A sad headline and this is not an isolated incident. There may be some over generalizations and information that may not be completely accurate but it does not diminsh the problems that must be addressed to reduce animal loss. Click to Read the Full Article

On 4 June, we conducted our first live, field training event in Ames, Iowa. Eleven participants from six different companies joined us in a breakout room at the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center of Iowa State University for grain bin presentations by Chris Wortman from Nohr Wortman Engineering and Michael McDowell of Global Bin Builders. After covering the equipment and components associated with grain bins, grain bin damage, estimation, underwriting, and subrogation, we were off to two grain bin sites coordinated by Michael. We thank everybody for participating and especially for the time, effort, and expertise of our two ACA silver sponsors, Chris and Mike, for making this event possible and a success.

We are considering other equipment and property topics for another live field event and further training on crop liability.

There was another high number of cattle trespass (cow out) claims in 2023, with a significant number of claims that were fairly small (<$1000-$2000). We saw potential for staff adjusters at the carriers/insurers to learn and handle these types of claims from the desk by having drone footage or photographs support their desk adjustments. The one missing component for this type of claim was the lack of accurate counts to calculate the extent of the damage, so we needed a tool that could help adjusters. We used a few different applications that use Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) via satellite passages over time that quantified the damaged acres. This NDVI information, coupled with estimates of damage visible in the photos, allows adjusters to reasonably settle claims quickly and without the cost of a field inspection, saving time and money. One of the software firms we used was Bushel Farm, and we are happy to announce a partnership to help grow this endeavor. We welcome Bushel Farm as our newest bronze sponsor; welcome to the ACA!

We are developing a series of new online modules designed to help with claims and maintaining continuing education (CE) requirements. The one closest to completion is a "Cow Out" module to help with the growing number of cattle tresspassing claims. The aim of the module is that an independent or staff adjuster can handle a simple cow-out claim from assignment to settlement using crop liability basics, a few tools, and calculating the loss. Once that module is complete, we will work on a series of ethics modules to assist adjusters with CE requirements.

A proposed label for KHNP0090, a dicamba herbicide from Bayer formerly known as XtendiMax, would remove any over-the-top (OTT) application of the herbicide in soybeans and restrict its use to no later than June 12 in that crop.

As young farmers are embracing autnomous tractor (new technology), this will created new concerns for the farm & ranch insurance industry. Make sure to review coverage for this new technology if you're assigned a claim. If coverage is like the Telsa cars, the driver has to be paying attention to the road not their phone or ipad. Interested to see how this plans out going forward. Click for the full article.

The FDA has completed testing that shows the US milk supply is safe from the H5N1 virus. This should relieve some concerns for dairy farmers and their insurance companies. Click for the full article.

It that time of year, we are seeing an increased number of anhydrous tanks on the road and in the fields. This flammable gas can't be seen. It isimportant that handlers have checked the tanks for leaks prior to fillling, and they should be traveling down the road at a maximum speed of 24 MPH. Unfortunately, mistakes with hanlding anhydrous can be deadly. Click for the full article.

Feed bin catchs fire at Lenoir County Farm. Multiple fight departments work to get the fire put out. The question of what caused the fire has not been answered. To see the news clip, click here.

Grain bin explosion causes a 300,000 bushel soybean bin to collapse in Iowa. Click to read the full article

Corn planting is 6% complete across the U.S., a point behind last year but also one point ahead of the five-year-average pace.

Existing stocks provision applies to stocks of previously registerd pesticide products currently iin the US and packaged, labeled, and releases for shipment prior to February 6, 2024. This will allow the use of Dicamba for the 2024 season with limitations based on the state of application. Click to read the full story

US District Court of Arizona, in Tucson, vacates 2020 registrations by Monsanto (now Bayer) for XtendiMax, BASF Engenia, and Syngenta Tavium. This means that farmers will not be able to use these products this year.