U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows Ohio has the highest rate of acreage on which insured farmers were prevented from planting because of poor spring weather.
Ohio's 15.1 percent rate is followed by Arkansas, Michigan and Mississippi. Ohio Farm Bureau Federation spokesperson Joe Cornely says more than 1.5 million acres in Ohio that normally would be planted with crops are lying fallow this year.
More Ohio farmers were unable to plant this year and forced to collect on insurance than in any other year since the USDA began keeping prevented-planning records in 2007. Cornely says there is also a reduced demand for crops, specifically soybeans, amid President Trump's trade war with China.
