Separating your dryland corners from what's pivot irrigated can be a hassle, especially from an insurance standpoint. While keeping these acres separate offers several benefits, it also adds complexity, making it more challenging to track and report crop insurance information.
During the growing season, you must plant, harvest, store, and report production from the dryland corners separately. According to the Risk Management Agency (RMA) handbook, there must be a discernible break between the dryland corners and the irrigated pivot. This often requires creating a physical separation between the two practices. This can mean mowing down part of the crop, meaning you may have to sacrifice some of your production instead of being able to harvest it.
For those already using precision technology in planting and harvesting, this process can be significantly easier. With precision technology, farmers can streamline and improve efficiencies in reporting and separating dryland acres from irrigated acres.
When you use precision technology for insurance reporting, there's no need to manually split off dryland corners or separate out dryland loads. To set this up, RMA requires a variable rate planting prescription to distinguish the boundary of the pivot. Once this setup is complete, you can plant and harvest the entire field together. Your precision technology will automatically calculate the planted acres and production from both the dryland and irrigated areas.
Additionally, precision technology provides a more accurate way to track the acres in your dryland corners. By using this technology to report planted acres, many producers have found they qualify for a higher approved yield. If you try to track the dryland corners manually or cut corners on the process, it could cause problems in the event of a loss.
To learn more about using precision technology or AIP apps for acreage and production reporting, contact your local FCSAmerica office.
