Kankakee, IL — In 2022, USDA announced the expansion of insurance coverage for double cropping for 2023 to support food production and lower costs for American families. Double cropping allows farmers to plant a second crop on the same land in the same year, helping to boost production without relying on farmers to substitute crops or cultivate new land.
As part of this commitment, USDA expanded double crop insurance opportunities in nearly 1,500 counties where double cropping is viable. With the expansion in 2023:
•USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) processed 4,166 new requests for coverage in the states where insurance for double cropping was expanded or made easier. This includes 1,611 new requests for coverage for second crop grain sorghum in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, and 2,555 requests for coverage for second crop soybeans in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin.
•In states where double cropping coverage was expanded or made easier, nearly one million additional acres were insured, representing a more than 43% increase in insurance coverage for second crop acres compared to the 2014-2022 average.
•In states where double cropping coverage was expanded or made easier, there was a significant increase in winter wheat plantings. For example, Illinois saw a nearly 40% increase, Ohio saw a more than 30% increase, and Michigan saw a 21.5% increase.
