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:
I’d like to start with a quick introduction. I’m Darcy Pralle, a Crop Insurance Specialist who recently joined the Risk Management Team with Jim Ward here at Ag Partners Cooperative. I’ve been involved in the crop insurance industry for several years, and I look forward to serving our producers at Ag Partners.
I wanted to touch on a couple of subjects as we move into planting season. If you have any replant, prevent plant, or coverage questions on your MPCI policy, please let us know, and we can walk you through scenarios. The crop we plant this spring will be one of the most expensive for our producers but has the potential to be one of the most valuable as well. With such a high-risk, high-reward situation, the thought of adding extra protection with hail and wind insurance could give you some peace of mind. In addition, if you currently purchase hail and wind coverage, you might consider increasing that coverage to account for the higher crop values this year. If you have questions, we are happy to discuss these products and how they can help your operation.
For cattle operations, especially those feeding cattle, the Livestock Risk Protection “LRP” insurance policy has seen some changes in the last couple of years that are worth mentioning. In the past, if you wanted to lock in a floor price on your feeders (similar to a Put Option) with LRP insurance, you had to pay for the premium upfront, and the subsidy levels were fairly low. These rules have changed, and no premium is due till the end of your LRP insurance period. Also, the subsidy has increased by 10% or more on most levels, so LRP policies are now competitively priced versus the traditional Put Option. Typically, the cow-calf operations didn’t have much for choices either, but with the changes came an “unborn” category to lock in LRP insurance on future calves as well. Several other advantages make LRP more flexible than Put Options, so if any cattle producers have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
As a reminder, if you have pasture/hay ground, the annual signup for Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (“PRF”- Rainfall Insurance) will be in the Fall. We will be sure to keep you up to date and have more information on the benefits of this insurance program later this year. Good luck this Planting Season, and please feel free to reach out to your dedicated Risk Management team at Ag Partners with any questions.
We are still accepting crop input loan applications for the 2022 growing season. It is a one-page application to get started, which will give you access to 0% interest on prepaying seed and chemical and 2.25% (variable) interest on crop nutrient programs through Ag Partners Coop. There is plenty of room available, so if you are interested, please contact your agronomy account manager or call Lisa Johnson (785)742-2196 or Jim Ward (785)741-1652.