USDA Double Cropping Expansion: How Should Landowners Respond?

Recently USDA announced changes regarding double cropping regulations, making it easier for farmers to plant multiple crops on their land.

Are you wondering what this means for you as a farmland owner? Should you amend your lease in response? Read this article to find out. 

What is double cropping? 

Double cropping is a common practice where farmers will plant one crop, harvest it, then plant and harvest a second crop in the same field. This effectively doubles their planted acres, without them having to lease or purchase additional parcels of land. 

It differs from cover cropping in that the growing cycles of the two crops are distinct—only one crop occupies a field at a given time. 

There are a number of reasons for farmers to double crop. The first, and most obvious, is that it provides some financial stability in the event that their primary cash crop meets an untimely end due to weather or other events. 

Additionally, double crops can combat diseases or pests that threaten the first crop, but not the second. This reduces the need for harmful chemicals, ensuring long-term land viability. 

Finally, if farmers choose the right crops, double crops can help to replenish the soil more quickly, contributing to overall land health and sustainability. 

For farmers who are already cash-strapped, this presents a way to lighten their financial burden while increasing their productivity. Plus, as the world’s population continues to increase, double cropping is a powerful tool to increase food production without the environmental consequences of clearing additional farmland. 

How does double cropping help landowners? 

The benefits of double cropping to the farmer are clear. But how does this impact you, the landowner? Is double cropping something you should consider adding to your lease agreement? 

If you’re in a crop share agreement, then the benefits of double cropping should be obvious: more crops = more shares. 

If you’re in a cash rental agreement, your ability to generate income from your farmland depends entirely on its valuation, as this figure factors heavily into your lease amount. 

We’ve already discussed some of the factors that go into land valuation, but one of the most important is land productivity. Simply put, the more farmers are able to get out of your land, the more valuable it is—and the more you can charge them to farm there!

As we mentioned earlier, double cropping contributes to land productivity in a number of ways:

• More volume of crop yield

• Disease and pest deterrence

• Soil replenishment

When you consider the holistic impact of double cropping on the value of your land, it’s clear that you stand to benefit just as much as the farmer. 

However, if you want your farmer to engage in double cropping, you need to get it in writing, and you need to lay out the terms very clearly. For instance, you may want to limit the types of crops they plant in succession, so that they don’t deplete the soil health, or ensure rigorous soil testing to monitor the impact of double cropping on your land. 

How has USDA made double cropping easier? 

In July 2022, USDA announced that it is taking steps to reduce double cropping risk. The intent is to carry out commitments on behalf of the Biden Administration to increase domestic food production amid potential global food shortages brought on by the war in Ukraine. 

However, it is important to note that concern over global food supply, particularly supply chains, is not unique to the war, although it certainly has exacerbated the problem. Particularly in the post-COVID era, many American families have faced high food costs, prompting discussion around methods to increase our domestic food supply. 

In response, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is expanding double crop insurance opportunities in over 1,500 counties. As USDA continues conversations with farmers, they may extend these improvements to additional counties as well. By fall 2022, the final rule should be locked into place. 

Among these improvements are:

• Soybean double crop coverage will be expanded to or streamlined in at least 681 counties

• Grain sorghum double crop coverage will be expanded to or streamlined in at least 870 counties

• RMA will work with the crop insurance industry and farm organizations to highlight the availability and improvements in written agreements as an option for any farmer that grows a crop outside the area where a policy is automatically offered

Why are these changes important? Because many crop insurance policies do not allow for multiple crops to be covered within a given season. By expanding these capabilities, USDA is not only enabling, but also incentivizing, farmers to get the most value out of the land they operate. 

This announcement comes early enough in the season that most farmers should have time to consult with a local extension, agriculture experts, and their crop insurance agents. That said, most of the deadlines for extending or discontinuing land rental agreements have already come and gone, leaving little recourse for landowners to take advantage of this opportunity.  

Double cropping: What steps should you take?

If you have already signed your land lease agreement for the following year, there’s not much you can do at this point, other than seek an amendment with your farmer. 

You may be able to negotiate a cash rental increase in exchange for allowing them to add a winter crop this year. However, if your agreement does not explicitly prohibit double cropping, then the farmer may just go ahead and plant. In that case, they likely won’t have much incentive to renegotiate.

At the very least, however, it’s important to be aware of double cropping as a potential way to increase your lease when the next term rolls around. And trust us, the next deadline will be here before you know it.

If you’re wondering if your current lease reflects your land value, use our CashRentstimate tool to figure it out.