Prevalence of Soybeans in Double-Cropping Combinations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Winter Crop Choices by Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Change in Double-Cropped Acreage Over Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Relationship of Programs and Policies to Prevalence of Double Cropping Practices. . . . . . . . 11

Conclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Multi-Cropping Practices: 

Recent Trends in Double-Cropping

Allison Borchers, Elizabeth Truex-Powell, Steven Wallander, and 

Cynthia Nickerson

What Is the Issue?

Over the last decade, growing demand for agricultural commodities—for both food and fuel—

has increased the incentives for farm operators to increase production. One way to expand 

production is by expanding cropland acres. However, cropland expansion is not without negative 

environmental consequences. A recent ERS study found that about one-third of the expansion 

in harvested corn crop acreage represented shifts from hay production, Conservation Reserve 

Program (CRP) enrollment, or grazing land use—all of which provide important environmental 

benefits, such as wildlife habitat and carbon reduction. 

Another way to expand production and potentially increase the economic returns to farming is 

to intensify the use of existing cropland. Multi-cropping practices offer various strategies for 

intensification by allowing multiple uses of a single field during a single time period (such as 

a calendar year). The four main multi-cropping practices are cover cropping, integrated croplivestock systems, woodland-based systems (such as woodland pasture and agroforestry), and 

double cropping. 

This report focuses on double cropping, which involves the harvest of two crops from the same 

field in a given year. Double cropping may substitute for expanding cropland acreage and may 

have fewer negative environmental consequences. The authors developed a baseline analysis of 

U.S. double-cropping patterns from 1999 to 2012 and briefly explored the role that farm programs 

may have in farmers’ double-cropping decisions. It is intended to support future discussion on 

the factors influencing its use and on the merits of expanding its use.

What Did the Study Find?

From 1999 to 2012, double cropping occurred on only about 2 percent of total U.S. cropland in most years, suggesting that relatively few farmers are choosing to adopt this practice. In 

comparison, from 2006 to 2011, an average of 1 to 2 percent of cropland acres were reported to 

be cover cropped, and 11 to 26 percent of planted acres for selected crops were grazed following 

harvest (an example of an integrated crop-livestock system).

The Southeast and Midwest contained the greatest total double-cropped land. The Southeast 

had about one-third of total U.S. double-cropped acreage (with an average 2.7 million acres), 

and the Midwest had slightly more than one-fifth (with an average 1.8 million acres). The Pacific 

Northwest contained the least double-cropped acreage, with an average 92,000 acres. These 

United States Department of Agriculture

A report summary from the Economic Research Service May 2014

ERS is a primary source 

of economic research and 

analysis from the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 

providing timely information on economic and policy 

issues related to agriculture, 

food, the environment, and 

rural America.

Find the full report 

at www.ers.usda.

gov/publications/eibeconomic-informationbulletin/eib125.aspx

Economic

Research

Service

Economic 

Information

Bulletin

Number 125

May 2014

United States Department of Agriculture

Multi-Cropping Practices: 

Recent Trends in Double-Cropping 

Allison Borchers

Elizabeth Truex-Powell

Steven Wallander

Cynthia Nickerson

www.ers.usda.gov
regional differences can be partly attributed to factors such as climate. For example, the Southeast’s larger acreage 

share reflects its longer growing season.

Viewed as shares of each region’s total cropland, double cropping was most common in the Northeast, Southeast, 

and Southwest regions. The Northeast had the highest share (with nearly 10 percent of its cropland double cropped, on 

average), while the Northern Plains had the lowest share (with less than 0.5 percent double cropped, on average). The 

large Northeast acreage share suggests that the constraints short growing seasons pose to double cropping can be overcome with alternative crop combinations, production practices, or the use of new technologies, such as hybrid seeds. 

Changing commodity prices are likely one factor in the decision to double crop. Over time, total double-cropped 

acreage tracked trends in soybean, winter wheat, and corn prices. When commodity prices were increasing or were 

relatively high at the time of planting decisions, the total double-cropped acreage also increased.

Slightly more than half of double-cropped acreage included soybeans. Nationally, an average of 53 percent of total 

double-cropped acres were double cropped with soybeans. Within the Southeast, soybeans represented a much larger 

share of double-cropped acreage than in other regions.

