Farmers who have coverage under most crop insurance policies are eligible for a premium benefit from USDA if they planted cover crops during this crop year.

The Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP), offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), reduces producers’ overall premium bills and helps them maintain their cover crop systems. The PCCP is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, a bundle of programs to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions.

PCCP provides premium support to producers who insured their crop with most insurance policies and planted a qualifying cover crop during the 2022 crop year. The premium support is $5 per acre, but no more than the full premium owed.

Qualifying cover crops include all that are reportable to FSA, including cereals and other grasses, legumes, brassicas and other non-legume broadleaves, and mixtures of two or more cover crop species planted at the same time. A full list of qualifying cover crops is available in FSA Handbook 2-CP. Also, PCCP does not change acreage reporting dates, reporting requirements, or any other terms of the crop insurance policy. PCCP is available for most insurance policies, including Whole Farm Revenue Protection beginning in 2022.

There are a few exceptions related to policies that already provide the benefit through underlying coverage. PCCP is not available for:

• Post-Application Coverage Endorsement (PACE)
• Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO)
• Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI)
• Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO)
• Stacked Income Protection (STAX) (if an underlying policy)
• Margin Protection (MP) (if an underling policy)

Producers automatically receive the benefit if they filed the Report of Acreage form (FSA-578) by March 15, 2022 with their local FSA office. To file the report, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center to make an appointment.

Because of the pandemic, some Service Centers in Virginia are open to limited visitors. Service Center staff continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email, and other digital tools. Many FSA offices are using Microsoft Teams software to virtually meet with producers to review maps and documents for certification.

As part of filing the Report of Acreage, producers need to provide:

1. cover crop type or variety;
2. number of acres of the cover crop;
3. map with approximate boundaries for the cover crop;
4. planting dates;
5. planting pattern, when applicable;
6. producer shares; and
7. irrigation practices.

The March 15, 2022 reporting date is distinct from the normal acreage reporting date. The normal acreage reporting deadline with FSA will not change, but to receive the premium benefit, producers must file by March 15.

The cover crop fields that producers report on the Report of Acreage form must match what is reported to their insurance company for crop insurance policies.

Resources:

• February 10, 2022 News Release: Producers with Crop Insurance to Receive Premium Benefit for Cover Crops
• Frequently Asked Questions about the Pandemic Cover Crop Program.
• Pandemic Cover Crop Program fact sheet
• Pandemic Cover Crop Rule in the Federal Register
• RMA Managers Bulletin: MGR–21-003 COVID-19 Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP)
• RMA Cover Crops webpage

It’s Week Five of the Virginia General Assembly. Watch the latest updates from Virginia Farm Bureau Governmental Relations here.

Robert Harper with Virginia Farm Bureau’s grain division explains this week’s market updates. March corn is up 31 cents at $6.51. March soybeans are up 30 cents at $15.83. July wheat is up 37 cents at $7.98.

Reprinted with permission by McGuireWoods Consulting, LLC.

The Virginia political landscape is shifting dramatically. Not only does the Old Dominion have a new governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and a new House Republican majority, but the Virginia Supreme Court approved a new redistricting plan that will have major ramifications over the next decade.

A few key takeaways from the new districts:

• Half of the Virginia state senators are either paired or tripled in districts with other sitting senators, with 18 double-ups and two triple-ups.
• There are 11 new state senate districts without current incumbents.
• 42 out of the 100 delegates are paired or tripled in districts with other sitting delegates, with 40 double-ups and two triple-ups.
• There are 23 new state house districts without current incumbents.
• Three members of Congress were drawn out of their current districts, leaving no incumbent to reside within the new boundary.

Why does this matter?

There will likely be significant shifts in seniority and representation, both in the Virginia congressional delegation and the Virginia General Assembly. We will likely see some unanticipated retirements and others who run for different offices. There will be a swath of legislators with new portfolios, which will have lasting impacts over the next decade. Those who recognize these environmental changes and educate new legislators on their issues will be successful.

Background and Process

The Supreme Court of Virginia unanimously approved in late December 2021 the final maps for congressional and general assembly districts for the next decade. Every 10 years, states are required to update legislative district boundaries (state and federal) based on the previous year’s U.S. census data.

In the 2020 election, Virginia voters approved an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia establishing a redistricting commission composed of state legislators and other citizens of the commonwealth. The commission was tasked with drafting and approving state and congressional district maps.

