Agroinsurance

France - Mildew threatens potato crops

Mildew is a big threat to potato farmers in the North of France at the moment due to climate conditions favourable to the disease.“Humidity and temperatures of 20°C favour its spreading. We have to treat the fields every 3-4 days to avoid the spores reaching the tubers” says Nicolas Courtois. If this happened the potatoes would be unfit for consumption.The regular rainfall means that farmers are forced to use high end products that are more expensive and are increasing production prices.According to Pierre-Benoît Decool, facilitator at the La Flandre cooperative, “potato farming acreage is higher than normal in Europe. The disease will have economic consequences, that’s for sure”.Nicolas Courois has already done the maths, “we would have to sell at a hundred or so Euro the tonne to cover production costs. Now we’re at €15 or so.Harvest should begin in September. Only some dry weather and wind would make the mildew go away.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

Sweden - Hailstorms affect 60% of apple harvest

The warm summer weather has been beneficial to the flavour of Swedish apples. But recurring hailstorms have damaged about 60% of the harvest. Part of it, therefore, will be lost or may be sold as Class II, according to Äppelriket Österlen.CEO Henrik Stridh speaks of an historic apple harvest and a perfect balance between acidity and sweetness.Growers have just started harvesting their earliest apple varieties and the consequences of the summer hailstorms are now to be seen.Hailstorm damages entail damage to the skin, which differ depending on the shape and hardness of the hailstones. Soft hailstones usually cause only a little damage, a blemish on the surface. But a hailstone with sharp edges can actually pierce the shell, which will result in the apple rotting prematurely on the tree.According to Henrik Stridh, this year's apple harvest will still reach good volumes. As a result of the heat, the apples have developed well and reached good calibres.Äppelriket Österlen is a business association with some 90 fruit growers in Skåne, Blekinge and Småland. The company sells two-thirds of all Swedish grown fruit, between ten and 14 million kilos per year.85% percent of the fruit are apples. The most common variety is Ingrid Marie.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

Sri Lanka - A quarter of the farmers hit by the prevailing drought have already been paid compensation

The Insurance Trust Fund says all the farmers who have been hit by the prevailing drought will be paid compensation. Working Director of the Fund W.H. Piyadasa noted that quarter of the affected farmers has been paid with compensation so far.The farmers will be given maximum of ten thousand rupees as the compensation per one acre of land. Mr. Piyadasa saidthe process got delayed for a while due to the estimation work. More than 80,000 applications have been received in connection with damage of crops due to the drought.Source - http://www.slbc.lk/

USDA making progress in new crop insurance program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced recently that it continues to make progress in implementing provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill that will strengthen and expand insurance coverage options for farmers and ranchers. The new Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), available through the federal crop insurance program and set to begin with the 2015 crop year, is designed to help protect producers from yield and market volatility.USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack pointed out that this nation’s producers work hard to produce a sufficient amount of safe and nutritious food for the country. ”It’s critical that they have crop insurance options to effectively manage risks and ensure that they do not lose everything due to events beyond their control,” he said. Vilsack added that USDA has made it a priority to ensure the Supplemental Coverage Option was available to help farmers in this upcoming crop year.The 2014 Farm Bill strengthens and expands crop insurance by providing more risk management options for farmers and ranchers and by making crop insurance more affordable for beginning farmers. SCO, which is administered by the Risk Management Agency (RMA), further strengthens the farm safety net.SCO will be available for corn, cotton, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, spring barley, spring wheat, and winter wheat in selected counties for the 2015 crop year. Producers should contact their crop insurance agents to discuss eligibility in time to sign up for winter wheat coverage. RMA plans to make SCO more widely available by adding more counties and crops. Information on SCO for 2015 winter and spring wheat is available on the RMA website.SCO is a county-level policy endorsement that is in addition to an underlying crop insurance policy, and covers a portion of losses not covered by the same crop’s underlying policy. Producers who elect to participate in Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC), which is offered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), are not eligible for SCO for the crop and farm participating in ARC.Vilsack noted today’s announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers.Source - http://www.kxlo-klcm.com/

USA - Maryland farmers to receive rdditional funds in Federal Crop Insurance Assistance

