Crop Insurance Reminders Before Spring Planting

As we head into April, the anticipation is building. Planters are getting prepped, monitors are being checked, and farmers across the Midwest are getting ready to go.

Before you start planting, it is important to make sure your crop insurance policy and your planting records are ready too. At PRM, we want to help you protect what you are putting in the ground from day one. That means taking care of a few key items before the seed hits the soil.

Here is what to review as you prepare for the 2025 planting season.

Final Reminders Before You Head to the Field for Spring Planting

Here is a quick checklist to run through before planting begins:

  • Review your earliest plant dates and stay compliant
  • Calibrate your planting monitor and check your field boundaries
  • Record accurate planting dates and acres by field
  • Notify PRM about any land or operation changes
  • Make sure PRM has access to your planting data

Know Your Earliest Plant Dates

This is one of the most important details to get right. Every crop and every county has an earliest plant date set by the Risk Management Agency (RMA). You can look it up here by crop, state, and practice, If you plant before that date, you risk losing certain parts of your coverage. That includes:

If you are unsure about your approved earliest plant date, your Risk Management Advisor can help you look it up. For many areas across the Midwest and Plains, those dates start in early to mid-April, depending on the crop and practice.

You can find the most common states, crop, and practices in a PRM-created chart that is easier to read here. It is a good idea to keep those dates visible. Post them in your cab or shop so anyone running equipment knows when planting is allowed for insurance purposes.

Tell PRM if Anything Has Changed Before Spring Planting

If your operation looks different this year than it did last year, be sure to notify PRM before you plant. This includes:

  • Picking up new land
  • Bringing CRP acres back into production
  • Shareholder changes for this year

These changes may impact how your coverage is structured. Waiting until after planting to update your policy could create problems with your insurance protection.

Your PRM Risk Management Advisor can review everything with you to make sure it is updated and ready to go before planting.

Keep Good Records of Planting Dates and Acres

Accurate field records are not just a good habit. They are required for full protection under your crop insurance policy. If a claim needs to be filed, the first thing adjusters look at is when and where the crop was planted.

Make sure you are capturing:

  • The actual planting date for each field
  • Acres planted and the crop in each field
  • Field names or IDs that match your FSA maps and insurance units

Use Your Precision Technology and Let PRM Help You Get the Most Out of It

Precision technology is one of the most powerful tools in your operation when it is set up and calibrated correctly.

At PRM, we do more than just accept precision data. We help ensure that data is accurate, complete, and usable for crop insurance reporting. Our in-house Data Team works directly with your equipment and your digital platforms to support you from pre-season setup through final reporting.

PRM can connect directly to your account (with your permission) to pull planting data and match it to your crop insurance policy. More importantly, we are here to help you get your system dialed in before you head to the field for spring planting.

Hereโ€™s how PRMโ€™s Data Team supports your operation:

  • Pre-season setup: We help ensure your monitors are calibrated, your field boundaries are clean, and your planting data is being recorded correctly.
  • Support during spring planting: If something is not working with your system, whether it is a GPS issue or data not logging properly, call us. Our team can remote in or walk you through it step-by-step.
  • Automatic data retrieval: Once planting begins, we can pull your data directly from your system. This saves time and reduces the risk of errors from manual entry.
  • Streamlined acreage reporting: Clean data leads to smoother reporting. With PRM managing the process, your acreage report will be faster, easier, and more accurate.

Your planting data is more than just maps and numbers. It is the foundation of your coverage. With PRM, you have a team that knows how to turn your precision technology into powerhouse tool to create efficiency and profitability. Want to learn how to use this planting data into a Risk and Return Analysis? Learn more here.  

Be Thinking Ahead to Acreage Reporting

While acreage reports are not due until July, the process starts now. What you do in the cab today directly affects how accurate and easy that report will be in a few months.

When your planting records are clean, accurate, and tied to your policy, your acreage reporting process becomes much simpler. That is especially true when you are using precision data.

PRM is Your In-Season Support Team

Planting season moves fast. Equipment issues, technology glitches, or data errors can slow things down when you are least expecting it. PRM is here to support you throughout the entire season.

We are not just managing paperwork behind the scenes. We are helping you:

  • Set up and verify your precision systems
  • Troubleshoot planting data issues in real time
  • Track and organize field records that tie directly to your policy

We Are With You This Season

At PRM, we know the effort you put into every acre. Our job is to protect it. By getting your crop insurance and precision records set up before you start planting, you are giving yourself the best shot at a smooth season.

If you need help, give us a call. We are proud to be part of your team.