Summer Heat
July 2023

Darcy Pralle, Crop Insurance Specialist

The hottest topic of the summer might end up being these very hot cattle markets. The past couple months has set all-time high cattle prices that hopefully stick around for a while longer. We don’t have to rediscuss all the drought issues last year that got us to this point, but these markets are giving us some great opportunities. Every hot market eventually gets cold, so at some point, the markets have to come back to earth. If you knew you could lock in a profit at these current prices, are you willing to roll the dice on future prices going even higher? Livestock Risk Protection gives cattle producers federally subsidized insurance to set a floor price on their cattle right now and protect profit margins. It also has benefits and pricing that isn’t available through Put Options. I like to compare these cattle markets to some of the high times we’ve seen in grain over the years. For example, if grain markets were offering you $8 corn for this harvest, would you lock in some new crop sales or just sit back, hoping it goes to $10? If you are a cattle producer, especially those with Feeders and Fats it’s a great time to learn more about Livestock Risk Protection Insurance.

It’s been a rather dry June across the Ag Partners territory for a month that typically doesn’t miss rainfall. Hopefully the rest of summer will bring us more consistent rainfall. That being said, your crop insurance policy could be a very important resource this year. As you finish your Acreage Report over the next several weeks, please give it a double or triple check to make sure every farm has the correct crop, acres, and shares. Incorrect information can have very negative consequences if you have a claim on your crop insurance policy this harvest. If you notice anything on your policy that needs adjusted, please reach out as soon as possible.

This dryer weather pattern has also shown the benefits of having a Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Insurance policy (PRF). These PRF Insurance policies protect your pasture and hay ground against a lack of precipitation. If your operation receives below-normal rainfall, the PRF policy could trigger a payment to help supplement feed or other costs in dry spells. We have numerous success stories from our producers using PRF Insurance, so if you would like to learn more, please reach out to the Risk Management Team at Ag Partners.

Wishing everyone a fun and safe Summer! 

White Combines
April 2023

Darcy Pralle, Crop Insurance Specialist & Jim Ward, Crop Insurance & CFA Specialist

First, the Risk Management team wants to thank all the current and new producers who chose us for their Crop Insurance needs in 2023. We truly enjoy helping our customers each season and look forward to making your operation successful for many years to come! 

 We wanted to touch on a touchy subject as we head into the spring season. There is a certain four-letter word that most producers try to avoid. You know the one you utter when those clouds start looking a little green in the sky. Sorry but we’re going to be using the word HAIL, aka “The White Combine”. Our area was very fortunate with less-than-usual hail and wind claims in 2022. That makes sense though, because our rains shut off in mid-July, and so did our chances of severe storms. For the sake of rainfall hopefully, we see a few more storms this summer but the switch from La Nina to El Nino has us in a neutral year that can be very unpredictable. 

Your Multi-Peril Crop Insurance Policy does an excellent job of protecting you, but there are a few gaps. For example, if you purchase 75% coverage on your corn and soybeans, the top 25% is still open to risk. That 25% exposed on each acre could easily be 40 bushels of corn or 12 bushels of soybeans lost during a storm. With a simple hail and wind policy we can get those bushels covered for as little as $5 to $10 per acre. We know inputs were still costly this year, so margins could be running thin. If a storm knocks 10% or 20% off the top of your crops, how would your profitability look? 

This issue isn’t new, but for those using an Enterprise Unit on their Multi-Peril Crop Insurance, there is always the concern of major hail or wind damage to one farm but not enough to trigger your entire Enterprise of farms. All our hail and wind policies provide coverage on a section-by-section basis, so with unpredictable storm paths the hail and wind damage gets covered more precisely. There have also been some new types of hail policies entering the market for higher coverage and yield situations that we are happy to discuss. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Jim Ward or Darcy Pralle before that “White Combine” cuts a swath across your farm. 

Thanks again to all our producers and have a safe planting season!