In the latest USDA Nebraska Crop Progress and Conditions report, Nebraska pasture and range conditions rated 16% very poor, 23% poor, 34% fair, 26% good and 1% excellent. With concerns mounting about having enough forage available to carry cattle through the grazing season and simultaneous difficulty acquiring affordable inputs for row crop production, some Nebraska producers are considering planting annual forages on cropland this year. Planting annual forages specifically for feed can provide a number of benefits beyond feed value, including ground cover and soil health benefits.

One of the main risks with this production practice, especially in a non-irrigated field, is variable precipitation and soil moisture conditions. The Annual Forage Insurance Plan, available in Nebraska from the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA), is available to crop and livestock producers to help mitigate precipitation risk when growing annual forages. Learn more about the insurance plan in this Center for Agricultural Profitability article.

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