Check your crop insurance before cutting drought-hit fields

University of Missouri Extension agricultural economists recommend that you check with your crop insurance agent before cutting or grazing drought-damaged crops as relief forages.

Some producers are finding that drought-stricken corn may have more value as cattle feed than grain this year. They are using the corn to fill feed gaps.

“These management decisions influence crop insurance and need to be front and center,” Ben Brown, MU Extension agricultural economist, says in a news release.

If you planted by the designated final planting period but had a very poor stand, you are insured and obligated to care for the crop to maximize yield, says MU Extension agricultural economist Ray Massey. You must get the approval of your crop insurance agent before making any decision that deviates from a good farming practice.