Greetings from SEPTEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER SUMMARY MEGAN S CORNER. Most of our insurance providers are now on the growing season. Each year seems to

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1 Greetings from SEPTEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER SUMMARY GARY S SECTION MEGAN S CORNER PAY YOUR BILL ONLINE At this time of year I always like to reflect back The past few weeks of warmer weather had Most of our insurance providers are now on the growing season. Each year seems to many of you rolling your combines back out accepting payments online. Read More... be a surprise based on expectations from into the sunlight. Read More... planting season. This year did not disappoint. Read More... COURTESY OF TANNER DIRKS 2019 QUOTES See The Quotes Now... PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS New requirements for the production record type are being implemented for this crop year. Read More... FALL HARVEST REMINDERS Fall harvest is getting started. Please remember to keep these things in mind. Read More...

2 SOUTHWEST AG INSURANCE NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2018 Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. Psalms 67:6 Wheat Final Plant Date: 10/20/18 10/31/18 11/5/18 UPCOMING DEADLINES 11/15/18 11//18 Counties Included: Grant, Hamilton, Kearny, Stevens Clark, Finney, Ford, Gray, Haskell, McPherson, Meade, Pawnee, Riley, Seward, Stafford Comanche, Kingman, Kiowa, Pratt, Sumner Beaver OK, Caddo OK COURTESY OF JAMES LOEPKY September th is the Sales Closing Date for 2019 wheat changes. This is the last date to make changes to your policy. This includes changing your coverage level, type of coverage, establishing a new policy for a new county, etc. We are happy to assist you in answering any questions you may have, reviewing your current coverage, and/or making any changes if necessary. Please give us a call prior to the deadline. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Upcoming Deadlines Gary s Section Megan s Corner NEW: Pay Your Bill Online Pasture, Rangeland and Forage 2019 Quotes Sprinkler Insurance 2018 Calendar NEW: Production Requirements Accurate Acreage Reporting Claim Reporting Fall Harvest Reminders September

3 GARY S SECTION At this time of year I always like to reflect back on the growing season. Each year seems to be a surprise based on expectations from planting season. This year did not disappoint. The ideas in early spring were of a dry summer with rainfall totals expected to be substantially below OFFICE: normal. As we wrap up CELL: the season and the harvest begins, most of our region has experienced normal to above normal rainfall and the crops are maturing nicely. This should serve as a reminder to us that we are not in control, and the bounty we receive is always enough and we can be thankful for all that we have. We had a few areas that experienced some severe weather and even some crops totally destroyed by hail and wind. The areas affected seem to vary from year to year and this is as unpredictable as the forecasts. We always talk about having a good risk management plan in place and it really only becomes real when your crops are damaged. Going for several years without a serious claim can make us become complacent and even wonder about reducing coverage. I say to that, evaluate the impact of what a serious loss would look like for your operation. Why risk the financial stability? Just make a good risk management plan that works for your farm and stick with it. On another topic, as most of you know this is a farm bill year and at this stage of the process both the house and senate have approved their versions of what it will look like. The next step is for both sides to negotiate and end up presenting a version that both can agree on. So far we have not seen much of a negative impact on crop insurance in either version. There was a few proposals on the table that would have been devastating, one of them even proposing to totally phase it out over a 10 year period. Fortunately those proposals were defeated. We can be very thankful for Jerry Moran, Roger Mashall and Pat Roberts from Kansas for always providing full support to our industry. We are more than half way through the price setting period for wheat and currently tracking close to a dollar higher than last year. This price will be finalized in mid September and that price will be used to calculate guarantees for multi-peril coverage. The cost estimates printed in this newsletter are only estimates but should give you a good idea of what to expect. Any changes to your policy must be made by September th (sales closing date) so please give us a call if you would like to meet or just discuss your coverage. Thank you for your business! We strive to provide the best service possible so if you ever have suggestions or ideas on how we can do better please let us know. We are always looking for ways to improve. On a personal note: Kelly and I welcomed our 6th granddaughter into the family on Labor Day! Our daughter and son-in-law Jenny and Kade Hummel are the proud parents of Lakyn Lee Hummel. 8 lbs 1 oz. 21 September

