Crop insurance reminders for drought conditions

[July 20, 2012]  SPRINGFIELD -- The hot, dry weather has threatened much of the Midwest's crops, including corn and soybeans. Brian D. Frieden, director of USDA's Risk Management Agency's regional office in Springfield, offers reminders for producers who may have a loss on an insured crop.

If you have a potential crop loss, notify your crop insurance agent immediately. You are responsible for notifying your agent within 72 hours of discovering crop damage, continuing to care for the crop as you normally would, and getting permission from the insurance company before destroying any of the crop.

Your crop insurance company can explain your options. If you don't plan to take your corn or soybean crop to harvest, talk to your insurance company before taking action. In many cases, it may be too early to accurately appraise the crop. Producers considering cutting their corn for silage or tearing up a corn crop to plant soybeans should discuss this with their insurance company. For acreage not being harvested, the company can establish representative strips. These strips must be maintained and will be used to establish yield. Corn insured for silage is handled differently than corn insured as grain. Consult with your company before proceeding.

In times of loss, your crop insurance agent should be your first contact. The agent and insurance company know your policy and can help you through the claims process.

During the 2011 disasters, with fires, floods, hurricanes and drought, insurance companies were able to make timely payments to producers who were suffering from crop losses. Frieden is confident that producers will receive the same prompt response on claims filed this year.

[Text from file received from USDA Risk Management Agency, Springfield]