We are starting to see some small grains swathed, along with some combines starting to move in Richland County. This year blessed us with some great planting conditions, but now we are facing some dire situations for lack of rain or none at all. This is widespread from northern Minnesota all the way to southwest North Dakota. In preparation for harvest and potential claims, we wanted to get some reminders out.

 

The final harvest prices will be tracking in August for September futures – We will be sending out updates. If you have settled a wheat claim prior to this price being finalized, you will be sent the additional payment automatically.

 

Loss Reporting: Please report all potential claims as soon as you think there will be a loss, even if you plan to harvest the crop. We must have all small grain losses reported by either the end of harvest, or October 15th, whichever is the earliest. Every year we struggle with late reported claims, and there is no penalty to withdraw a claim.

 

Tips for Loss Adjustment:

  • If you have any old crop stored on farm and plan to put this year’s crop in the same bin, we should get your old crop bin measured (or at least marked by an adjuster) before the new crop is put in.
  • For this year’s claims, you must provide production separated by unit.  This could be grain cart weights, truck load logs, or labeling tickets if hauled straight to town.

 

$200,000 Claim Audits: This year with the estimated higher harvest prices, it won’t take many acres to trigger a $200k review. This review is triggered by crop, by county and has been mandatory in the past. The review includes the past three crop year records of production. If the prior year’s production matches within tolerances, the audit is over. This is why we stress the importance of reporting production as accurately as possible. We anticipate a huge number of these across the state and are actively lobbying RMA for some reprieve.

 

The office was tested in 2019 for large audits, and a large number of prevent plant claims – With our last prevent plant claim being settled on August 30, 2019! This year, we anticipate being tested again with a large amount of production and revenue claims. Keep in mind we are here to help if you have questions, concerns, or need help with preparation of an audit. Do not hesitate to reach out.