Crop insurance restrictions—including higher premiums tied to double cropping in some locations, or difficulty 

obtaining insurance for second crops—may discourage farmers from double cropping. However, if the market 

or environmental incentives for double cropping change, the crop insurance program has sufficient flexibility to avoid 

becoming a long-run constraint on double cropping. 

How Was the Study Conducted?

The analysis relies primarily on data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (NASS) June Area Survey 

(JAS) to report on these trends. Data were also compiled from the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS), 

which is jointly administered by the Economic Research Service (ERS) and NASS, to investigate the double-cropping 

combinations farmers use. The USDA’s Risk Management Agency’s (RMA) county-level actuarial master data are 

explored to discuss the possible impacts of programs and policies on double-cropping decisions. 

The Southeast leads the Nation in total double-cropped acreage, 1999-2012

Note: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations of double-cropped acreage using USDA, National Agricultural 

Statistics Service (NASS) June Area Survey data. Estimates are weighted with NASS-supplied survey weights. 

Regions were derived from hydrologic unit code boundaries.

Acres double-cropped (millions)

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

1999 00 01

Southeast Midwest Southern Plains

Northeast Southwest Northern Plains

Pacific Northwest

02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

www.ers.usda.gov
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Multi-Cropping Practices: 

Recent Trends in Double Cropping

Introduction

Over the last decade, growing demand for agricultural commodities—for both food and fuel—has 

increased the incentives for farm operators to increase production. One way to expand production 

is by expanding cropland acres. A recent ERS study found that about one-third of the expansion in 

harvested corn crop acreage represented shifts from hay production, Conservation Reserve Program 

(CRP) enrollment, or grazing land use (Wallander et al., 2011). Cropland expansion is not without 

negative environmental consequences. Land that remains in hay, grazing, and CRP provides important environmental services, such as wildlife habitat (Claassen et al., 2011) and carbon reduction 

benefits (Horowitz and Gottlieb, 2010). 

Another way to expand production and potentially increase the economic returns to farming is by intensifying the use of existing cropland. One form of intensification is double cropping—the harvesting 

of two crops from the same field in a given year. Increases in double cropping may substitute for 

expanding cropland acreage and may have fewer negative environmental consequences, although 

limited evidence exists either to support or refute this claim. In this report, we develop a baseline 

analysis of regional and temporal variation in double-cropping adoption in the continental United 

States as a first step to better understand factors influencing its use and help inform discussions about 

the merits of expanding its use. 
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Double Cropping As One Type of Multi-Cropping Practice 

Double cropping is one practice in a suite of practices known as multi-cropping. Multi-cropping 

encompasses numerous ways farmers can use one piece of land in a single time period, usually a 

growing season or calendar year. There are four broad types of multi-cropping: double cropping, 

cover cropping, integrated crop-livestock systems, and woodland-based systems such as woodland 

pasture and agroforestry. While all types have financial and environmental implications, they differ 

in important ways.

Strictly defined “double cropping” refers to the harvesting of two crops or commodities in a calendar 

year, such as winter wheat in the spring and soybeans in the fall. (See box, “Data and Definitions,” for 

the more expansive definition used for the analysis in this report.) Some vegetable crops that are sown 

multiple times per year would count as double cropped, but crops that are sown once and harvested 

multiple times (such as hay) are generally treated as a single crop with yields reported to account for 

the multiple harvests. “Cover cropping” involves planting two crops but harvesting only one crop. 

Among other environmental benefits, cover crops are often used to maintain soil moisture or incorporate organic matter back into the soil. “Integrated crop-livestock systems” involve harvesting one crop 

and then putting livestock to forage on either residue or a second crop. 

“Dual-purpose crops”—a common type of crop-livestock system—are grazed by livestock either 

before crop maturation or after harvest. Examples of dual-purpose crops are winter wheat and 

winter rye. “Woodland-based multi-cropping” consists of any system that incorporates trees or tree 

products. “Agroforestry” is a unique land management approach that intentionally blends agriculture and forestry to enhance productivity, profitability, and environmental stewardship (FS, 2013). 

“Woodland pasture” is also a common land use that uses woodland for grazing and pasturing livestock while timber products mature. Table 1 shows typical acreages of these multi-cropping systems 

in the United States.