4 MEGAN S CORNER The past few weeks of warmer weather had many of you rolling your combines back out into the sunlight. Plans of harvest starting up in the near future were on the radar, and then the skies opened up and have provided us with some extra moisture in the area. To say this summer has been unseasonably mild is an understatement. If you came to our Farmer Meeting this last February, you may be chuckling at the predictions that were made for a dry(er) weather pattern. But, as we all know, weather patterns in Kansas can change in a matter of days. We will take the moisture as it comes and we are thankful for the crops that have weathered another season of summer storms. There are not a lot of changes on the docket for the approaching 2019 crop year yet. With the upcoming Farm Bill looking to renew in September, there are not a lot of drastic proposed changes to crop insurance. We will keep watch to see if any curve balls are thrown in at the closing of this Bill. I encourage you to keep in contact with your COURTESY OF TANNER DIRKS local FSA office for any new or changing programs that are introduced. Talks of the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) to assist farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation by foreign nations are to be implemented, but details of these programs are still being rolled out. Once this program is implemented, signups will be done through FSA. We have enclosed some info in this Newsletter on the Pasture, Rangeland & Forage (PRF) program. If you are running cattle, I encourage you to look into this. The deadline to sign up for this program is November 15th, so please get with us before then to get you some quotes and run some historical numbers on what this program offers. There has been an increasing amount of interest in this coverage over the past year, but as with any plan of insurance, it s not a one-sizefits-all plan. One final item gaining momentum in crop insurance is the utilization of automated crop reporting. Many of you use a GPS to plant your crops, now crop insurance is jumping on board to use this same acreage information from your tractor monitor to input acres and plant date into your crop insurance policy. This information can also be used for production reporting from a calibrated combine monitor. There is a learning curve to this and we do not claim to be experts in the field, BUT, we do have access to people that use My John Deere or similar programs on a regular basis and understand how it integrates with our crop insurance programs. If it s something you are interested in, stop by and talk to us. As always, we appreciate your business and making us a part of your farm s risk management plan. PAY YOUR BILL ONLINE Most of our insurance providers are now accepting payments If you are an RCIS policyholder, payments can be made via online. You will need your most recent crop insurance statement Click the blue box Make a Payment which includes your statement ID and the statement date along with your bank account information. Call our office with questions regarding this process. PASTURE, RANGELAND AND FORAGE Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) is a pilot insurance program designed to help protect a producer s operation from the risks of forage loss due to lack of precipitation. It is available in all 48 contiguous states. This insurance is rapidly growing in popularity for livestock producers. The PRF program utilizes a rainfall index and grid system of approximately 17 by 17 miles. We would be happy to discuss this coverage with anyone who might be interested in using it for their operation. Please visit with Gary or Megan if you are interested in learning more about PRF. Sales closing date for PRF in Kansas is November 15,2018. September

5 2019 QUOTES IRRIGATED WHEAT *PRICE: $5.90 YIELD LEVELS PLAN BUSHEL GUARANTEE $* OU EU As always, it is too early in the base price setting period to anticipate the final price, so these coverage and premium quotes are for your reference only to indicate what to expect. We all know that this year the market prices have been completely unusual and unpredictable. Take these quotes for what they are worth, A SAMPLE for reference ONLY. Please call for a time to discuss your farm plans. = Revenue Protection OU = Optional Units EU = Enterprise Units *This is an estimated price. These coverage & premium quotes are for your reference only. Price will be finalized September 14th. SUMMERFALLOW WHEAT *PRICE: $5.90 YIELD LEVELS PLAN BUSHEL GUARANTEE $* OU EU September

