Crop Insurance Today June 2018 - 32

impression that each of them is committed to agriculture and understands the fundamental role
that crop insurance plays in a farmer's risk management tool box and crop insurance's role in
farm policy. Prior to their appointments, I would
go out on a limb and say they were "chomping at
the bit" to undertake their new roles. I personally
look forward to working with them individually
and collectively as we move forward.

"Winning the Race
Hands Down"

Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity
to publicly express our membership's appreciation for the efforts of Rob Johannson and
Heather Manzano as they served in USDA
interim roles as we awaited the arrivals of Mr.
Northey and Mr. Barbre. Rob is still serving as
Acting Deputy Under Secretary, a role he assumed in June of 2017, along with his regular
responsibilities as Chief Economist. Heather
did a fantastic job in her role and the industry
appreciated the open lines of communication
through some of the challenges we faced, such
as the hurricane disaster relief, government
shutdown, and just the day-to-day changes and

In this industry we have the
privilege and opportunity to
work in American agriculture and we look forward
to continuing our service
to America's farmers and
ranchers as providers of an
important and strong
safety net.
improvements to the program. Like her predecessor, Brandon Willis, Manzano made it a priority to focus on improper payments to ensure
crop insurance remains the leader of the pack
when it comes to protecting taxpayer dollars.
Her efforts have paid off, with RMA now boasting a 1.96 improper payment rate - less than
half the historical average for the government
as a whole.
Rob and Heather were gracious enough to
present at various industry events and conferences, and always made themselves accessi-

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32

JUNE2018

ble to the industry. We are grateful for their
leadership and are pleased they are remaining
with USDA.

"Run for the Roses"
It just would not be right if I did not throw in
a song lyric at this juncture. Hearken back to the
ballads of Dan Fogleberg and recall the old tune,
"Run for the Roses." Every year in crop insurance
we round the track "as fast as we can." Each year
we face a new set of risks and chance. In 2012, we
faced the devastating Midwest drought. In 2014,
we worked together with USDA and the RMA
to implement the provisions of the new Farm
Bill. Last year, we faced hurricanes, wildfires and
drought. As Daniel would sing "...it's the chance
of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance..." In this industry we have the privilege and opportunity to
work in American agriculture and we look forward to continuing our service to America's
farmers and ranchers as providers of an important and strong safety net.
In this issue of TODAY® we feature a
comprehensive look at 2017 in the annual "Year
in Review" article. Please do not be daunted
by its length; it is an excellent summary of the
planting conditions, commodity markets, and
weather events that took place in agriculture and
crop insurance last year. The piece starts with the
planting and marketing outlook for 2017, and
tracks these developments through the course
of the year. It also revisits the results in both the
Federal- and state-regulated lines of crop insurance, as well as highlighting the Canadian
Crop-Hail program.
Also in this issue is an article on the industry annual convention which featured presentations by Rep. Michael Conaway, RMA's Heather
Manzano and Richard Flournoy, political commentator David Wasserman, and The Weather's
Channel's Jim Cantore, along with other great
speakers and panels. At the convention, we
thanked then NCIS Chairman, Mike Day, for his
years of service as Chair of the NCIS Board of Directors, and welcomed Jim Korin as the incoming
Chairman. We highlight these gentlemen in the
"Passing the Gavel" article. And last, but not least,
we introduce you to the winners of the industry
achievement awards who have helped make crop
insurance the successful and effective risk management tool it is today for America's farmers and
ranchers. We hope that you find this issue informative and enjoyable to read.

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