If consensus failed among commission members and no maps were approved by a set deadline, the constitutional amendment would require the Supreme Court of Virginia to take over the map-making process, which is what occurred in fall 2021.

Under the Supreme Court’s process, two “special masters,” who are experts in this field, were appointed by the court to create the new maps. Both political parties, Republican and Democrat, put forth names for special masters and one from each was selected.

In addition to considering public comment, the new maps were to follow general criteria for compactness, political competitiveness and communities of interest; however, debate ensued regarding whether to consider incumbent residency and the pairing of one or more sitting legislators in the same district. In the special masters’ approved maps, avoiding such pairings was not a priority.

Outcomes

State Legislative Districts

The new Virginia General Assembly district lines create several incumbent pairings in the House of Delegates and the Senate, and in some cases, create new districts where no incumbent currently lives. In most instances, pairings have two incumbents of the same party drawn into the same district. Moreover, several of these pairings affect members in seniority or in leadership roles. All of this raises uncertainty for the next election cycle.

Under Virginia law, state legislators must reside in the districts they represent. This presents a question for these current members in paired districts: Run against a colleague, move and run in a new district, or retire from the Virginia General Assembly. One element that will play a key role in these decisions is, of course, the political performance of the new districts.

In the Senate of Virginia, half of the entire 40-member chamber has been paired or tripled with other sitting senators. Here is the breakdown:

Roanoke/Lynchburg region:

• John Edwards (D) and David Suetterlein (R)
• Steve Newman (R) and Mark Peake (R)

Valley/Western region:

• Creigh Deeds (D), Emmett Hanger (R) and Mark Obenshain (R)

Richmond/Peninsula region:

• Amanda Chase (R) and Ghazala Hashmi (D)
• Ryan McDougle (R) and Tommy Norment (R)

Tidewater region:

• Bill DeSteph (R), Jen Kiggans (R) and Lynwood Lewis (D)
• Louise Lucas (D) and Lionell Spruill (D)

Northern Virginia region:

• Jennifer Boysko (D) and Janet Howell (D)
• Dave Marsden (D) and Dick Saslaw (D)

There are 11 new Senate districts without a current incumbent.

In the House of Delegates, nearly half of the 100 districts have paired incumbents.

Southwest/Southside region:

• Israel O’Quinn (R) and Will Wampler (R)
• Marie March (R) and Wren Williams (R)
• James Edmunds (R) and Danny Marshall (R)

Roanoke/Lynchburg region:

• Terry Austin (R) and Chris Head (R)
• John Avoli (R) and Ronnie Campbell (R)
• Kathy Byron (R) and Wendell Walker (R)

Richmond region:

• Buddy Fowler (R) and Scott Wyatt (R)
• Lamont Bagby (D) and Schuyler VanValkenburg (D)

Tidewater region:

• Glenn Davis (R), Kelly Fowler (D) and Barry Knight (R)
• Cliff Hayes (D) and Jay Leftwich (R)
• Nadarius Clark (D) and Don Scott (D)
• C. Cordoza (R) and Jeion Ward (D)
• Tim Anderson (R) and Rob Bloxom (R)

Northern Neck region:

• Bobby Orrock (R) and Margaret Ransone (R)

Northern Virginia region:

• Elizabeth Guzman (D) and Luke Torian (D)
• Eileen Filler-Corn (D) and Kathy Tran (D)
• David Bulova (D) and Dan Helmer (D)
• Kaye Kory (D) and Marcus Simon (D)
• Kathleen Murphy (D) and Rip Sullivan (D)
• Dave LaRock (R) and Michael Webert (R)

There are more than 20 new House districts without a current incumbent.

Congressional Districts

Virginia’s 11 seats in the House of Representatives also saw significant change in the new districts, and incumbent pairings are seen here as well. However, members of Congress are not required to live in the districts they represent, creating less of a challenge for incumbents seeking another term.

Three incumbents — Griffith (9th), Luria (2nd) and Spanberger (7th) — were drawn out of their current districts, leaving no incumbent to reside within the new boundary.

Congressman Griffith was drawn into the 6th district with Congressman Cline. Congresswoman Luria was drawn into the 3rd with Congressman Scott. And Congresswoman Spanberger was drawn into the 1st district with Congressman Wittman. Both Griffith and Spanberger have announced their intentions to run for reelection in their newly drawn districts (where they currently do not reside). In the case of Luria, she has yet to announce her intentions but does own a second home within the boundaries of the newly drawn 2nd.

