16.06.2014

USA - Heavy rains turns some area farms into lakes

It's said you can have too much of a good thing.Two summers ago, much of the Midwest was in a drought, and farmers needed water.But after this weekend's storms flooded some farms in our area, farmers have more water than they need or want.And now some farmers are wondering if there will be any crops left to harvest.What looks like a quiet lake in Beaver Creek, Minnesota is actually farmer Gene Sandager's soybean field."We're getting in the season where it's a little late to replant, so the joke is should i get my planter ready or should i get my boat and the answer is get the boat," Sandager said.But the flood damage caused by this weekend's storms is no laughing matter."There's a lot of water there. I've never seen it that bad," Sandager said.With 140 acres of his Valley Springs farmland underwater, Norm Vis says he's not completely washed out."We farm on the hills too, so not everything is under water, but it looks like it probably ruined it. I don't know if we can replant now or not. It's getting late," Vis said.And farmers recognize that sometimes when it rains, it pours."It's a risk that we take every year. Some years you get a good crop and then you get a year like this where you have damage. You've got to be able to make it through the bad times. That's farming," Sandager said."I think we'll be alright. We're kind of used to this long, little creek. It's a pretty bad creek, Beaver Creek. We get it every year, actually, but not quite this bad," Vis said.Despite seeing how these newly formed lakes drowned some of their crops, these farmers continue to look on the bright side."We're just hoping that the sun will come out and it will dry things up here," Sandager said."We can't do anything about it. God sends it. So that's the way it is," Vis said. Sandager says he doesn't have flood insurance. It could take two weeks for the waters on his soybean field to recede.He told he'll just have to wait until then to decide what to do next.Source - http://www.ksfy.com/

13.06.2014

USA - Farmers weigh options following storm damage

After last week’s heavy rains, strong winds and, in some cases hail, many Iowa farmers are considering their options as to whether they should re-plant or hope the damaged crops can survive. Either way will probably mean a reduction of yield potential.Iowa State University Extension crops specialist Joel DeJong says replanting corn during the middle of June will probably result in a 40-to-50 percent cut in yields. “If you compare that to living plants that are still up and able to grow, that are probably in the 10,000 to 12,000 plants per acre (range), it’s almost a toss,” DeJong says. “You have to think of other things like insurance, weed control, how healthy are those plants, and all those types of things.”The Iowa State University crops specialist says soybeans can handle some delayed planting, but farmers can probably expect reduced yields there, too. “We’ve got about a two-thirds yield potential, but the later the planting date, frost becomes a bigger issue,” DeJong says. “We might get higher than a two-thirds yield compared to a full yield, but it might be less depending how early the frost hits.”DeJong says each farmer must evaluate their own situation in order to make the right decision for themselves.Source - http://www.radioiowa.com/

13.06.2014

USA - Farmers Lose Thousands from Flooding

Some local farmers are looking at thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars in losses.The heavy rains flooded out corn fields on Juniata Valley Road in Frankstown Township, Blair County. Ken Brenneman farms 54 acres here. It's near the river which is good for irrigation during a hot dry summer, but yesterday's heavy rains destroyed most of the crop he had already planted.Brenneman says he gets a nasty flood like this every five or six years. The flood waters also damaged one of his trucks.Today he and his neighbor were out surveying the damage.Ken Brenneman said, “It's pretty much a total loss for this year, and we have some crop insurance to cover it, but it only covers a portion.”Robert Brubaker, his neighbor, said, “That's the gamble you do. You got to gamble any time when you're farming.” Brenneman's going to let the land dry out and just wait to see how bad it is.Source - http://www.wearecentralpa.com/

13.06.2014

Brazil - Drought Damaged the Crop

Absolute historic drought in Brazil is expected to cause a 40 percent drop in productivity.Brazil has about a third of the world’s coffee supply and it rightfully holds the title of world’s largest producer of coffee. However, local farmers, who are the growers of coffee, are very affected by the three month drought, so now they assign all forces to restore stocks, and meanwhile prices for beans increasing. Despite the fact that weather conditions have improved, but Brazilian officials are not very optimistic.Neri Geller, the Minister of Agriculture of Brazil said that more crops they should not have to wait until the next year because Brazil has experienced one of the worst droughts in last 50 years.Last week Washington Rodrigues, CEO of Brazil-based Ipanema, said: “It’s a mistake to suppose that coming rains will solve the problems we’ve had. Once vegetative growth is lose, you don’t recover it.”Under normal favorable weather conditions, farmers can harvest, in an average about 110 pounds of green beans and 220 pounds of cherries from a tree. According to the BBC, recently farmers only received about 66 pounds of the same amount of cherries; cause of this is a catastrophic water shortage.Source - http://www.athletenewswire.com/