Maryland farmers who signed up for an eligible crop insurance policy in 2014 will receive an additional automatic premium assistance (federal) credit of up to $225 per policy.The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency will reduce premiums by up to $225 per buy-up, crop policy for eligible Maryland producers, thanks to an estimated $5.1 million that was made available to 16 targeted states (including Maryland) through a crop insurance assistance package.All Catastrophic Risk Protection policies, and any policies or endorsements insured under the Livestock Risk Protection and Livestock Gross Margin (dairy) plans of insurance are not eligible for this financial assistance."Crop insurance is an essential risk-management tool that can help producers balance the financial risk of rising input costs and volatile crop prices," said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Hance. "The additional financial assistance will encourage farmers to buy up higher levels of protection."Maryland farmers purchased 6,464 crop insurance policies in 2014. Over seventy three per cent of these policies were purchased with buy-up coverage and are eligible for this financial assistance. Statewide Maryland farmers will receive $1,118,122 in financial assistance.The premium reduction will be applied automatically to all eligible 2014 policies with reporting deadlines before September 30. The financial assistance will show up as a credit in farmer's August premium notice for eligible policies. If the total producer-paid premium is less than $225, the amount of premium reduction will be capped at 100-percent of the producer premium due. Producers will receive assistance for each eligible policy, not to exceed $50,000. Administrative policy fees will not be covered.Maryland producers received nearly $13.9 million in indemnities for the 2013 crop year.Source - http://insurancenewsnet.com/

USA - Farmers expect lower yield for corn harvest

The harvest of one of the largest commercial crops in Northern Michigan is getting a late start.Farmers are starting to harvest their sweet corn, but, thanks to Mother Nature, some farmers are looking at lower crop yields.With only so many days left in the summer, they are worried they just won't have enough time.Sweet and field corn both make up a large percentage of Michigan's total commercial crop.With a cooler summer slowing down the growing process, farmers need a few more warm days out of the summer before the harvest is over.Farmers expect to start harvesting their field corn around mid-September, but if we keep seeing cooler nights, we may be looking at an even later harvest.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

USA - More wet weather could impact autumn pumpkin crop

It's almost time to pick pumpkins in the Bluegrass State but with about a week to go until they start to ripen, farmers say that if the cool, damp weather continues it could impact the crop this autumn.Pumpkins across the state are already behind schedule a bit due to cooler than normal temperatures in July, but if the state gets more wet weather into September, it could pose a more serious threat to the crop."Most of the crop is at risk," says Stephen Fister, family owner of Bi-Water Farm in Georgetown. "When a pumpkin sits on the ground it picks up all of the bacteria and pathogens off of the ground. That sets up in extreme moist times and that sets up rot and decay in the pumpkins."Fister says that of the 30 years that Bi-Water Farm has been growing pumpkins, that this summer ranks among one of the worst."We have probably have dealt with water before but this year is kind of taking it to the extremes of that. Have we done it before? Absolutely, but this is really stretching the issue this year."Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

Bangladesh - Floods damage crops in Kurigram district

Floodwaters have washed away some 200 houses, damaged crops of over 10,000 hectares in northern Kurigram district and rendered more than one lakh people marooned.Flood situation continued to worsen as almost all the rivers in the district saw their water levels increase yesterday.Of the flood-affected northern districts, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari saw water receding, but people there are now suffering from a food and drinking water shortage.“This is the peak of the flooding season Bangladesh is facing now,” said Amirul Hossain, executive engineer of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC).“The trend is likely to continue for the next three to four days,” he told The Daily Star yesterday.The water of the Jamuna in Bahadurabad and Baghabari of Sirajganj, Sariakandi in Bogra and Dewanganj in Jamalpur was flowing above the danger level, according to FFWC of the Water Development Board (WDB).The Ghaghat river in Gaibandha and Kanaighat in Sylhet and the Surma in Sylhet were also overflowing alarmingly.Source - http://www.thedailystar.net/

