Crop Insurance Today February 2013 - (Page 23)
CASE STUDY
CropInsuranceTODAY
T h e Va l u e o f C r o p I n s u r a n c e
Jimmy Miller
Interlachen, Florida
The Millers sell their blueberries, which are
among the first in the nation to ripen each year,
to both national and international fresh fruit
markets. While they are relative newcomers to
the blueberry market, they have been dealt quite
the lucky hand by Mother Nature. That is,
until early spring, 2012.
“We never had a real loss until this
year,” said Miller, who explained that their
primary risk is a freeze or hail. “And the
way we manage freeze is with overhead
water protection,” he explains, which
protects the bushes by allowing a layer of
ice to form on the plants and the berries,
keeping the plants warmer than the outside air.
Florida, like much of the rest of the country, had a very early spring in 2012, which resulted in the bushes pushing out new growth
and eventually blossoming several weeks earlier
Case Studies
cropinsuranceinamerica.org
By Dave Ray, North Bridge
Communications
For centuries, blueberries were gathered
from the dense forests and bogs by Northeastern U.S. Native Americans, and are one of the
only fruits we consume that are native to North
America. So when most of us hear about blueberry farms, we conjure up images of cool,
damp climates and cold winters.
Except on Jimmy Miller’s blueberry farm
located in Interlachen, Florida. Miller has
operated
the farm, which
is the oldest existing
blueberry farm in the state, since
1979. Miller, along with his two daughters and
son-in-law, operates the 124 acre operation
using a variety of blueberry developed by the
University of Florida that tolerates the summer
heat and mild winters.
One of the main issues for blueberry growers in Florida, Miller explains, is that they must
have at least 200 hours every winter where the
temperature goes below 45 degrees in order for
the bushes to flower, and fruit, later that spring.
Lack of enough cool days can mean very low
fruit production the following year.
One of the main issues for
blueberry growers in Florida,
Miller explains, is that they
must have at least 200 hours
every winter where the
temperature goes below 45
degrees in order for the
bushes to flower, and fruit,
later that spring.
CROPINSURANCE TODAY
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23
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crop Insurance Today February 2013
Primum Non Nocere-Redux
Common Land Unit Acreage Reporting Plan
A Challenging 2012 for NCIS & the Crop Insurance Industry
NCIS Participates in NAFB "Trade Talk"
The Value of Crop Insurance Case Study
Step 8 -- Managing Constraints
Insurable Crops: Locations & Plans
Crop Insurance Today February 2013
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