Table 1

Multi-cropping prevalence varies by practice 

Share of acreage Estimated acreage

Double cropping1 2-3 percent of cropland in a 

given year

About 6 to 11 million acres in a 

given year

Cover cropping2 1-2 percent of cropland 6 to 7.7 million acres

Integrated cropland-livestock 

systems2

11-26 percent of planted acreage 

for selected crops is grazed

 following harvest

Over 20 million acres based on 

corn and winter wheat estimates

Woodland-based systems:

Agroforestry (alley cropping, 

multi-story cropping, silvopasture)3

Not available About 15,000 acres in 2011

(includes acres enrolled in 

USDA programs only)

Woodland pasture4 38 percent of woodland in farms; 

varies significantly by region. About 28 million acres

Sources: 1USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) estimates based on 1999-2012 June Area Survey; 2ERS estimates 

based on 2006-2011 Agricultural Resource Management Survey; 3data provided by the USDA Forest Service; 4ERS 

estimates based on 2007 Census of Agriculture.
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Each type of multi-cropping practice has distinct costs and benefits, including adoption incentives 

arising from policy and market interactions. Each practice also carries unique environmental implications. Because double cropping intensifies production more clearly than do other multi-cropping 

practices, it is unique from a policy perspective. USDA policies that could influence double cropping 

(such as crop insurance and commodity programs) tend to be distinct from USDA policies that target 

cover cropping or agroforestry adoption (such as conservation programs). For that reason, this report 

focuses on the trends, possible drivers, and policy implications of double cropping.

Data and Definitions

This report mainly relies on data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) 

June Area Survey (JAS), which collects information on acreage and land use from farmers 

each June. The JAS is based on a probability area frame with an annual sample of about 11,000 

“segments” of approximately 1 square mile. The JAS segment-level data identify acres of land 

use by category—cropland (including by crop type), pasture, woodland, idled land as well as 

other land. The JAS data also include farm operation information, including land uses, production specialties, farm real estate values, and more. Data are collected from all farmers operating 

within the sampled segments, and segments are surveyed longitudinally over several consecutive years. This report analyzes data from the years 1999 through 2012.

Farmers are asked about the total acreage on which they double crop. In this report, the term 

“double cropping” follows the JAS definition. While a more strict definition of double cropping 

involves harvesting two crops or commodities, such as soybeans following wheat, the JAS questionnaire uses a slightly more expansive definition of double cropping: “two crops planted in 

this field or two uses of the same crop.” It is possible the survey captures a broader definition of 

double-cropping including harvest and forage systems that are more typically considered croplivestock systems, as well as cover cropping. To test whether JAS-based numbers reflect actual 

harvesting of multiple crops, the JAS estimates were compared to estimates based on the 2007 

Census of Agriculture. Whereas JAS asks explicitly about double cropping, the census does not. 

Estimates of double cropping from the census can be inferred only by comparing harvested 

acreages to total land in production. This method of inferring double-cropped acreage produces 

a census-based estimate that is 7 percent larger than the 2007 JAS-based estimate, suggesting 

the JAS data conservatively estimates double-cropping activity. 

The JAS also elicits data on the acreage of double-cropped soybeans, which is analyzed in this 

report, but it does not provide information on the double-cropping combinations farmers use. To 

close that data gap, this report also analyzes data from the Agricultural Resource Management 

Survey (ARMS), an annual, nationally representative survey jointly administered by ERS and 

NASS. ARMS includes a field based, crop-specific survey that captures detailed crop sequence 

histories. Because different crops are targeted in different years, this report examines the history 

of prior winter crops for fields that were sown with spring crops of corn in 2010 and soybeans 

in 2012. 
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Economic Benefits and Barriers to Double Cropping 

In 2012, U.S. farmers double cropped about 2.2 percent of cropland, or 8.7 million acres, slightly more 

than the average of 8.2 million acres double cropped during the 1999-2012 period. Between years and 

across regions, the prevalence of double cropping varied considerably as farmers responded to local 

conditions, such as weather, climate, and market incentives.

