CROP INSURANCE NEWS:

CLAIMS & APPRAISALS

Most producers have been there before. No matter what you do during the growing season, sometimes Mother Nature just will not cooperate, and you’re anticipating that your yields may fall below your guarantee. Obviously this is not the situation you’d like to be in, but that’s why you purchased crop insurance to begin with. If you do find yourself in a claims situation, there are some important things to remember that can help the process go more smoothly. Many times, money is left on the table because these guidelines are not followed. Don’t lose out on a potential indemnity because notification was not done on a timely basis.

• Perils - The vast majority of naturally-caused perils are included under multipleperil crop insurance (MPCI) coverage. This includes but is not limited to: adverse weather, failure of irrigation water supply, fire, insect damage or plant disease (unless you improperly or insufficiently applied pest or disease control measures) and wildlife damage. Those covered under Revenue Protection are also protected from a decline in market price as well.

• Timeframe - Insurance coverage generally begins at time of application or time of planting, whichever is later. The end of the insurance period is generally recognized as the earlier of: total destruction of the crop, final harvest of the crop, abandonment of the crop, or the end of the insurance period (which is December 10th for corn insured as grain and soybeans).

• Insured’s responsibilities – For planted crops, the insured must notify the insurance company within 72 hours of the initial discovery of the damage or production loss, but no later than 15 days after the end of the insurance period, even if the crop has not yet been harvested. If you have a revenue protection policy and have a claim based on strictly price, the insurance company must be notified within 45 days of the harvest price announcement for the crop.

• Appraisals - If you are going to harvest your planted crop in any non-traditional manner, a crop appraisal needs to be completed, otherwise you may lose out on a potential indemnity payment. The most common time an appraisal is needed is when you’re going to chop corn that is insured as grain for silage. If you have a corn policy, any acreage that is not harvested traditionally as dry grain should be appraised. You should contact your crop insurance specialist at least a week in advance of when you are planning on harvesting, so it can be arranged for an adjuster to come out and perform the appraisals while the crop is still in the field. In the event you harvest before an adjuster is able to perform appraisals, representative sample strips must be left in the fields so the adjusters can use them for appraisals. The strips must be at least 10 feet wide and run the entire length of the field. If you do not agree with the appraisals you’ve gotten from the adjuster, do not sign them. Call your crop insurance specialist right away and we can have another adjuster come out and perform a second appraisal.

Throughout the whole claims adjustment process, if you ever feel uneasy or that something doesn’t seem right, contact your crop insurance specialist as soon as possible. Along those same lines, if you ever have a problem with the adjuster that’s working your claim and you’d like someone different, if you let your crop insurance specialist know we can generally make that happen. Remembering these key points will help make the process go better. As always, if you have questions above and beyond what you’ve read, please contact your crop insurance specialist and they will be able to help you out. ■

HAIL INSURANCE:

It is not too late to purchase hail insurance for 2023. Hail is a separate policy from your multi-peril crop insurance coverage. As an added bonus, your hail policy can provide coverage for fire, lightning, vandalism/ malicious mischief and transit to the 1st place of storage. Rates and coverage can vary by crop and county. Keep in mind, hail insurance must be purchased before damage occurs. Contact your GreenStone crop insurance specialist today to set up an appointment to review your options. ■

IMPORTANT DATE REMINDER!

Late fees will be charged on any unpaid premium on October 1st. Please make note of this important change as late fees cannot be waived. If you cannot pay your premium before the due date, please contact your AIP to make payment arrangements. Payment is due regardless of whether or not you have an outstanding claim. ■

2023 FALL WHEAT & FORAGE CLAIMS

Appraisals are required when you plan to do something with the crop other than harvest in the normal manner. If you do not plan to take your wheat/forage to harvest, we must appraise the acres prior to destruction. ■

BEFORE YOU CHOP!

It won’t be long until it’s time to fill the bunker silo. Before chopping corn for silage, please call and arrange for an appraisal ahead of time. Every effort will be made to have your crop appraised before you chop. Otherwise, you will be instructed on how to leave samples in your field for later evaluation. ■

Forage Production

If you think you may be facing a forage production loss, contact your crop insurance specialist to file a claim. If you didn’t have forage insurance for the 2023 crop year and are interested in coverage for 2024, the sales close date is the same as wheat, September 30th. ■