Timing and Partisanship

The new maps for congressional and general assembly districts went into effect immediately after the Supreme Court of Virginia issued the order. The congressional lines will be used for the midterm elections in November 2022, and the maps for the House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia will be in effect for the next scheduled general election in 2023. However, pending litigation could determine if members of the House of Delegates must run again in 2022 under the new districts.

According to election data from the Virginia Public Access Project, partisanship lean is unlikely to change greatly under the new maps.

In the Senate of Virginia, the current makeup is 21 Democrats and 19 Republicans. Under the new maps and using partisan performance from the 2016 presidential election, there is one less projected “toss up” district and Democrats gain one additional (up to 16) strong Democrat seat. This means, in off-year elections like 2023, a 20-20 tie is still very much a possibility.

In the House of Delegates, the current makeup following the 2021 elections is 52 Republicans and 48 Democrats. The new maps again are unlikely to offer substantial change in terms of party control. Using the same 2016 data, both Democrats and Republicans gain strong and likely seats, with Democrats having a slight advantage. With each caucus strengthening its respective floors, the number of toss-up districts lessens to just 10 seats.

Virginia’s current congressional delegation is seven Democrats and four Republicans. Party performance for congressional districts using 2016 data appears to go largely unchanged from the current five likely or strong Democratic seats and five likely or strong Republican seats, leaving the same single seat as a toss-up.

As a caveat to the projections for partisan performance, using 2016 presidential election data is simply a baseline. In off-year elections when the president is not on the ballot, partisan strengths are likely to shift.

With the U.S. dollar at an 18-month high, Robert Harper with Virginia Farm Bureau’s grain division explains the outside influences on this volatile week. March corn is up 20 cents at $6.36. December corn closed at $5.65. March soybeans are at $14.70. July wheat is up 8 cents at $7.82.

It’s Week Two of the Virginia General Assembly. Watch the latest updates from Virginia Farm Bureau Governmental Relations here.

On January 13, 2022, President Biden announced his intent to appoint additional leaders to serve as United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Directors, including the Virginia position.

The USDA’s FSA implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster and farm marketing programs in each U.S. State. Its mission is to equitably serve all farmers, ranchers and agricultural partners through the delivery of effective, efficient agricultural programs for all Americans. State Executive Directors oversee this work, ensuring the needs of local constituents are met and that USDA resources are distributed equitably and fairly.

Ronald Howell has been named as USDA FSA State Executive Director for Virginia. Howell comes to this new position with more than 12 years of professional experience in higher education, state and federal government. In summer 2018, he began his tenure as the Director of Operations and Management in the College of Agriculture at Virginia State University. In this capacity, he oversees day-to-day operations of the College and the University’s Farm. He also carries an administrative appointment in the Department of Agriculture and serves as a faculty instructor, teaching courses in agriculture education and mechanization.

Previously, Howell served as the Special Assistant/Advisor for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives to the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, in the Office of Virginia Governors McAuliffe and Northam, respectively. Across the Commonwealth, he worked to strengthen outreach efforts as well as minority and limited resourced producers’ participation in USDA and state-based agricultural and conservation programs. Additionally, he provided recommendations for the Virginia Farm Business Development Program (VFBD) and the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Program.

“I am thankful to have the opportunity to return to USDA to serve as FSA State Executive Director in Virginia. Agriculture is Virginia’s number one industry, and I am committed to advancing the agency’s mission at the state level and ensuring the voice of every customer that depends on programs and services provided by FSA is heard,” Howell said in a statement. “There are tremendous opportunities ahead to open doors of access and to build partnerships with Virginia Farm Bureau and other ag-based organizations to advocate for the wonderful men and women responsible for providing the food, fuel, feed, and fiber supply for our great nation and globally!”

Howell received his B.S. in Agriculture Business and Economics from Virginia State University in 2009 and earned a Master’s degree from Virginia Tech in Agricultural and Life Sciences in 2012. In 2021, he received his doctorate degree in P-20 Education and Community Leadership with a focus in Agriculture Education from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. He resides in Spring Grove, (Surry Co.) Virginia.

Virginia Farm Bureau looks forward to working with Mr. Howell to support and promote Virginia agriculture and farmers.