Crop Insurance

Top Questions and Concerns About Crop Insurance and the Answers You Need

Every year around this time we review and plan our crop insurance needs for the March 15th deadline.  It’s important to know and understand how history, trends and other factors can influence the planning process.    Here are a few of the top questions and concerns you may be asking as you prepare for 2013.

Questions that are arising from 2012:

  1. What will the drought with the high number of payouts do to my premiums?

Crop insurance is not the same as auto insurance and claims paid out will not automatically raise your premium.  It is county and state rated over a 25-year period.  In fact expect 2013 to be about the same as 2012 or it may even decrease slightly

  1. How will the Farm Bill and Government affect insurance?

By January 1st the bill was already intact so no changes are expected.  In fact expect it to be intact until 2014.

Seasonal Market Trends

Trends follow three peaks: Spring, Summer and Fall.  “Crop year 2013 is like 2012 on steroids” says Deb with Water Street Solutions (LINK).  “No two years are alike, even if you have the same weather, you will not get the same results (agronomically speaking).”  What influences markets?

  • SPRING = Acres in the ground, supply and demand, conditions
  • SUMMER = Heat stress, weather, drought
  • FALL = Price drops or price increases

Crop Insurance – Crop Protection

You will need to decide how many bushels you are willing to invest, to insure your entire crop.

Options:

  • Revenue Protection
  • Production Protection
  • Named Peril Insurance, more than just hail coverage it can include fire, lightning, vandalism etc.
  • Add endorsement to cover additional, such as green bend or green crimp & greensnap with extra harvest expense

When we are going into a higher commodity price in the Spring, we recommend higher coverage.  We would welcome the opportunity to sit with you individually and base your coverage on your specific farm and your needs.

Don’t forget the deadline is March 15th so give us a call today at 320-523-2252 and we can help you get the protection you need for your peace of mind.

The Higher the Clouds, the Finer the Weather

Weather is not just a random thing that happens.  As a farmer, many of you are used to checking the forecast and looking out the window to see what the day will bring. Last year proved to be more difficult than that, as few of us had the opportunity to do any singing in the rain in 2012. We are hopeful that 2013 will bring more moisture to replenish our soils. However, with a goal of 300 BU corn, it is vital that we do more than hope for perfect weather.  We need to use all of the tools available to protect above our APHs. With new innovative insurance products that have been introduced to crop insurance, we now have the ability to cover the gap between our multi-peril coverage and your expected yields. As you’re looking for ways to manage risk going into the upcoming growing season, we recommend taking a look at the innovative product called Total Weather Insurance from Climate Corporation.

With the opportunity to use Total Weather Insurance (TWI), we are able to be more data driven to cover what growers are actually producing. To be fully prepared, we can’t gamble that Mother Nature will take care of the crop that we put out there.  We need to protect ourselves and we are now able to be more financially responsible by using sophisticated data to protect the full potential of the crop. Weather continues to serve as a great metaphor to each growing season- “Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and there’s nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella.”  Crop insurance serves as the umbrella over our heads to keep us from getting caught in a situation without the right protection.

TWI monitors weather risks, such as heat stress, excess moisture, drought, or early freezes.  Since TWI is triggered on pre-defined weather risks and not yields losses, there is no need to work with an adjuster, which means audits by the insurance company are eliminated. As a grower, you can customize your coverage by soil types and seed varieties. Your payments are then generated from events that limit your yield.

What we are hearing consistently is that more weather extremes are in our near future.  It’s important, that as a grower, you make your one paycheck for next year count for all its worth.  We work with farmers to cover what they are trying to produce, not just purchase any policy. TWI is a great way to do that! Input costs are high and there is potential that land values will continue to increase, so a solid plan is necessary from a risk management perspective to ensure your operation’s profitably. Corn Capital Innovations is excited to take an advanced look at risk management for your operation.

