Crop Insurance Today February 2015 - (Page 28)

CropInsurance TODAY CROP INSURANCE IN ACTION: Art Wiebelhaus, Fordyce, Nebraska People hear a lot about crop insurance and the fact that U.S. farmers spend $4 billion out of their own pockets to purchase it every year. One of the greatest praises of our modern crop insurance system is the customer service farmers receive before they have a loss, but perhaps more importantly the service after. For some farmers, the hours after a major farm disaster can seem like the lowest point in their lives, when their careers seem to be upended and their hopes for a big harvest dashed. But quickly after a major loss occurs, crop insurance adjusters are on the scene to meet with the farmers and assess the damage. Crop insurance adjusters are one of the unsung heroes of the farm safety net, since they help ensure that when disaster strikes, help in the form of a crop insurance indemnity check is on the way. Before ever climbing in the truck, crop adjusters are already on the phone making business calls, watching the weather forecast, reading the rain gauge and checking in with their clients. They spend long days in the office and even longer days out on the road. Right beside the farmer as they walk through their fields, these men and women are at the very heart of why crop insurance is successful. Art Wiebelhaus is one person in particular who exemplifies just what it takes to be a crop adjuster. He recognizes the commitment crop production takes, the need crop insurance fulfills, and the lifestyle agriculture holds. From his understandings, Art utilizes a dynamic relationship between crop insurance, farming, community, and family. While he has been a crop adjuster for just six years, Art has been a farmer his whole life. 28 FEBRUARY2015 NOVEMBER2014 As a third generation farmer, "I know what they are going through and what their worries are. I'm a farmer too," commiserates Art. Imagine waking up one day to your life's work destroyed by events beyond your control, producers must carry around this possibility (and lump in their throat) every day. It is an adjuster's job to provide farmers with the aid they seek from crop insurance. As producers dread the day when they must make a claim, Art is still able to make light of the situation. He laughs, "It seems that when it rains, it just keeps raining, and when it's dry, it just stays dry." Growing up on the same place he now farms, Art has seen crop insurance grow around his own sleepy little town of Fordyce, Nebraska, "A while back I remember meeting While he has been a crop adjuster for just six years, Art has been a farmer his whole life. one gentleman who didn't have crop insurance, and that's because there wasn't a policy that really worked for his operation. Of course now, with improvements and changes to crop insurance, he has coverage. Today, I can't name one person who doesn't have crop insurance." "With current prices, farmers need to have crop insurance to stay in business," points out Art. The loss of just one year can be so catastrophic that an operation cannot financially come back from it. Keeping a farmer's "head above water" means another year that he is able to meet the demands of food production. This is where the importance of an adjuster comes into play. They make the loss calculations for every insured field based upon scientific procedures. From these adjustments, it is determined how crop insurance policies can pay. Creating a tie to the producer, adjusters work with their clients to provide assessments that will have a positive impact on the operation's future. Along with this, crop adjusters must be conscientious of their actions in order for this process to be successful. For the best results

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crop Insurance Today February 2015

A Work in Progress
Whole-Farm Revenue Protection
2014 A Year of Involvement
NCIS Agricultural Research & Technology Program
Crop Insurance In Action: Art Wiebelhaus, Fordyce, Nebraska
In Memory Mike Felt
In Memory Irl Oaks, Jr.
Insurable Crops Location & Plans
FFA Proficiency Winner

Crop Insurance Today February 2015