The U.S. Department of Agriculture is giving crop insurance policyholders up to 60 additional days to pay premiums that fall due this summer, Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins announced at Minnesota Farmfest on 4 August 2026. The measure was one of three she described as a response to ongoing challenges across the farm sector.

Under the relief, the Risk Management Agency (RMA) has authorised Approved Insurance Providers to allow producers up to 60 more days to pay crop insurance premiums, administrative fees and amounts owed under Written Payment Agreements with scheduled billing dates between 1 July and 30 September 2026. Providers may waive interest during the extension; interest on unpaid premiums and fees begins only after the extra 60 days end or the policy's termination date is reached, whichever comes first.

RMA will also defer its own collection of unpaid producer premiums and administrative fees from the insurance providers, and waive the associated interest, starting with the August monthly accounting cycle. Providers are to notify affected policyholders directly, and USDA advised producers to contact their crop insurance agent or the RMA website for details.

In a second step, RMA is reinstating the option for insured producers to buy an additional 5 percent of prevented planting coverage, beginning with crops that carry the 31 August 2026 filing date for the 2027 and later crop years. The coverage pays when extreme weather or other conditions stop a farmer from planting as normal.

The third announcement concerned USDA's data. Rollins said in July that a Data Modernization Plan spanning several agencies would be published later this year, coordinated by the Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area under Under Secretary Scott Hutchins. She said USDA leaders would now hold listening sessions around the country to hear from producers as the plan takes shape, following a request for information issued earlier this year on how the department collects, analyses and reports data. Questions about the sessions go to DataModernization@usda.gov.

"Producers want a USDA that works for them," Rollins said. "We're modernizing how USDA serves farmers, providing commonsense flexibility when it's needed most, and strengthening the risk management tools producers depend on."

Federal crop insurance covers more than 130 crops, according to RMA. For growers facing tight cash flow after a difficult season, the premium extension delays a bill without cancelling it, while the restored prevented-planting option gives them a way to buy more protection for next year's planting.

Source: USDA