Both economic and environmental concerns motivate the recent interest in double cropping 

(Searchinger et al., 2013; Siebert et al., 2010). Besides avoiding the negative environmental consequences sometimes associated with cropland expansion, increases in double cropping may offer other 

environmental or economic benefits. For example, in some applications, double cropping can reduce 

fertilizer requirements (Heggenstaller et al., 2008). Also, by reducing the exposure of soil between 

harvest periods, double cropping can help protect soil from wind and water erosion. However, in other 

cases, double cropping may require additional inputs, such as pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer, irrigation water, or use of conventional tillage, which can have negative environmental impacts.

Economic benefits of double cropping include the potential of additional revenue from a second crop 

on the same land base. Increased returns may derive from selling a second commodity, particularly 

if fixed costs (such as tractors) can be spread over more production (Beuerlein, 2001). Plus, technological advances such as early maturing seed varieties and no-till equipment may facilitate the adoption of double cropping (Shapiro, Brorsen, and Doster 1992) and make it more economically viable. 

However, the fairly low adoption rate for double cropping suggests economic barriers limit its use. 

Although a second crop can provide additional revenue, it often lowers per-crop yields because of the 

potentially shortened growing time available for each crop, which can reduce the farm’s total annual 

revenue potential (Egli and Bruening, 2000). 

In addition, production costs may increase when adding a second crop, and in some situations, double 

cropping may be riskier than growing a single crop. For example, double cropping may be more 

susceptible to moisture and weather variations within the growing season, and therefore, yields might 

be more variable (Burton et al., 1996). These barriers to double-cropping adoption may be reinforced 

by Federal crop insurance or commodity program provisions that exempt double-cropped fields from 

program participation if farms are located in areas where the chosen double-cropped combinations are 

not widely accepted as a viable practice by local agricultural experts.

Much of the evidence on which farmers double crop (and if so, how often) is anecdotal. Climate 

differences undoubtedly help explain differences in double cropping where regions with longer 

growing seasons provide more double-cropping opportunities (Shapiro et al., 1992). Similarly, fluctuations in annual weather may influence differences across years. For example, warmer winters 

or springs allow more farmers in a given region to follow their winter crops with a spring crop. 

Commodity prices may also play a role, with higher prices providing larger incentives to double 

crop (Marra and Carlson, 1990). 
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Multi-Cropping Practices: Recent Trends in Double-Cropping, EIB-125

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Double-Cropped Acreage by Region 

The prevalence of double cropping varies notably by region. In total double-cropped acreage, the 

Southeast, Midwest, and Southern Plains regions lead the country (fig. 1). On average, about onethird of the total double-cropped acreage over 1999-2012 was in the Southeast (2.7 million acres on 

average), and slightly more than one-fifth was in the Midwest (1.8 million acres on average).

However, relative to each region’s total cropland acreage, the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest 

all demonstrate larger shares of cropland use in double cropping than the remaining regions (fig. 1). 

The Northeast had the largest share of double-cropped acreage (nearly 10 percent, on average, of the 

region’s total cropland), and the Northern Plains had the smallest (less than 0.5 percent on average).

Figure 1

Average double-cropped acreages vary by region, 1999-2012

Midwest

1.61% Southwest

5.32%

Southeast

7.47%

Northern Plains

0.39%

Southern Plains

2.06%

Northeast

9.58%

Pacific Northwest

0.52%

Copyright: ©2014 Esri, DeLorme, HERE

Average acres double-cropped

0 - 150,000

150,001 - 550,000

550,001 - 1,000,000

1,000,001 - 1,500,000

1,500,001 - 3,000,000

Note: On the map, the colors correspond to the average acres double cropped, while the labels show average double-cropping acreages 

as a percent of each region’s total cropland acreage. Region boundaries are derived from U.S. Geological Survey hydrologic unit code 

boundaries.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations made using USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) June Area 

Survey data from 1999-2012. Estimates are weighted with NASS-supplied survey weights.
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Regional differences could be partly attributed to factors such as climate. The Southeast’s larger 

acreage share may reflect its longer growing season. However, the extent to which shorter growing 

seasons pose a constraint depends on which crop combinations are considered. Farmers in higher 

latitudes, which have shorter growing seasons, regularly grow winter crops. Although some common 

double-cropping combinations might not do well in those regions, the large acreage share in the 

