The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a rule change this week that will allow farmers with crop insurance to hay, graze or chop cover crops for sileage,haylage or baleage at any time and still receive 100 percent of the prevented planting payment. South Dakota Corn Grower’s Association President Scott Stahl says providing this flexibility to producers not only helps in dealing with the drought but also helps improve soil health.

He says had this change been in effect two years ago would have helped his operation deal with weather challenges.

Stahl says he’d like to see the Risk Management Agency make this rule change permanent.

Previously, cover crops could only be hayed, grazed or chopped after November 1 , otherwise the prevented planting payment was reduced by 65 percent.