In February of 2022, RMA allowed written agreements for a new relay cropping practice for soybeans seeded into a small grain crop for the 2022 crop year via Managers Bulletin: MGR-22-002. Recently issued Managers Bulletin MGR-22-009, replaces MGR-22-002 beginning with the 2023 crop year. The expanded insurance opportunity addresses climate change, soil degradation, and depletion of natural resources, all of which are challenges for crop productivity and environmental sustainability.

The relay cropping practice utilizes acres to produce two crops for harvest within the same year, allowing policyholders to use it as a tool for crop diversification with a special focus on soil health and potentially increasing their overall production value on the acreage.

For the 2023 and succeeding crop years, RMA will continue to allow soybeans relay cropped into an established small grain crop (insured or uninsured) to be insurable via a written agreement in accordance with section 9(a)(2)(iii) of the Common Crop Insurance Policy Basic Provisions (CCIP).

Please access the following hyperlink for additional information within the Managers Bulletin and the written agreement requirements for both renewal and new requests: https://rma.usda.gov/en/Policy-and-Procedure/Bulletins-and-Memos/2022/MGR-22-009.

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