Monday, June 17, 2013

Preventive Planting Insurance

"A couple of BTOs in my area have planted tiny percentages of their acreage and are talking PP on nearly all their land, sit back , do nothing and draw a big check. It is pretty apparent they have not tried to plant that hard as others in the area such as myself are almost done planting. It has been a very challenging year and I have a few wet spots and some replant on some flooded out acres but I am getting there. Will they be allowed to do this? I guess with the right agent and adjuster it can happen. It just don't seem right. If enough people do this seems like it could ruin the system." Are we "drunk on insurance?"

Preventive planting insurance hit our area in 2011.  It looks like it is hitting again.  We counted 20 fields near us not planted and I don't know if they will go to beans or not.  It looks like not.

Right near those fields others busted their butt to get something planted.  Who was the dummy?  The guy for planting or the guy taking the insurance check?

In any of these situations, each one is entirely different in my mind.  Just do the math and you can see no two farmers are alike in how they try to plant or how they use insurance to offset their risk.

Our good planting days came and went with showers and not much heat.  Stands here look pretty good but there are many empty fields.  I don't know who is right but as the thread suggests, this kind of tactic can't go on forever.

Will large claims cause insurance change?  It always does.  It just bugs the farmers who plant to watch others not plant.

Preventive planting acres are a great place for a farmer to learn how to use cover crops to control weeds, build soil properties and a whole host of things.  Many took advantage of that here in 2011, our record year for cover crops so far.  I asked my friend Bruce, a local Pioneer dealer and go to CCA how his worked?  He said I didn't get a good comparison run but I can't honestly tell you the radishes and peas etc made any difference.

So, is preventive planting insurance worth the cost nationally or is is abused beyond its intent?

Ed Winkle

7 comments:

  1. Privatize crop insurance.....with the American tax payer paying half the premiums it's not right.

    A provision for so many acres per ft of planter? If your over so much your considered high risk....

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  2. Definitely time to stop getting paid for NOT growing stuff. And it seems the US crop insurance system penalizes those who strive for diversity through cover crops and crop rotation. That isn't a sustainable approach!

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  3. If the rules were different farmers approach would be different. The system is imo there to lessen the risk on the lenders. A farmers job is to make the right business decisions for their operation. Hard to fault someone for using a policy that they bought into to manage their risk.

    Remember, the crop insurance program is a social program to ensure adequate food supplies. Its purpose is to stabilize supply. If a farmer takes a huge loss because of weather conditions isn't it likely that they won't plant as much corn the next year? If they dont wouldn't that be bad for the consumer?

    Its easy to lose sight of the fact that subsidized crop insurance is there for the good of the public more so than for the good of the farmer.

    David Seck

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    1. As farmers we and I have used that argument many times that gov't money we farmers get is a benefit for public getting cheap food. I don't believe it anymore,I think we farmers are just as self serving as the wall street bankers and really (on the majority) care more about how much money we get in our pockets . Even in the worst ag. times a minimal amount of "good" land gets left fallow . Often guarantees or crop ins. allows people too take unreasonable risks that are nor prudent.i.e. breaking up highly erodible CRP land, too high rents or land purchaes,ect.--kevin -Ontario

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  4. I agree, anonymous.

    Andy, I don't believe in getting paid for not growing stuff, either.

    Where do we meet in the middle?

    I don't think we would be where we are in this country without American agriculture.

    Ed Winkle

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  5. Prevented planting provisions in insurance policies will offer valuable coverage once extreme climatic conditions prevent expected plantings. Producers should make planting selections based on sound and well documented crop management practices.

    Thanks
    William Martin

    Financial Claims Made Simple

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