At Ag Partners, we recommend that Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) always be an integral part of any farm's risk management strategy. There is no other way to protect the number of bushels or revenue per acre that the MPCI program can at the premiums per acre that it costs. That is due to a shared governmental investment in those premiums to help mitigate disasters in a much better way than the ad hoc programs can.
Ag Partners offers a complete selection of crop insurance products to help cover the unknown risks that can be problematic for a profitable year. Risks like weather or falling markets can be greatly reduced or eliminated by putting a guarantee on the minimum amount of revenue per acre you will receive. The list of Federal MPCI programs that we offer includes:
We also offer an extensive line of private products as well, including:
Heading into this New Year, you will have a fresh set of choices to make on your operation, and that includes your Multi-Peril Crop Insurance policy. We are all creatures of habit, so we like to keep things the same. When it comes to your Crop Insurance, how do you know that same old policy is the best fit for your operation? Could it be costing you money or opportunities that you don’t even know about? Your operation doesn’t use the same hybrids and herbicides from 10 years ago so maybe it wouldn’t hurt to look at new options to your 10 (or even 20) year old Crop Insurance Policy.
With decades of experience and the most up-to-date knowledge, the Crop Insurance Specialists at Ag Partners want to offer you an opportunity to learn about the latest Crop Insurance information. Maybe you have heard the term SCO and ECO insurance, but never had anyone explain the benefits. Do you buy Hail & Wind coverage, but your agent has never offered choices of Insurance Companies with cheaper premiums or better coverage? We are also heading towards a new 2023 Farm Bill but still have some ARC/PLC elections to make this winter. Has anyone explained how these elections affect your Crop Insurance choices or helped you run the numbers on the best program for your operation? Or maybe the simplest idea; how about a second set of eyes to review your current Crop Insurance policy to just make sure small details aren’t missed.
The ag environment in 2023 still appears to be a very high risk – high reward situation, so being the least informed operation in your neighborhood might not be the best business plan. You could have the best marketing plans and buy the highest quality inputs, but at the end of the year your Multi-Peril Crop Insurance policy is the only thing that can guarantee your operation revenue. Reaching out to our Crop Insurance Specialist about any of these topics will not only educate and better position your operation, but the best part...it costs you zero dollars and only a little time. There is no obligation on your part, but if you find our information valuable, we promise to give you this same support year after year as our Crop Insurance customer. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Jim Ward or Darcy Pralle at Ag Partners before March 15th to discuss some new ideas for your operation. We wish all of you a prosperous and happy New Year!
The insurance calendar is ready to flip to 2023, and we wanted to start with some updates. Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) insurance will begin it’s 2023 policy year starting July 1st. This Federally subsidized insurance lets cattle producers set a floor price on their cattle and protect profit margins. With the volatility in our markets today, the ability to protect downside risk will be key. The good news is that the 2023 LRP pricing structure is not changing, so it will still be priced very competitively versus Put Options. There are a few other changes worth mentioning for 2023, including a weight increase to allow insurance of 1,000lb feeder cattle and 1,600lb fed cattle. The annual limit of 12,000 head per year has also been increased to 25,000 head to allow more head per policy.
One of the most important changes for the 2023 policy year comes in the form of deadlines. In past years RMA would allow a producer to sign up for LRP and transfer their policy at any point of the year. For 2023, and going forward, there will be no transfers of previous policies after June 30th, so you will be locked in for 12 months, similar to how MPCI policies function. There has never been a better time than now to considered LRP insurance for your operation. We are happy to answer any of your LRP questions at Ag Partners, so please don’t hesitate to reach out with the deadline approaching.
Most crops appeared off to a good start as planting wrapped up, which means it’s time to complete Acreage Reporting on your MPCI policy. The deadline for turning in planting information is coming up in July so remember to put it on the To-Do list. This is also the time of year we hope for steady rainfall. Unfortunately, strong storms are usually required to produce it. If you have questions around hail and wind insurance, there is still time to sign up this summer or even increase your current coverage. Let us know if we can help answer questions around these insurance products.
USDA released the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) this year and sent information to producers. While we don’t expect many ERP payments within our local counties, the insurance team at Ag Partners has some resources to help clear up questions producers might have about this program. As with most USDA programs, your local FSA office will administer the ERP program and have final say on ERP information and rules.
Another hot subject as we head through Summer is the outlook for 2023 crops. We expect some areas of northeast Kansas to take a more serious look at planting winter wheat this fall, followed by double-crop soybeans in the summer of 2023. The Federal Government has mentioned the expansion of counties where double-crop soybeans will be fully insurable, but we will have to wait and see where the line is drawn. Currently most counties north of Interstate 70 are not insurable and must have a written agreement for double crop soybeans. We probably won’t know until later in 2022 which new counties might be eligible, but we will be sure to send an update once we know more. To prepare for wheat/double-crop soybeans, we do suggest producers review their current MPCI insurance policy to confirm they have wheat coverage in place. Especially if an operation hasn’t planted wheat in several years: the coverage could have been removed. The deadline to add or adjust your wheat coverage is September 30th, so don’t hesitate to call Jim Ward or Darcy Pralle at Ag Partners if you would like to talk through double cropping procedures and coverages.