In addition to traditional indemnification (i.e., payments for damaged or destroyed crops) prevent plant coverage may be available in cases where rain and other weather phenomena make it impossible for a producer to plant prior to the final planting date for his county. However, the Common Crop Insurance Polices also establish that prevent plant claims will not be paid where other producers “in the area” were able to plant, and the replanting and abandonment rules are complex.
Your insurer has hundreds of thousands of dollars of incentive to define “in the area” broadly, and AIPs will sometimes point to distant and dissimilar farms in an effort to claim that the cause of loss was not widespread and general to the area. Farmers may also find that even if they obey their agent’s advice on replanting to the letter, the claims adjuster will deny that they have followed proper procedure. If your prevented planting or replant claim is being unfairly denied, please call.