6 2019 QUOTES CONTINUOUS CROPPING WHEAT *PRICE: $5.90 = Revenue Protection OU = Optional Units EU = Enterprise Units *This is an estimated price. These coverage & premium quotes are for your reference only. Price will be finalized September 14th. YIELD LEVELS PLAN BUSHEL GUARANTEE $* OU EU SPRINKLER INSURANCE CROP INSURANCE DEADLINES Are your irrigation sprinklers covered properly? We have an excellent product to insure your sprinklers at replacement cost, including mechanical and electrical issues, with no age restriction on sprinkler. Let us help you review your coverage. It may not be as expensive as you think to have good coverage. We would be happy to provide you with a no obligation quote CALENDAR Fall Crops: Wheat Fall Crops: Wheat Fall Crops: Wheat Sales Closing Deadline Production Reporting Deadline Acreage Reporting Deadline Last day to apply for or change coverage level. Last day to report wheat production for APH. Last day to report wheat acreage planted. If not reported, insurance will not be in effect. September th November 15th December 15th September

7 PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS New requirements for the production record type are being implemented for this crop year. RMA is now requiring policyholders to provide the company with information as to where the production is stored. What this means is that the production record type will have to be included on the production reporting form. Example: On Farm storage, commercial elevator storage, grain bags, etc. PLEASE PROVIDE OUR OFFICE WITH COPIES OF YOUR PROOF OF YIELDS so that this required information can be included on your production form. Most of you have provided our office with this information in the past, but we will now be required to get this information on all policies and units. ACCURATE ACREAGE REPORTING We will soon be mailing out Acreage Reports for your planted wheat acres. We will continue to request the FSA 578 for all acre reports to meet the RMA requirement for CLU (common land unit) reporting. Please request your FSA office to us a copy of your 578 once you have certified your planted wheat acres with their office. Our address is southwestagins@gmail.com CLAIM REPORTING Please report a claim as soon as you suspect there may be a loss! The earlier the better. Timely claim reporting is very important. Multi-peril policy provisions state that the insured must give notification within 72 hours of the initial discovery of damage, but no later than 15 days after the end of the insurance period. End of insurance period is usually the earlier of 1) harvest of the crop 2)destruction of the crop 3)the calendar date for the end of insurance as listed in the crop provisions. It may also require strips of unharvested crop to be left for field inspection if damage is discovered at harvest. Delayed claims may be accepted if they meet certain qualifying criteria. However, claims filed more than days after end of insurance period (production loss) or harvest price set (revenue loss) will not be accepted per RMA provisions. SHARE YOUR FARM PHOTOS! Have a farm picture you d like to share with us? it to southwestagins@gmail.com for a chance to be featured in our next newsletter. COURTESY OF TANNER DIRKS COURTESY OF RANDY BRYANT September

8 FALL HARVEST REMINDERS COURTESY OF TANNER DIRKS Fall harvest is getting started. Please remember to keep these things in mind. Keep harvested production on all units separate, even if you have to take a small load to the elevator. Separate records are required for both claims and proof of production. Remember to report 100% of the NET BUSHELS for each unit Let us know immediately if you think you have a potential loss. Please provide us with a proof of yield document along with your production reporting form mailed out from our office. This is necessary for claims as well as documenting reported production. CONTACT US Southwest Ag Insurance proudly offers Copeland and the surrounding communities the highest level of service in the crop insurance industry. We know our customers, we know the area, we know agriculture, and we know crop insurance. Gary Gillespie s experience as a life-long professional in the Ag industry with expertise in agronomy and grain marketing as well as crop insurance, brings a fresh perspective to the business. Our agency s mission is to help our customers succeed through superior service, utilizing strategic risk management strategies developed to fit the needs of each individual farming operation. We know you have a choice. We sincerely appreciate your confidence in us and we strive to provide you with the knowledge and service that you expect and deserve. Southwest Ag Insurance P.O. Box Santa Fe Copeland, Ks Phone: Fax: Hours: M-F 8am-5pm CELL PHONES: Gary Gillespie Megan Evans Gary Gillespie Kimbree Wedel Megan Evans Judy Loepky garygillespie1@gmail.com southwestagins@gmail.com WEBSITE: PRODUCTS OFFERED Crop Insurance: Multi-Peril, Crop Hail, L (Livestock) Other insurance: Farm and Ranch, Center Pivot Sprinklers Thanks for your business! September