Crop Insurance Claims: The Importance of Turning in Suspected Damage
The months after finally getting a crop in the ground are always a mixed bag of relief, stress, panic, then more relief, followed quickly by more stress and panic. What’s going to happen if it forgets to rain? What if it won’t stop raining? Does that deer look hungry?
This uncertainty is the reason you buy crop insurance: The peace of mind that whatever nature throws at you, you’re guaranteed a crop with a value determined by the coverage level you picked out earlier in the year.
However, there is one pitfall and vulnerability that crop insurance cannot help against, and no matter what we do as your agents, there is always someone who doesn’t get paid a claim for this reason. What peril could be so insidious?
Not turning in a loss!
That’s right. The number one reason that growers do not get paid for claims when they harvest under their guarantee is because they did not turn in their claim in a timely manner.
There are certain dates and circumstances that claims must be turned in by in order to be paid. I could list those here, but I’d rather not give the impression that there is a grace period in which you could procrastinate. Best practice is to call and turn in a claim as soon as you suspect any type of damage, or if you are going to do anything other than run a combine through the field.
If fields are being abandoned or burned down, they need to be appraised before they are destroyed. Corn that is insured from grain but being cut for silage (or vice versa) also needs to be appraised before harvest. Corn insured as silage may be chopped and fed as long as you are keeping good load records, but it may be in your interest to have an adjuster appraise those fields so that your records are bulletproof.
Crop insurance is not like car or homeowners insurance where turning even a small claim may increase your rates. There is absolutely no penalty for submitting a claim that turns out not to be enough damage to trigger an indemnity.
The only thing determining your coverage and premium are your chosen coverage level and your production history, which we have to collect every year whether you have a payment or not.
Too often we have someone call in late January to tell us their corn didn’t do so great and they think they have a loss. We as your agent and your adjuster will bend over backwards to get any possible payment out to you, but at a certain point, our hands are tied and nothing can be done.
If you wait to sell the crop to evaluate your yields or send in your protection report, it may be too late for a claim to be submitted.
So call your agent and turn in a claim if you suspect any problems at all. Put our name and number in your phone and don't hesitate to reach out even if your only evidence of a loss is a greedy look in a deer’s eye. Don’t be one of those folks that doesn’t get paid because you waited too long to tell anyone about your damage. You wouldn’t wait six months to call your insurance about a fender bender and you shouldn’t procrastinate with your crops.
The whole point of crop insurance is to get indemnified if your crop is damaged. Let’s make sure it serves that purpose!
At Foothills Insurance, we’ve been helping farmers protect their livelihoods for over 35 years. We’re a family-run business that understands the challenges growers face. Whether you’re looking for a new policy or just want to discuss your options, we’re here to help. Contact us today, and let us make you part of the Foothills family!