Canada - Weather taking its toll on Sask. harvest

Recent storm activity and heavy winds have taken their toll on the year's harvest."With the heavy rains and strong winds we've received, some crops have lodged and when we have lodging, we have difficulties with combining, swathing and everything else," said Shannon Friesen with the Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Moose Jaw. "It is taking a long time for the crop to dry down ... (the storms) are just delaying everything even more."Producers were already facing delays as a result of the late seeding of several crops, due to poor weather earlier in the year, among other factors.Friesen said that even with "nice, warm and dry weather," progress will still be behind schedule."Crop development is anywhere from one to two weeks behind where it would normally be at this time," she said.She said that while some producers will still pull off an "average" year, others may be cashing in on their crop insurance."For the most part, things are looking average, which is better than we thought they would be a few weeks ago," added Friesen.Source - http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/

India - In parts of Odisha, Assam and Uttar Pradesh, the crop has already seen substantial damage

Heavy rains in major growing areas are taking a toll on the paddy crop. In parts of Odisha, Assam and Uttar Pradesh, the crop has already seen substantial damage.Officials in the agriculture departments of these states are compiling data on the actual extent of the flooding. It is estimated up to 40 per cent of the crop in low-lying, flood-prone areas might be damaged in these states.Coastal areas in Odisha (Cuttack, Balasore, Kendrapara and Jajpur) and eastern Uttar Pradesh have been significantly affected. A senior official in the Odisha agriculture department said a meeting with the chief minister had been convened to discuss the issue.In Assam, 10 districts had been affected, officials said. Major losses were recorded in Lakhanpur, Dibrugarh, Johat and Dhemaji. About 60 per cent of the sowing has been completed in Assam. In Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, sowing is in the last stages. Trilochan Mahapatra, director, Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, said if water levels didn’t recede soon, the crop might be damaged. This year, sowing had been delayed due to the delayed monsoon, he said, adding as a result, many farmers whose nurseries were affected by the floods would be at a disadvantage, as there wasn’t scope to start the process afresh.A fall in the paddy crop will not only affect the direct incomes of farmers, but also lead to a shortage of fodder and , consequently, hit the dairy sector.It is estimated the kharif season accounts for 90 per cent of the paddy crop.Source - http://www.business-standard.com/

USA - Hail, rain mean crop disasters for some counties

Officials in some Idaho counties are declaring a state of emergency after ill-timed hail storms and several days of rain-damaged crops.Clearwater County commissioners in northern Idaho declared a state of emergency earlier this week after farmers on the Weippe Prairie lost nearly a third of their spring wheat and 76 percent of the hard red winter wheat to a hailstorm. Nearby Lewis County commissioners are still assessing the damage in their region.In southern Idaho, Jerome County commissioners are also seeking emergency status after nine days of rain caused hay and wheat to mold and barley fields to sprout — limiting what the barley may be used for."It'll drop prices significantly, because now barley will be used probably for feed, rather than going on to Coors," Jerome County Commissioner Cathy Roemer said.Between 50 and 70 percent of the wheat, barley and alfalfa crops in Jerome County may have been lost, according to estimates from the county's Office of Emergency Management. Farmers in neighboring Twin Falls County are facing a similar situation, and county commissioners say they too will seek an emergency declaration soon.If Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter and federal Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack sign off on the emergency declarations, farmers who were affected by crop damage will be able to seek low-interest federal loans.Rick Brune, who owns a farm near Hazelton in southern Idaho, watched his crops turn dark with mold from the rain."It looks good, but you pour it out and it's a black cloud," he said, grabbing a handful of wheat grains from the back of a truck.Source - http://www.idahostatejournal.com/

Belarus is to develop intensive agriculture

Belarus is going to increase the area of intensive orchards, - the deputy head of Fruit and Vegetable Production Department of Ministry of Agriculture Tatyana Gumenyuk has informed.At the moment the republic has 104 500 ha of fruit plantations, among them 13000 ha are gardens of intensive type that we plan to focus on, - said the expert. One of the advantages of this type of gardens is a high yield. For example, an average yield of apples in Belarus today is 3400 kg / ha, in the gardens of intensive type - from 5000 to 6000 kg / ha.In the next two years the area of the gardens is to grow by 2100 ha: 1300 ha will be planted this year, and 800 ha - in 2015. Along with apples, pear and cherry orchards have been set out (300 ha and 120 ha respectively).Besides, some unconventional fruit crops have been planted, e.g. blueberry plantation area of 400 hectares, black chokeberry (aronia) - 160 ha, jumbo cranberry - 100 ha. Also the number of vines has been increased.As to the harvest, the production of fruit and berries in Belarus is expected to reach 105 600 tonnes this year, which is 1.5% more than in 2013.The republic is currently harvesting early ripening fruit. As of August 8th the harvest totals 1714 tonnes, including 709 tonnes of top fruit and 1005 tonnes of soft berries.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