As smart phones get smarter and our lives become more dependent on our cell phones, TWI works well with growers to provide real time information and immediate updates on the progress throughout the growing season. TWI can’t be purchased with just any agency, so call the Corn Capital Innovations Crop Insurance Team at 320-523-2252 to build an individual risk management plan that’s right for you.

My Crop is Lost, What Do I Do?

If this is your field, what are the emotions going through your mind right now?

Storm Damage is both financially and emotionally stressful and we understand that; it is our job to help farmers like you plan for the best and worst scenarios.  We encourage every farmer to protect yields at all costs.

We can’t undo what Mother Nature has already done.  You have to do everything you can to get this crop processed, harvested and not to let this year’s crop influence next year’s crop.  You have to do everything in your capabilities by the end of this year to be set up for the coming year.

“Never give up on a crop unless it is damaged below the thresholds where putting additional dollars into the crop will not surpass expected crop revenues.”  says Steve O’Neill, Chief Executive Officer and Owner at Corn Capital Innovations

Is this a disaster? Yes, it’s terrible but we can plan for these types of events!  If you are asking yourself, “why me”?  You have to realize that it happens to someone every year, everywhere, in different places.   If not you this year or last year, maybe it will happen next year.  Or maybe you have already been through it?

The time to review your risk management plan is not after the damage is done!  You can’t predict the future, so be prepared!  We would like to work with you now to set up your plan for the future.

There is a popular adage often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, the father of time management, “Failing to plan is planning to fail,”

Being prepared is to make ready (Mind Set)

To put together various elements (Crop Insurance)

The condition of being prepared (Risk Management)

Not only is there volatility in weather but there is also volatility in the markets.   Corn Capital Innovations can help you with both.  Do you have a question about the risk management options available and how they can benefit you?  Leave a comment below, or contact us today.

How to Stop Worrying about Hitting the Highs and Lows of Farming

We wanted to share this great story from Colleen, a farming friend originally from near Clarkfield, MN who now lives in the Redwood Falls, MN area.

Growing up on a family farm was a wonderful experience and my Dad made an excellent investment by buying land, and as he would say, “making a living off the land”.  Farming was in his blood as he came from a long line of farmers.

We had a quarter section and it was enough with the size of equipment that he had.  There was no GPS or automation at that time.  Some say the good old days and I have to agree!   However, he was always with the times and understood the changes that made sound sense.  He would store grain and wait for the market to go up.  Us kids were not really informed of the “financials or the marketing” that the old man did.  That was kept for Mom and him to worry about.  When the 80’s hit I don’t think that I realized just what a bad situation we were in; farming at that time.  But, the evolution of time changes it all.  The land that he bought for just over $200 an acre (a lot of money in the 60’s) is now selling for around $6,500 an acre.  Depending on your location, land could be selling for a whole lot more!

Dad would listen to the radio and get the news on corn and soybean prices; that was the old style of grain marketing. Don’t get me wrong, we still listen to the radio, but now we have an organization like Corn Capital Innovation that is the pioneers in the field of providing a total farm business solution.

They boast the phrase “we change farmer’s lives forever” and it is true!  I wonder how things would have been different ‘back in the day’ if we had this resource to turn too?!

So take advantage what we have now and contact Corn Capital Innovation for assistance with Production, Crop Insurance, Marketing and Financial Management.

Grain Marketing is the most difficult job every grower will face.

Working with Corn Capital Innovation’s assistance you will:

  • Achieve goals faster
  • Adjust to market changes
  • Gain a competitive advantage
  • Rest easier

The most successful farmers utilize grain marketing specialist to help them make decisions.

Check what you already have in place:

__I know how to tie grain marketing with crop insurance

__I know how to use storage in my profitability strategies

__I know what financial changes I need to make in my operation each year

__ I know my break-evens

__ I know my working capital percentage and how to increase it

__ I understand market carry and how to apply it

__ I understand and know how to manage profitability and basis

Stop worrying about hitting the highs and lows… Increase profitability more than you ever thought possible!  Do this with the assistance of Corn Capital Innovation.

Contact Us today and we’ll help you put the four components of farm profitability to work!

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