Crop Insurance Today May 2013 - (Page 48)

NCIS Retirements CropInsuranceTODAY Mike O’Connor Mike O’Connor retired from NCIS in early February after 14 years of dedication to NCIS and the crop insurance industry. Mike was hired by NCIS in 1998 as a training and development specialist. After working in that capacity for several years, Mike decided to focus more on MPCI policies and procedures and became the resident “expert” on the livestock programs, nursery and many others. Mike often trained on new products and changes at the NCIS Update Conferences and provided parliamentary procedure training to the regional/state committee chairmen during their orientation. Mike had a distinguished history working in the crop insurance industry prior to joining NCIS. His professional experiences included operating a general agency, soliciting production, supervising underwriting, adjusting claims and providing training to both agents and adjusters. While working for a private company, Mike served as two years as chairman of the NCIS Nebraska Regional/State Committee. Prior to his life in crop insurance, Mike was a classroom teacher, coach and elementary principal and high school athletic director. Continued from Page 43 terminated. There are mechanical means to roll, flatten, or mow the cover crop so that the cover crop does not compete with the main crop. The last issue is that some producers want to be able to plant into the living cover crop before the cover crop has reached the termination stage, but that is not acceptable due to the current insurance provisions that does not allow the inter-planting of any insured crop into another living crop. Summary The use of cover crops have some advantages, especially in areas with a longer growing season and more consistent moisture as a means to prevent erosion and the possible pollution of 48 MAY2013 P. John Owen NCIS staff and those in the industry who worked with Mike always appreciated his sense of humor, his intellect and his dedication to the industry. We wish him the very best in his retirement! P John Owen . P. John Owen retired in late March after 11 years as General Counsel for NCIS. During his time at NCIS, John was responsible for many legal affairs activities either on behalf of NCIS or the crop insurance industry. John’s extensive background in antitrust counseling was beneficial for NCIS and the industry and he would train NCIS board of directors and officers on the topic, as well as regional/state chairmen. A 20minute antitrust video was developed last year and is shown at the NCIS regional/state annual meetings and at other training events. John was also the lead attorney during groundwater, surface water or estuaries, as well as improve the soil structure. The use of the cover crops may require some changes in how the producer handles his management and planning for the year. There needs to be an awareness on the producers side as well as the insurance side that the use of these cover crops may cause problems depending on the weather conditions. The critical thing to remember is that there is not one system that will work for all of the different farming situations that producers face because of varying climate, soils, and crop needs. References: Below are several publications that discuss the favorable aspects of using cover crops: Mike O’Connor the 2005 and 2011 Standard Reinsurance Agreement negotiations and provided advice on litigation matters, corporate governance, licensing of intellectual property, and various others. Before joining NCIS, John did a substantial amount of work for NCIS and its members at the Morrison & Hecker law firm (now Stinson Morrison Hecker). John began private practice with Morrison & Hecker in 1972 where substantially all of his practice was devoted to litigation matters, antitrust counseling, and corporate governance issues. He received his undergraduate and law degrees, respectively, from Georgetown University in 1969 and Northwestern University in 1972. John’s wisdom and guidance will be missed by NCIS and the industry. We wish him well in his retirement! Managing Cover Crops Profitably. 3rd Edition. Handbook Series Book 9. Sustainable Agriculture Network, Beltsville Maryland. Cover Crops for Modern Cropping Systems, Eileen Kladivko, Agronomy Department, Purdue University, Created August 2011 URL: www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/extension/Documents/CoverCropsO verview.pdf Using Cover Crops to Improve Soil and Water Quality, James J. Hoorman,: ohioline.osu.edu/anrfact/pdf/Using_Cover_crops.pdf Planting Winter Rye after Corn Silage: Managing for Forage by Jim Stute, Kevin Shelley, Dwight Mueller, and Tim Wood ipcm.wisc.edu/downloads/nutrientmanagment/ 2013- Frequently Asked Questions Crop Year Insuring Crops Planted Following a Cover Crop www.rma.usda.gov/help/faq/insuring.html http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/extension/Documents/CoverCropsOverview.pdf http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/extension/Documents/CoverCropsOverview.pdf http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/extension/Documents/CoverCropsOverview.pdf http://ohioline.osu.edu/anrfact/pdf/Using_Cover_crops.pdf http://ohioline.osu.edu/anr-fact/pdf/Using_Cover_crops.pdf http://ipcm.wisc.edu/downloads/nutrient-managment http://ipcm.wisc.edu/downloads/nutrient-managment http://www.rma.usda.gov/help/faq/insuring.html

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crop Insurance Today May 2013

President's Message
2012 Year in Review
2013 Annual Convention Great Success!
Max Erickson Awarded Outstanding Service Award
Larry Heitman Pesented Leadership Award
Leadership of NCIS Regional/State Crop Insurance Committees
How Do Farmers Manage Risk When It Comes in So Many Forms?
Step 9-Monitoring and Controlling the Farm Business Q: How do I monitor progress over time?
Three Industry Stalwarts Presented Lifetime Achievement Awards
Cover Crops
Crop Insurance Plan Comparison
NCIS Retirements

Crop Insurance Today May 2013