Crop Insurance Today May 2014 - (Page 1)

TODAY PRESIDENT'SMESSAGE "...Where to now, St. Peter?" Laurie Langstraat, Editor TODAY® IS PROVIDED AS A SERVICE OF NATIONAL CROP INSURANCE SERVICES® TO EDUCATE READERS ABOUT THE RISK MANAGEMENT TOOLS PRODUCERS USE TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH PRODUCTION AGRICULTURE. TODAY is published quarterly-February, May, August, and November by National Crop Insurance Services 8900 Indian Creek Parkway, Suite 600 Overland Park, Kansas 66210 www.ag-risk.org If you move, or if your address is incorrect, please send old address label clipped from recent issue along with your new or corrected address to Donna Bryan, at the above address. This will be the first issue of TODAY® magazine since the signing of the 2014 Farm Bill. For the past few years, many of us have spent countless hours speculating, articulating, triangulating, and in some cases hyper-ventilating about the coming of the Farm Bill. At a time when Congress has been criticized for doing nothing, the fact that Congress passed a comprehensive, five-year Farm Bill by an overwhelming bipartisan margin is significant. And the fact Congress chose crop insurance as the centerpiece for the farm safety net in the bill is humbling. Neither accomplishment would have been possible if not for the tireless work of Congressional leaders from the Senate and House Agriculture Committees Tom Zacharias, NCIS President who refused to take no for an answer; the numerous agricultural associations and the farmers they represent who made crop insurance a top priority; our partners at the USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA); representatives from the AIPs who took countless trips to D.C.; the industry's government relations team; and, new friends like the conservation community. On behalf of the crop insurance industry, and the customers we serve, thank you. "...So where to now, St. Peter?" NCIS® EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Tim Weber, Chairman Mike Day, Vice Chairman Jim Korin, Second Vice Chairman NCIS® MANAGEMENT Thomas P. Zacharias, President Charles Lee, General Counsel James M. Crist, CFO/COO Frank Schnapp, Senior Vice President Mike Sieben, Senior Vice President Creative Layout and Design by Graphic Arts of Topeka, Inc., Kansas Printed on recycled paper. Well, now what? As we look to introduce new risk management tools, such as Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) and Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX), and the elimination of direct payments, SURE and ACRE, the lyrics of Elton John's song, "Where to now, St. Peter?" come to mind here: "...I understand I'm on the road where all that was is gone...show me which road I'm on...." First, we have to go (or is it "get to go?") through the process of implementing the new legislation. This process is currently underway as the Administration and the staffs of USDA and RMA draft the various policies, procedures, and regulations that will be required. As appropriate, the various stakeholders and partners in the delivery system are brought into the various stages of implementation. As the Carpenter's used to sing "...we've only just begun...." As we reflect upon the passage of the Bill, those of us in crop insurance need to keep a few constructs in mind as we go forward. For the Farm Bill and industry to succeed, crop insurance must be: 1) Available; 2) Affordable; and, 3) Viable. Each of these elements are interdependent and key to the further sucess of crop insurance. With these ideas in mind, I will be starting a three part series in the President's Reports dealing with each of these topics. I will attempt to define each of them and put them into context with each other. In this issue we will deal with the subject of availability. If crop insurance is to remain successful, it is vital that the program be widely available to all farmers growing all different types of commodities. On a temporal scale, we can think of availability through the lens of Dickens' "Christmas Carol" Printed with Environmentally friendly vegetable oil based inks. Continued on page 38 CropInsurance TODAY® 1 http://www.ag-risk.org http://www.ag-risk.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crop Insurance Today May 2014

“...Where to now, St. Peter?”
2013 Year In Review
NCIS Celebrates Silver Anniversary
2014 Annual Convention Draws Record Numbers
Four Industry Stalwarts Presented Lifetime Achievement Awards
Dan Carothers Receives Outstanding Service Award
Kenny Shock Receives NCIS Industry Leadership Award
Tom Vetter Receives NCIS Industry Leadership Award
Committee Chairs Ready for the Year
Jo Anne Baker Retires Leaving NCIS

Crop Insurance Today May 2014