Ukraine to lose 15 pct of grain crop in violence-hit regions

Ukraine is losing 15 percent of its 2014 grains crop due to fighting with pro-Moscow separatists in its eastern regions and Russia's annexation of the Crimea peninsula, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said.The country is expected to the world's second largest grain exporter in the 2014/15 crop year, according to the International Grains Council.Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry previously expected the 2014 grain harvest to exceed last year's all-time-record crop of 63 million tonnes. Analysts and traders have said Ukraine is likely to harvest around 60 million tonnes.Yatseniuk did not provide a fresh estimate for the 2014 grain crop.The loss of 15 percent of the harvest would be equal to 9.5 million tonnes of grains, according calculation based on the 63 million tonnes forecast.This would be much higher than an estimate of 500,000-550,000 tonnes of losses given in late July by Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Ihor Shvaika.The Crimea harvested around 1.2 million tonnes this year, according to Russia's agriculture ministry.Ukrainian farms harvested 34.7 million tonnes of grain as of Aug. 15, including 24.1 million tonnes of wheat and 9.3 million tonnes of barley, according to the country's agriculture ministry website.Source - http://www.trust.org/

USA - Idaho barley and alfalfa sustain ‘catastrophic’ losses

The Jerome County Commissioners declared a state of economic disaster in the county Monday. This came as a recommendation from the Jerome County Emergency Board. Excessive rain in the area on August 6th caused extensive crop damage. More than 14,000 acres of barley and 20,000 acres of alfalfa were affected.Estimates range from 50 to 70 percent loss. Other affected crops include wheat, beans, and peas. The county hopes emergency loans will be made available to assist crop producers that have lost revenue on their crops.Source - http://newsradio1310.com/

USA - Wisconsin cranberry harvest to decline 10% in 2014

Wisconsin cranberry farmers harvested more than 6 million barrels in 2013, but the United States Department of Agriculture does not expect the 2014 yield of crops to be as fruitful for the state.According to a report released last Wednesday, the USDA expects Wisconsin's cranberry yield to drop to 5.39 million barrels in 2014, down 10 percent from 2013's record-breaking yield of 6.02 million barrels of cranberries.At the national level, cranberry production is predicted to decrease 4 percent to 8.57 million barrels from 8.96 million barrels in 2013.The decrease in cranberry production in Wisconsin — which is the country's No. 1 cranberry-producing state — could stem from a number of factors, said Tom Lochner, president of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association.Lochner said this year's decrease is most likely an indicator the state's cranberry growers are returning to a normal level of production."I think (this year's cranberry production) is more typical and in line with what's generally expected for an average year in Wisconsin," said Lochner, noting that figures may change when the growers actually harvest the cranberries in fall.This year's weather was also a factor in the lower number of cranberries, said Greg Lemmons of the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service. According to the USDA's report — which gathers information from growers' surveys — the cool weather at the beginning of the farming season might have affected 2014's harvest.The storm that produced golf ball-sized hail in late July also might have affected Wisconsin's cranberry production this year, according to the USDA report. In the Wisconsin Rapids area, Lochner said there were a few marshes where 40 percent to 50 percent of the crop was eliminated.Still, Lochner said this setback did not have a significant effect on the state's total yield."Overall, I don't think it is having a total impact on the statewide crop," Lochner said. "(But) for the individual grower, it's a very traumatic thing."As for the future of the crop in general, Lochner predicts the industry will have some trouble stabilizing the market as the supply of cranberries continues to grow and the demand for the fruit weakens. He noted that he expects Quebec to become a large player in the cranberry industry as it grows its production, but this might cause demand to dwindle further."We're seeing inventories getting higher than people are comfortable with and lower returns for the fruit," Lochner said.For now, Lochner said, the cranberry industry is focused on growing its markets overseas to spur demand internationally.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/