Live Insurance News

Last year saw crop insurance payments plummet

May 14, 2015May 13, 2015 Julie Campbell

Since 2014 saw pretty good production throughout the year, the federal program had to make far fewer payouts. In terms of the overall 2014 growing year, the calculations by the Risk Management Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture with regards to the federal crop insurance program have shown that last year saw a reduction in payments by 26 percent when compared to the figures from the year before. The agency report showed in 2014, there was a total of $8.8 billion in payments for yield and price loss coverage.…

Crop insurance eligibility requires producers to prove conservation efforts

April 24, 2015April 23, 2015 Julie Campbell

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a reminder to growers with regards to 2014 Farm Bill requirements. A reminder has now been issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to growers who wish to ensure that they are eligible for crop insurance, as they will also need to make a filing at their local USDA service center, of a Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification form (AD-1026). This form needs to be filed by June 1, 2015 in order to obtain premium support from the insurance…

Crop insurance price guarantees to drop

March 2, 2015March 1, 2015 G. Turner

Grain analysts are expecting those guarantees to fall yet again for corn, soybeans, and spring wheat, this year. According to recent predictions from grain analysts, the crop insurance price guarantees for American spring wheat, corn, and soybeans is going to fall by another 10 percent, this year, based on an analysis of February futures settlement prices. The USDA provides a subsidy for a minimum of two thirds of the insurance premiums paid by farmers. The crop insurance program, itself, has oversight by the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA), which also…

Crop insurance claims already increasing in Canada

August 5, 2014August 2, 2014 H. Cutner

As another summer comes with devastating flooding, farmers are already contacting their insurers. As farmers begin to have the opportunity to see how much of their land has been affected by flooding in Saskatchewan, Canada, they are submitting their crop insurance claims on an increasing basis. It is believed that the full impact of the flooding throughout Saskatchewan will not be known until the fall. According to Rae Groeneveld, from the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation, by July 29, there had already been 792 claims submitted, pre-harvest. He explained that “A…

Crop insurance program wastes $7.8 billion, says environmental group

January 8, 2014January 6, 2014 Julie Campbell

A new report has suggested that farmers in the Corn Belt have been massively overcompensated. The results of an analysis that was commissioned by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) have now been released in a report which suggests that the federal crop insurance program’s compensation to farmers in the Corn Belt who experienced the greatest devastation from the drought in 2012, had actually been too high by an estimated $7.8 billion. The payouts from that disaster totaled approximately $14 billion, but the report said that far less would have sufficed.…