Crop Insurance Today First Quarter 2020 - 19

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2019: A Challenging Year for Crop
Insurance and an Active Year at NCIS
By NCIS Staff

2019 was a difficult year for farmers in almost every area of the country. And even today,
many farmers are still reeling from the effects of
flooding, bomb cyclones, record rainfall, and the
"non-weather" events of trade wars and low prices that only added to the challenges farmers face.
The volatile weather year once again put a
spotlight on the importance of crop insurance as
part of a farmer's risk management plan. As 2019
evolved, the Crop Insurance Industry provided farmers with the assurance that, should they
suffer a loss, their claim would be processed efficiently and accurately. While there are still losses
to be finalized, more than $8 billion has already
been paid to America's farmers and ranchers on
losses incurred in 2019.

Meetings, Conferences, &
Presentations

Supporting the Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) is the primary role of NCIS. Throughout the year, NCIS conducts and participates
in a wide variety of meetings, conferences, and
presentations to ensure that the technical aspects
of crop insurance are fully understood within the
industry; that all farmers fully understand crop
insurance as a risk management tool; that the
public understands the necessary role crop insurance plays in the stability of Rural America;
and, that the partnership built between the Crop
Insurance Industry and key Federal agencies remains productive.
Provided below is a recap of the activities that
NCIS was involved with in 2019 to educate program stakeholders, the media, and general public
about the importance of crop insurance.

Regional/State Annual Meetings
NCIS has 18 regional/state committees comprised of company employees who are regularly
involved in the implementation and use of both

Dividing into small groups during the risk management workshops helps participants learn the
material and share information with each other.

Crop-Hail and Federal policies and procedures.
The 18 committees meet annually to provide recommendations to the NCIS standing committees
for changes or improvements to policy and loss
procedures, as well as recommendations for regional agronomic research projects. Below are
highlights from a few of the 2019 meetings:
* Colorado/Wyoming- The Committee discussed changes to the sugar beet policy and
guest speaker, Lex Pelger, Bluebird Botanicals,
briefed the group on the history and uses of
the hemp plant.
* Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota- Attendees were given updates on current NCIS
research projects including: corn second losses, sugar beet stand reduction, Natto soybean
cut-off and defoliation damage, conventional
soybean defoliation growth stage damage,
and industrial hemp stand reduction trials.
* Illinois/Wisconsin-Dr. Emerson Nafziger,
University of Illinois, presented the results of
the ongoing second loss research and Illinois

corn and soybean agronomic management.
* Southwest (New Mexico & Texas)- Dr. Pierre
Helwi, Assistant Professor and Extension
Viticulture Specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center, provided
an overview of wine grape production and
practices in Texas and New Mexico. Larry
Dominguez, Director, Industry & Agency
Programs, New Mexico Department of Agriculture, updated the group on issues facing
New Mexico farmers including water rights,
recent drought conditions, labor contracting,
technology changes, and trade.
* Indiana-Ohio-Michigan- Allan Geyer, Ohio
State University, updated the group on the
most recent popcorn and field corn research
results. Also, Carl Zulauf, Emeritus Professor,
Ohio State University, provided an overview
of the 2018 Farm Bill, emphasizing its impacts
on crop insurance.
* Arizona-California-Nevada- Representatives from the Risk Management Agency
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Crop Insurance Today First Quarter 2020

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