Crop Insurance Claims Mistakes Can Prove Costly

Crop conditions are variable across Wayne County, depending upon how fortunate any area has been to be underneath the hit and miss rain showers that pop up with hot summer temperatures.

I have seen some corn fields with long, developing ears and kernels filling out to the tip of the ear as a result of good pollination; and I have seen short, stubby ears with aborted kernels and empty ear tips as a result of poor pollination and moisture stress. I know that some growers with corn in the later category are considering giving up a grain harvest and turning the crop into silage. This plan usually includes submitting a claim for loss of grain to the crop insurance provider. Chris Bruynis, OSU Extension Educator in Ross County and a leader of the OSU Extension Farm Manager Team, recently posted the following about avoiding some common mistakes when making a crop insurance claim for drought losses.

<p> There is no doubt that crop insurance can be complicated to understand all the nuances surrounding making a claim. There are some common mistakes that producers make that can cost them money. Two of them that we are now seeing happening include:

Harvesting the crop in a manner other than insured -- If you are harvesting the insured crop in a manner other than intended without informing the crop insurance carrier and have a claim, you will have a problem. For example: the producer has insured his corn as grain, but harvests the corn as silage. If there is no actual harvested grain for the adjuster to measure, the crop must be field appraised for grain content before being harvested. The adjuster cannot appraise the grain content of harvested corn silage and the production to count will be assessed at the full guarantee. No indemnity will be paid.

Destroying the insured crop without the company's approval -- Production for a crop that is destroyed before the claim adjustment is made will be assessed at the full production guarantee and no indemnity will be paid

The rules also state that producers need to contact their crop insurance agent within 72 hours after they think they have a crop loss. With a hail storm or flood that call is pretty easy to make, however with the slow decline created by the summer drought, this is a bit more difficult. Even corn and beans that have had some drought and heat stress and that still look decent will probably have a yield loss. Contacting the insurance agent now, if you have not already done so, is advised if you suspect any yield loss this year.

Drought information resources

In response to the drought of 2012, Ohio State University Extension experts have developed two web sites dedicated to providing drought resources. One web site contains information and links on crops, livestock and pasture, home and landscape, drought resources from other universities, Ohio Department of Agriculture resources, water resources, and disaster and drought assistance. The other web site is a Facebook page. Both of these web sites plus some additional drought resources have been added to the Wayne County Extension web site at: wayne.osu.edu, then click on the Agriculture and Natural Resources heading and then click on "2012 Drought Information".

OCA summer roundup

Wayne County is the host site for the 2012 Ohio Cattlemen's Association Summer Roundup event. The main schedule of events will be held Aug. 18. The morning session will be held at the Shisler Conference Center at OARDC in Wooster. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and morning speakers include Glen Dolezal of Cargill Meat Solutions; J.D. Alexander, president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and Dr. Ron Kensinger, chairman of the OSU Department of Animal Sciences.

After a ribeye steak lunch and a tour of the Cargill Feed Plant on Timken Road in Wooster, there will be three afternoon tour stops. Stops include the OARDC Beef and Sheep Center, the Acker Beef farm on Millbrook Road outside of Wooster and Paint Valley beef farm near Millersburg.

Pre-registration is requested and the deadline for registration is Aug. 10. Cost for the Saturday event is $25 for an OCA member and $35 for a non-member.

For a detailed schedule of events, including speakers, topics, farm tours and farm information, along with a registration form, visit the Wayne County Extension web site at: http://wayne.osu.edu/ topics/agriculture-and-natural-resources or contact the Extension office at 330-264-8722.

Rory Lewandowski is an OSU Extension Agriculture & Natural Resources educator and may be reached at 330-264-8722.