Northeastern States suggests that growing season constraints can be overcome with alternative 

combinations or production practices. As research on double-cropping management practices and 

combinations continues and hybrid seed varieties (such as early maturing varieties that can reduce 

the negative yield impacts) become more available, more opportunities to double crop could appear 

throughout the country.
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Prevalence of Soybeans in Double-Cropping 

Combinations 

Over 1999-2012, an average of 53 percent of total double-cropped acres were double cropped with 

soybeans. The Southeast contained a much larger share of acres double cropped with soybeans than 

did other regions (table 2). From 1999 to 2012, soybeans represented 75 to 91 percent of doublecropped acreage in the Southeast but only 40 to 62 percent in the Northeast.

Winter Crop Choices by Region 

Soybeans are widely recognized as a common spring crop in double-cropped rotations, particularly in 

combination with winter wheat. To determine how widely this rotation and other common combinations are used, we examined the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) (see box, “Data 

and Definitions”). Estimates based on the smaller regions (used in table 2) were less reliable because 

of ARMS’s smaller sample sizes and the limited prevalence of double cropping. Therefore, estimates 

to consider regional variation in double-cropping combinations were based on two broad regions, 

Northern and Southern States (as defined in table 3).

Table 2

Soybeans form a much greater share of double-cropped acres in the Southeast than in 

other regions 

Percentage of double-cropped acres 

that include soybeans, 1999-2012

Region Average Minimum Maximum

Southeast 83 75 91

Midwest 56 44 74

Northeast 49 40 62

Northern Plains 34 17 54

Southern Plains 31 14 48

Pacific Northwest N/A N/A N/A

Southwest N/A N/A N/A

National 53 44 65

Note: Estimates are weighted with USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)-supplied survey weights. Region 

definitions are derived from U.S. Geological Survey hydrologic unit code boundaries. N/A = Not available.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations made using NASS June Area Survey data. 
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In both regions, winter wheat is the most common winter crop used in combination with soybeans. 

An estimated 84 percent of double-cropped soybean acreage in the South and 61 percent in the 

North followed winter wheat in 2012 (table 3). The pattern is similar when the second crop is corn. 

In 2010, winter wheat preceded 63 percent of double-cropped corn acreage in the South and 26 

percent in the North.

In Northern areas where winter wheat is less attractive for double-cropping, rye is often used instead. 

Rye-corn is the most common combination for double-cropped corn in the North, representing just 

over half of total double-cropped corn acres in 2010. In some Northern areas, such as New England, 

the harvest of rye for silage rather than grain may drive the prevalence of this combination.

Beyond the four most common combinations—winter wheat-corn, winter wheat-soy, rye-corn, and 

rye-soy—farmers use many other double-cropping combinations. Hay-corn, oats-corn, and clover/

other grasses-corn are all observed in the ARMS data, in addition to many other crop combinations 

(as noted in table 3).

Table 3

Winter wheat is the most common winter crop to precede soybeans and corn

Share of double-cropped acreage by prior crop (percent)

Soybeans in 2012 Corn in 2010

Region

Winter 

wheat Rye

Other 

crops1

Winter 

wheat Rye

Alfalfa 

and other 

hay Oats

Clover 

and other 

grasses

Other 

crops1

Northern2,3 60.9 19.4 19.74 26.0 53.0 4.4 5.5 1.8 9.35

Southern6,7 83.5 2.5 14.08 63.3 24.4 1.5 3.0 0.8 6.79

Note: Estimates are weighted with USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service-supplied survey weights.

1“Other crops” are aggregated due to the limited sample size of farms engaging in double cropping.

2Northern States in the soybean sample are IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, NE, ND, OH, SD, and WI.

3Northern States in the corn sample are IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, NE, NY, ND, PA, OH, SD, and WI.

4Includes (in descending order of estimated acreage) alfalfa, other grasses, oats, other hay, triticale, and barley.

5Includes (in descending order of estimated acreage) barley, vegetables, triticale, buckwheat, and radishes.

6Southern States in the soybean sample are AR, KS, KY, LA, MS, MO, NC, TN, and VA.

7Southern States in the corn sample are CO, GA, KS, KY, MO, NC, and TX.

