USDA Risk Management Agency administrator and Illinois farmer Martin Barbre attended the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) annual meeting this week to provide an update on his agency’s priorities. Barbre discussed a number of issues, including the Multi County Enterprise Unit, upcoming deadlines, a Farm Bill implementation listening session coming up February 26, disaster relief, and the Dairy Revenue … Read More
Optimism in Crop Insurance Reinsurance Industry
This time last year, the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) was concerned about what might happen with the new farm bill. This year, members are pretty pleased with how it all turned out. CIRB chairman Zane Vaughn with ARMtech Insurance gives a lot of credit to the organization’s “Protect Crop Insurance” campaign. “It was very beneficial for staff on … Read More
Farmers Mutual Hail Partners with Climate Corporation
The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Bayer, is partnering with Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa (FMH) on a platform expanding Climate FieldView for crop insurance reporting. “We are excited about working with The Climate Corporation to add an easy-to-use reporting option for our policyholders who use FieldView and agents utilizing FMH Precision Crop Insurance Solutions,” said Ron Rutledge, … Read More
Precision Ag Meets Customized Crop Insurance
PartnerRe Ltd and Farmers Edge have joined forces to couple real-time field data with customized insurance products to help farmers around the globe. This exclusive, four-year agreement between Farmers Edge and PartnerRe brings together precision farming technology and agriculture insurance in a landmark deal that will fundamentally advance the $5 trillion global food and agriculture industry. Under the terms of … Read More
Farmers Mutual Hail Turning Data Into Usable Information
Since the acquisition of John Deere Insurance Company in 2014, Farmers Mutual Hail has built upon advancements in technology and resources to ease the processes for acreage reporting, adjusting reporting and claims adjusting for crop insurance. “One example would be saving hours compiling scale tickets and all the various pieces of information that you have to aggregate to actually do … Read More
New Report on Specialty Crop Insurance
The USDA’s Economic Research Service has released a new report entitled “Changes to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program Under the Agricultural Act of 2014: Their Potential Risk Reduction Impacts.” The report looks at the impact of the Buy-Up coverage addition to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). The study found that Buy-Up coverage can better mitigate a farmer’s … Read More
Trump’s Proposed Budget Meets Mixed Reviews
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue offered a positive perspective, but farm groups are reacting to Trump’s proposed 2018 budget in the opposite way. American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Association of Conservation Districts, and whole list of Crop Insurance organizations oppose the $4 billion in cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “I don’t … Read More
Ag Groups Testify at House Hearing
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Wesley Spurlock, and American Soybean Association (ASA) President Ron Moore both addressed the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management earlier this week. Both testimonies spoke about the need for a strong risk management plan in a weak farm economy, noting the current prices of both corn and soybeans. “Farm prices … Read More
#FarmBillSummit Addresses Crop Insurance
Tom Zacharias, president of National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS), was among the speakers invited to address this week’s Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit in Washington, D.C. Zacharias stressed the role crop insurance plays in ensuring a strong and vibrant agricultural sector, which is critical to the well-being of our economy and society as a whole. “The role of both state and … Read More
International Ag Purchased by ProAg Insurance Group
Producers Ag Insurance Group, Inc. (ProAg), announced a purchase agreement had been signed to acquire crop managing general agent (MGA) International Ag Insurance Solutions, LLC (International Ag). The transaction, which is subject to a number of closing conditions including final approvals by certain International Ag members and regulatory authorities, is expected to close by April 3, 2017. “ProAg believes International … Read More