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Following the convention, NCIS elected its Board of Directors. Members include: Back row (left to right) Ron Rutledge, Farmers Mutual Hail
Insurance Company of Iowa; Jordan Roach, Global Ag; Bob Haney, Agri Sompo North America; Jim Korin, NAU Country; and Jason Meador, Rural
Community Insurance Services. Front row (left to right): Andy Caruso, American Farm Bureau Insurance Services; Brian Young, Crop Risk Services;
Kendall Jones, Chair, ProAg; Tim Weber, First Vice Chair, Great American Insurance Group; Scott Arnold, Second Vice Chair, Rain and Hail L.L.C.;
and Tom Zacharias, National Crop Insurance Services.
should be maintained and strengthened in the next
Farm bill.
" Crop insurance is one of our most important
tools for our growers in terms of protecting their
yields as well as their revenue, " said Jake Westlin of
the National Association of Wheat Growers, one of
the panel participants.
farm economy and overall outlook for U. S. agriculture.
And convention favorite, David Wasserman,
The Cook Political Report, shared his thoughts
on the upcoming 2022 election season and a look
ahead at the 2024 presidential election.
The final presentation of the convention was
to honor the Crop Insurance Industry Award winners.
Sam Scheef, ARMtech Insurance (retired),
was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award
for his 35 years of service to the crop insurance
industry. Bill Pearson, Huisenga Pearson, was presented
with a Friend of the Industry Award and
Ruth Fulford, Flatlands Insurance Group, was given
the Outstanding Service Award for her outreach
to limited resource and socially disadvantaged
farmers. Teri Steppel, Rural Community Insurance
Service, Steve Wilson, Farmers Mutual Hail
Insurance Company of Iowa, and Roger Wittum,
NAU Country, were awarded Industry Leadership
Awards for their service and leadership to NCIS
and the entire crop insurance industry.
Thank you to all who attended or participated
in the 2022 Crop Insurance Industry Annual
Convention. We look forward to seeing all of you
at the 2023 Convention February 12-15 in Bonita
Springs, Florida.
Dr. Joe Outlaw provided an update on the
agricultural economy during Tuesday's
general session.
Another panelist, Ben Mosely of USA Rice
Federation, said innovations in crop insurance are
making it more attractive to rice growers.
" Obviously there's a lot of new crop insurance
policies and endorsements that have come on in
the last 10 plus years that are very attractive to us, "
he said. " We are taking on more crop insurance
acreage every year. It's been a great program. "
Other panel participants included: Robert
Guenther, International Fresh Produce Association;
Robbie Minnich, National Cotton Council;
Kellis Moss, Ducks Unlimited; Skylar Sowder,
Farm Credit Council; and Wayne Stoskopf, National
Corn Growers Association.
Tuesday speakers included representatives from
the Risk Management Agency including Marsha
Bunger, Keith Gray, Richard Flournoy, Delores
Dean, and Heather Manzano. Dr. Joe Outlaw, Texas
A&M University, and Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse
Communications, provided information about the
18 FIRSTQUARTER2022
Progressive Agriculture Foundation
Selected as Convention Charity
Each year during the Annual Convention, AACI and NCIS select a charitable
organization involved in agriculture to highlight and encourage attendees to support
financially through donations. The charity selected for the 2022 Crop Insurance
Industry Convention was Progressive Agriculture Foundation®
.
Many in agriculture know someone whose life has been affected by a farmrelated
injury or death. The statistics are sobering. Even more tragic is that these
incidents could have been prevented with a few simple safety precautions. That's
why the Progressive Agriculture Foundation®
is on a crusade to bring safety and
health information to the farming communities who desperately need it.
At the heart of this effort is the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day®
program.
The mission of the Progressive Agriculture Safety Days is simple-to provide
education, training, and resources to make farm, ranch, and rural life safer and
healthier for children and their communities. These one-day events teach children
lessons that help keep them and those around them safe and healthy.
Read the Success Stories to hear what others are saying about the Progressive
Agriculture Safety Day®
program. Find out from coordinators, volunteers, parents,
and participants what unsafe behaviors have been changed and the safety
practices that have been implemented since attending a Safety Day.
Through the generous donations by attendees, the industry raised $3,500 for
the Foundation. To learn more about the Progressive Agriculture Foundation®
or to make a donation, please visit their website at www.progressiveag.org.

http://www.progressiveag.org

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