8Includes (in descending order of estimated acreage) sorghum, barley, sugarcane, oats, clover, triticale, other hay, alfalfa, and Austrian peas.

9Includes (in descending order of estimated acreage) barley, sorghum, triticale, dry peas, and vegetables.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations based on the Agricultural Resources Management Survey Phase II in 2010 (corn) and 

2012 (soybeans).
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Change in Double-Cropped Acreage Over Time 

Double-cropped acreage has varied from year to year. In 2008, almost 10.9 million acres were double 

cropped nationally, marking the greatest annual double-cropped acreage between 1999 and 2012. In 

2010, double-cropped acreage was at its lowest during this time period, with only 5.5 million acres.

Because decisions about double cropping are made annually, fluctuations are likely as farmers respond 

to changing market and weather conditions. Higher commodity prices, for example, give farmers 

more incentive to intensify production and could offset revenue shortfalls from lower potential yields 

when double cropping. From 2004 to 2012, total double-cropped acreage parallels soybean, winter 

wheat, and corn prices. When commodity prices at the time of planting decisions were increasing or 

relatively high, total double-cropped acreage also increased. Total double-cropped acreage peaked at 

10.9 million acres in 2008, when prices for soybeans, winter wheat, and corn also peaked. In 2005 

and 2010, nearly every region witnessed declines in double-cropped acreage (fig. 2) amid commodity 

price declines (fig. 3).

Figure 2

The Southeast leads the Nation in total double-cropped acreage, 1999-2012

Note: Estimates are weighted with USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)-supplied survey weights. 

Regions are derived from U.S. Geological Survey hydrologic unit code boundaries (see figure 1).

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations of double cropping acreage based on NASS, June Area Survey.

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

1999 00 01

Southeast Midwest Southern Plains

Northeast Southwest Northern Plains

Pacific Northwest

02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

Acres double-cropped (millions)
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Figure 3

Changes in double-cropped acreage roughly mirror commodity prices

Source: USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service June Area Survey; USDA, Economic Research Service 

Historical Forecast Prices.

Index (2009=100)

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Double-cropped acreage August wheat prices

February soybean prices February corn prices

1999 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
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Relationship of Programs and Policies to Prevalence of 

Double-Cropping Practices

USDA policies can influence farmer decisions about whether or not to double crop. Agronomic 

research, supported by Federal funds, may encourage double cropping over the long run by developing crop varieties or production practices that help overcome technological or other barriers. For 

example, new barley cultivars allow for greater timing flexibility and decreased inputs resulting in 

improved profitability of double-crop options (USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, 

2013). Conversely, Federal commodity programs and farm safety net programs include provisions 

that may reduce the incentives to double crop by reducing commodity payments, increasing premium 

costs, or restricting program eligibility. For example, double cropping fruits and vegetables on base 

acres was eligible for direct and countercyclical program payments only in regions with a history of 

double cropping (Johnson et al., 2006, p. 3). 

Because farm income can vary widely with fluctuating prices, yields, weather, and pests, many farmers 

use crop insurance to manage these risks. Over 83 percent of planted soybean, corn, and wheat acres 

were enrolled in some type of Federal crop insurance program in 2012 (FCIC, 2013B; NASS, 2013). 

Crop insurance coverage related explicitly to double cropping changed from 1999 to 2012. The importance of having crop insurance suggests that changes in Federal insurance coverage will affect doublecropping decisions. 

Insurance policies administered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) are available for 

specific crops at federally subsidized rates, but RMA insurance programs include provisions that may 

have implications for double-cropping practices. All RMA insurance provisions are designed under 

the expertise of agronomists and vary by region to accommodate the significant regional diversity 

in crop production best practices. For example, RMA’s Crop Insurance Handbook indicates that, 

whether or not a first crop is insured, for a second crop to be insured, double cropping must (at a 

minimum) be “a practice that is recognized by agricultural experts...in the area” where the farm 

is located (FCIC, 2014, paragraph 611). In addition, both crops must be covered in the county and, 

subject to a few exceptions, producers must usually provide records demonstrating a history of double 

cropping. These provisions are in place so that good—and not risky—farming practices are insured. 

Nevertheless, these provisions may affect double-cropping decisions in two ways.

