Marketing

[Jeff_a_Caldwell]

We're taking advantage of this "beautiful" weather (beautiful if you live on the sun!) to get out this morning and follow along with a crop adjuster as he takes stock of some of the drought damage. I'll post a few photos and more information here later on today, but in the meantime, while I wait for my ride (Marketeye, hustle!), thought I'd put it out there to see if anybody's got any questions or comments for our adjuster. Post 'em here and I'll try to stay on top of it while we're out in the field and get some answers for you!

[highyields]

Find out his yield formula?   My crop insurance adjuster uses a scale and I was wondering if that is what all crop insurance guys use. 

For both corn and beans

[Nebrfarmr]

How many kernels are they guessing per bushel? 

How are they compensating for smaller kernel size and the potential for lower test weight?

[werkman53]

Yesterday in the coffee shop, an interesting question.

If I have hail damage on a field of corn with zero ears on any stalks, do I still get paid an indemnity for my private hail policy? Obviously MPCI is by the numbers. I have never read my hail policy.

The answer may make some guys out there mowing off their zero bushel yield fields think again.....most hail policies sold in my area run until September 15th.

I guess a guy should get something because even without an ear the crop still would have had silage value.

[Jeff_a_Caldwell]

He said the scale's about the best thing to use. Said even though it's about the crudest tool they can have out there, it's still the most accurate.

[Jeff_a_Caldwell]

That's interesting -- we chatted about this quite a bit. They figured about 90K kernels a bushel under normal circumstances, so especially in one field that just looked terrible, they estimated maybe something in the 60-65K range. And, that's a big question with the test weight. Sounds like it's all going to shake out based on total weight lost. 

Boy, I'm almost more confused after chatting with these guys this morning than I was before. There certainly are a ton of different scenarios out there, management-wise. No silver bullet, for darn sure.

[Jeff_a_Caldwell]

Wow, Werk, I'm going to have to dig around a little for an answer to that one. Really good question. One gentleman we were with today said he works with 2 hail-only adjusters who haven't had anything to do all summer because it hasn't hailed at all in their coverage areas! 

[WCMO]

http://www.rma.usda.gov/handbooks/25000/1998/98_25080.pdf

Found on G search for "NCIS corn appraisal process".  Not sure if most recent, but process wouldn't have changed much.

Look at Page 31 "Maturity Line Weight Method" for immature corn, and then "Weight Method" for mature corn right after it.

Look at Page 45 for example of completed appraisal worksheet -- it has the "factors" they use to convert the weighed samples to bushels per acre.

[ellen3697897]

 Wouldn't smaller lighter kernals mean more kernals per bu, not less?

[Canuck_2]

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ellen3697897 wrote:

 Wouldn't smaller lighter kernals mean more kernals per bu, not less?

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All depends whether you are talking about a 'bushel' which is actualy a measure of volume or 56lbs which many really use when they talk sales.

If it is light weight you will need more kernals to get 56lbs but may not need many more to fill the 'bushel'.

That is why it is so much simpler to use metric and just talk tonnes.