Crop Insurance Today November 2017 - 7

mation on the focus of his research on cropping
systems that incorporate rotating cool season
crops with warm season crops. Theresa Shrum,
Plant Science Specialist, Montana Department of
Agriculture Pesticide Compliance and Enforcement, presented on pesticide labels that identify
re-entry intervals, personal protective equipment
for adjusters to wear before entering a field where
chemicals are applied, and the four levels of toxicity of chemicals used in production agriculture.
Grant Zerbe, an eastern Montana pulse farmer,
provided his top ten must dos to successfully
produce chickpeas in eastern Montana. And, Dr.
Mary Burrows, Montana State University, spoke
on pest and disease pressures and how prevention of disease ties in with the current and 2018
proposed rotation requirement statements in the
special provisions of insurance.
Other presenters included: Jed Eberly, CARC;
Shelly Mills, Valley County (Montana) extension
agent; and, representatives from the Billings Risk
Management Agency Regional Office.
Field work at the research center focused on
providing hands-on loss adjustment training
with various test plots of lentil, safflower, chickpea, winter pea/pea, and mustard/canola. Following the field work, the adjusters were given a
tour of the research center trials.

history. Held in conjunction with the University
of Nebraska, thousands of loss adjusters have attended this school in various locations throughout the state for more than 80 years. The 2017
NCIS Crop-Hail and MPCI Corn and Soybean
School took place on July 11-12 in Grand Island.
More than 100 adjusters, instructors, and plot
leaders were in classroom training the first day of
the school. Dave Hall, NCIS, presented a video
on the history of NCIS' agronomic research projects and briefed the group on program integrity
and professional conduct. University of Nebraska's Crop Protection & Cropping Systems Specialist, Justin McMechan, provided information
on corn and soybean stages to the entire group.
The participants then separated into four groups
and rotated through classroom instructions on
MPCI and Crop-Hail loss adjusting procedures
taught by experienced company personnel. At
the end of the day, representatives from local
Natural Resource Districts made presentations
on their functions and activities.
The second day field training took place at
the Nebraska Southcentral Research Center near

A plot leader explains wheat loss adjustment
procedures to attendees at the Columbia,
MO, school.

Clay Center. Loss adjustment procedures for
corn and soybeans were taught using hands-on
training as the attendees rotated through four
different in-field activities.

Crop-Hail Corn, Soybean,
Oats and MPCI Forage
School

The Crop-Hail Corn, Soybeans, Oats and
MPCI Forage School took place at the Southeast

Crop-Hail Wheat, Corn and
Soybean School/Field Day

The Bradford Research Center in Columbia,
Missouri, was the location for the Crop-Hail
Wheat, Corn, and Soybean School held June
21-22. More than 80 new and experienced loss
adjusters and supervisors took part in hands-on
field and classroom training. Participants learned
basic Crop-Hail adjustment procedures, worked
through simulated hail losses on test plots of
wheat, corn, and soybean, and received an update on recent loss adjustment changes.
Guest speaker Jared Roskamp, BASF, spoke
about the effects of fungicide application on hail
damaged crops, and Jacob Spellman, Rain and
Hail, gave a presentation on PRISM. Many thanks
to the other speakers including: Jim Bolles, Phyllis Mason, and Bill Bergh, Great American; Jim
Baldwin, RCIS; Brad Guthrey, Diversified Crop
Insurance; and, Chairperson, Jami Wells, ProAg.

Adjusters spend time in the classroom as part of their training during the NCIS summer schools.

Crop-Hail and MPCI Corn
and Soybean School

The Nebraska Corn School is one of the longest-running adjuster training sessions in NCIS

An aerial view of the Crop-Hail and MPCI Corn and Soybean School in Grand Island, NE.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crop Insurance Today November 2017