First, where double cropping is insurable, RMA often provides county-specific actuarial ratings based 

on a double-cropping (“following another crop”) practice to account for the differences in expected 

yield and in production risk. However, county-specific ratings are available in only 689 of the 2,281 

counties with any crop insurance ratings (fig. 4). Generally, these ratings result in higher premiums to 

insure the primary crop when double cropping, a potential disincentive for farmers considering double 

cropping, but designed to reflect the underlying risk associated with the practice. 

Second, in the majority of counties (those not highlighted in figure 4), if a farmer chooses to double 

crop, the second crop may not be insurable unless it can be insured through written agreement (FCIC, 

2013A, paragraph 49), since a standard policy is not available. The non-standardized nature of 

obtaining insurance for a second crop may make farmers in these counties less responsive to higher 

commodity prices and weather conditions favorable for double cropping. 

Currently, counties without double-cropping insurance coverage tend to have less historical precedent for double cropping. However, the Federal crop insurance programs are flexible enough to 

evolve as changes in technological, market, or climate conditions support expansion of double crop-
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ping into areas where it was previously uncommon. Indeed, between 1999 and 2012, RMA expanded 

the number of counties with double-cropping actuarial ratings for dry beans, cotton, and, especially, 

soybeans, based on recognition by agricultural experts. RMA also reduced the number of counties 

with ratings for double-cropped sorghum (table 4). A policy challenge for the crop insurance program 

is to continue to decide whether and when to extend insurance to additional counties to avoid imposing 

disincentives on farmers wishing to double crop without unintentionally subsidizing risky farming 

practices through insurance coverage and premium levels that are not actuarially sound. Testing the 

impact of crop insurance coverage on double-cropping decisions is beyond the scope of this report, 

which is targeted at developing baseline numbers on adoption rates, but the recent changes in actuarial ratings for double cropping suggest that a lack of flexibility in insurance policy is not a longrun 

constraint on double cropping.

Copyright: ©2013 Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ

Figure 4

Most counties do not have USDA, Risk Management Agency double-cropping actuarial ratings

Note: Double-cropping ratings are in effect for the following crops: cotton, beans, grain sorghum, soybeans, and buckwheat. Counties with at 

least one double-cropping actuarial rating in 2012 are shown in dark green.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations based on Risk Management Agency (RMA) actuarial rating data for 2012 

(http://www.rma.usda.gov/ftp/References/actuarial_data_master/).
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Table 4

Counties with RMA double-cropping insurance ratings have changed over time

Number of U.S. counties with RMA double-cropping insurance ratings

Crop in 1999 Change by 2012

Beans 44 +3

Cotton 125 +1

Soybeans 186 +323

Sorghum 80 -23

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations based on USDA, Risk Management Agency (RMA) actuarial 

rating data for 1999 and 2012 (http://www.rma.usda.gov/ftp/References/actuarial_data_master/). 
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Conclusions

From 1999 to 2012, double-cropped acreage did not rise with any discernible long-term trend—nationally, double cropping occurred on about 2 percent of total cropland in most years. However, regional 

and temporal variation is apparent, likely indicating farmers’ responsiveness to local conditions and 

market incentives. Higher rates of double cropping in some regions likely stem from longer growing 

seasons. Changes in commodity prices and weather conditions also likely contribute to variation in 

double-cropped acreage from year to year. Crop insurance restrictions—including higher premiums 

tied to double cropping in some locations or difficulty obtaining insurance for second crops—may 

discourage farmers from double cropping. However, changes over time in actuarial ratings for double 

cropping demonstrate that the crop insurance program has sufficient flexibility to avoid becoming a 

longrun constraint on double cropping if the market or environmental incentives for double cropping 

change.

Although double cropping may introduce negative environmental consequences of its own, double 

cropping has the potential to limit the environmental consequences associated with cropland expansion (such as increased soil erosion and loss of wildlife habitat or carbon sinks) as U.S. farmers 

increase production to meet growing global demand. Despite the fact that at least some farmers in 

every region of the country find double cropping profitable, the majority of cropland acres are not 

double cropped. Future research may illuminate the barriers to double cropping, further explore the 

impact of Federal programs and policies on double-cropping decisions, and continue to examine the 

merits of expanding its use.
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