PRM goes beyond “using precision” todeliver true, report-ready planted acres
PRM cleaned an operation’s raw precision data by removing 17.87 “phantom” planted acres. It lowered their premium, improved reporting, and increased their APH Database.
If you farm many acres, cleaned precision data improvements can really add up. Accurate acres help ensure you’re paying premium on what was actually planted, make reporting smoother, and help protect the integrity of your APH history over time.
The difference between what could be planted, what the planter thinks was planted, and what was actually planted can be large. That’s where PRM’s Data Team makes your operation more successful by reporting the most accurate planted acres.
THE THREE ACRE TYPES THAT DETERMINE IF YOU ARE OVERPAYING FOR YOUR PREMIUM
- CLU (Common Land Unit) Acres
- CLU acres are what the Farm Service Agency (FSA) says is plantable inside the boundary. If you insure off CLUs alone, you can end up paying premium on acres that were never planted.
- Precision Data from the Monitor
- Raw precision data planted acres come straight off the planter monitor. They’re a great starting point, but they can still include phantom acres or miss reality in complex areas, such as prevent plant. That can mean you’re still paying premium on acres that weren’t truly planted.
- PRM Cleaned Precision Planted Acres
- These are the acres PRM cleans to match what actually got planted. This is the true number of acres you should be paying premium on: planted acres that are defensible and report-ready.
EXAMPLE IN PRACTICE: 17.87 PHANTOM ACRES
2025 reporting for a PRM customer in North Dakota*
PRM’s cleaning found a 17.87-acre swing between raw precision data and true planted acres across the farm. The biggest single-field swing was 2.97 acres. Those aren’t rounding errors when you multiply them across a large operation.
PP makes accuracy harder and more important.
When PP (Prevent Plant) is involved, planting is less “straight lines” and more methodical: working around wet pockets, changing passes, tighter turns, starts and stops. That complexity is exactly where raw planter maps can drift and where cleaned precision acres protect you from avoidable reporting issues. That’s exactly what happened in this operation.
HOW THIS AFFECTS YOUR OPERATION AND PROFITABILITY
Lower Premium: CLUs can include acres you never planted. Raw planter files can still overstate planted acres. Clean planted acres help ensure you’re paying premium on acres you truly farmed.
Increase APH: If planted acres are overstated, the same total production can be spread across more reported acres. That can make yield look lower than it really was, which can drag down your APH database over time. Your APH helps determine key parts of your coverage, including guarantees. This has a compounding effect every year.
Fewer Reporting Headaches: Clean acres reduce mismatches and last-minute rework at reporting deadlines, especially in prevent plant years.
WHY RAW PRECISION ACRES CAN BE WRONG
Raw precision data comes straight off the planter monitor. The issue usually isn’t your planter. It’s a strong starting point, but it can be wrong for very real reasons. It’s what happens in the data during real-world planting:
- Headlands, point rows, tight turns, and odd passes
- Overlap at edges and irregular boundaries
- Start/stop timing creating extra “painted” strips
- Width/offset/config settings multiplying small errors
- GPS variability shifting coverage in tight geometry
PRM is the cleanup crew that fixes the map, so it matches what you actually did.
THE EXTRA STEP MOST DON’T TAKE
Many AIPs can accept precision data. PRM goes further by helping prepare the equipment and cleaning the data.
PRM Data Specialists go into the raw files and correct any errors so your Precision Planted Acres reflect what actually got planted. Then you get faster, cleaner reporting, and are only paying for premium on where seed is in the ground.
HAVE PRM INVESTIGATE YOUR PRECISION ACRES FOR ACCURACY
Do you know if your reported acres are accurate? PRM will examine CLU vs. raw precision data vs. PRM cleaned planted acres for your entire operation.
Contact a PRM Advisor to have a Data Specialist examine your precision acres, and we’ll show you where acres are being overstated and what true planted acres should be.
*Anonymized data with customer permission to use for publication. Not all coverage or products may be available in all jurisdictions. The description of coverage in this document is for informational purposes only. Actual coverage will vary based on the terms and conditions of the policy issued. The information described herein does not amend, or otherwise affect, the terms and conditions of any insurance policy issued by Clear Blue Insurance Company.
