The changing face of federal crop insurance

Bill Murphy, an administrator at the Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced that the Federal Crop Insurance program will be undergoing some positive changes in the near future. Murphy was present at the Big Iron Farm Show in West Fargo and spoke to the crowd about the current year’s issues as well as changes to the program. Not all of the news was good, as Murphy did need to discuss the unprecedented number of catastrophes in 2011 that left farmers hurting this year; from the overly wet soil in North…

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Charles Short Insurance offers Texas business owners advice for coverage of horses

The Charles Short Insurance team has recognized the importance of animals to Texans, and has made efforts to acknowledge the problems that those individuals face regarding risks connected with running a business that includes them. Companies that do involve animals have a significant challenge ahead of them and will usually opt for Texas general liability insurance to try to cover themselves in case an accident should occur as a result of one of the animals, or in their barns or elsewhere on their farms. Though this will not replace standard…

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Agricultural groups support crop insurance, export promotion, and research

According to a North Dakota agricultural groups spokesperson, as the groups ready themselves for federal spending cutbacks, the next federal farm bill’s top priorities should be crop insurance, export promotion, and research. State director for U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Shane Goettle, explained that there will be fewer resources with which to work. He added that it is very important that they keep a steady communication regarding the farm bill’s priority as they will be responsible for deciding what will need to be cut and what must be maintained. Goettle…

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New weather insurance market emerging

It is estimated that over 90% of crop loss is due to unexpected weather conditions. As the climate grows less predictable, the more agricultural businesses, and homeowners, are put at risk. WeathrBill, a company that sells insurance online to protect against unpredictable weather, has caught the eye of Google, who will be investing in the company for $42 million. WeatherBill uses algorithms to calculate risk factors when determining what policies are best for shoppers. Their Total Weather Insurance product is the first full-season protection program in the U.S. that addresses…

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