North Dakota Farmers Lose Key Crop Insurance Option

Federal prevented planting coverage buy-up eliminated for 2026 growing season

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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North Dakota farmers will be without a key federal crop insurance option this year as they prepare for spring planting. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency announced last fall that it was eliminating the extra coverage option for prevented planting insurance, which had provided $3.18 billion in payments to North Dakota producers from 2010 to 2024.

Why it matters

The loss of the additional prevented planting coverage is a significant blow to North Dakota farmers, who often face wet spring conditions that can prevent them from planting crops on time. This insurance option had been an important risk management tool, especially for farmers in areas with poor drainage or smaller planting windows.

The details

The prevented planting coverage buy-up option allowed farmers to pay an additional premium to increase their insurance payouts if they were unable to plant due to weather conditions. Without this option, farmers will have less protection against losses from delayed or prevented planting. An NDSU study found that improvements in other areas of crop insurance will not make up for the loss of the extra prevented planting coverage.

  • The USDA Risk Management Agency announced the elimination of the prevented planting coverage buy-up option last fall.
  • Farmers have a March 15 deadline to make crop insurance purchases for the 2026 growing season.

The players

U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency

The federal agency that administers the federal crop insurance program and made the decision to eliminate the prevented planting coverage buy-up option.

North Dakota Farmers Union

The state's largest farm organization, whose president Matt Perdue expressed disappointment over the agency's decision.

North Dakota State University

The university's Agricultural Risk Policy Center conducted a study concluding that improvements in other areas of crop insurance will not outweigh the loss of the additional prevented planting coverage for North Dakota farmers.

Justin Quandt

A farmer from Oakes, North Dakota who normally would have invested in the additional prevented planting coverage.

Bethany Rentz

An insurance agent in Hillsboro, North Dakota who hopes the USDA will bring the extra prevented planting coverage back.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee (Instagram)

What’s next

Last month, a group of senators including Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., wrote a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins asking to undo the prevented planting changes for 2027 and beyond 'to help provide a layer of certainty when disasters beyond their control render them unable to plant a crop.'

The takeaway

The elimination of the additional prevented planting coverage option leaves North Dakota farmers with less protection against the wet spring conditions that often prevent timely planting in the state. This change highlights the ongoing challenges farmers face in managing weather-related risks and the need for flexible, responsive crop insurance programs.