13.06.2014

Сanada - Hail storm racking up crop damage claims

Some 50 claims have been filed for hail damage in the Central Okanagan this spring.Storms on May 28 and June 3, felt primarily in the Kelowna and Ellison area and the Vernon and Bellavista areas respectively, hit apple, cherry and pear growers, prompting 50 notices of loss for damages to the Kelowna Production Insurance office.“At this point the extent of the damage is still being determined,” according to the Ministry of Agriculture’s communication department.Local orchardists report the damage extremely sporadic. While Christine Dendy, a grower on the upper bench in East Kelowna, said bad weather had not been a factor at all on her farm, BC Fruit Growers’ Association president Fred Steele said a few Glenmore growers were hit. His apple orchard sits in the neighbourhood, but fared fine.It would appear a storm surging in the South Okanagan on May 26 did the most damage.Growers in Cawston and Oliver have filed 118 notices of loss after hail hammered apple, pear, apricot, prune and plum crops, with some farmers reporting extensive damage.The decision over whether or not to purchase hail insurance is up to individual growers. Orchardists who have not been hit by hail can still secure 100 per cent coverage, despite the late hour in the growing season.The 2013 growing season was devastating for many Central Okanagan growers. Damages over the course of the season were estimated to top $18 million with 1200 claims filed.Source - http://www.kelownacapnews.com/

13.06.2014

USA - Recent storms cause ‘greensnap’ in Arkansas Delta corn crops

Storms, rain and high winds that rolled through Arkansas in recent days damaged parts of the state’s corn crop in a couple of ways. One is “greensnap,” which happens when the corn stalk snaps at a node due to high winds. The other problem is when corn plants blow over but don’t snap. The bigger problem is with greensnap.Blown-over plants are probably the result of roots giving way in wet ground and can often straighten up with minimal impact on yield, said Jason Kelley, wheat and feed grains extension agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “The smaller the plants are, the better they will straighten up,” Kelley said.Greensnap most often occurs when plants have been rapidly growing and the stalks are brittle. Arkansas cornfields have experienced good growing conditions and high fertility levels, both of which can increase greensnap problems. Assuming a north wind was blowing, fields planted east and west typically have more damage than north-south fields.“Some fields in northeast Arkansas in isolated areas have been reported to have 75 percent or more greensnap damage,” Kelley said.Most of the plants affected by greensnap from this storm appear to be within a couple of weeks of tasseling.“Plants at this stage have little ability to compensate since the maximum number of kernels has already been set,” Kelley said. “There may still be a small amount of compensating that a plant can do, but it is not nearly as great as if the damage had occurred earlier in the season. Yield loss associated with greensnap is nearly directly proportional the percentage of plants that broke.”Kelley said there is no good solution for fields that have sustained heavy greensnap damage and suggested that insurance covering such damage is the best-case scenario. “Fields not covered by insurance become more difficult to deal with since replanting corn or grain sorghum this late in the season is not going to provide optimum yields,” he explained. “If replanting of any sort is done, corn stalk shredding would likely have to be done to be able to plant another crop.”The best option in many fields with moderate greensnap would be to keep the corn crop because a reduced yield due to greensnap may be as good or better than replanted corn or a late grain sorghum crop since nearly all the expenses are already into the corn crop, Kelley added.Source - http://mymonticellonews.net/

12.06.2014

USA - New farm bill may not offer enough for small crop growers

A piece of federal agriculture legislation years in the making passed earlier this year and many local farmers are making use of it.Mike Fusilier, of Fusilier Family Farms located at 16400 Herman Road in Manchester Township, said a critical component of the Agricultural Act of 2014, also called the Farm Bill, is the risk management portion for crop insurance.He believes the majority of Washtenaw County farmers make use of some component of the Farm Bill, which he said is overall very beneficial. He said almost every type of farmer uses some form of risk management.The 2014 Farm Bill, signed into law by President Barack Obama on Feb. 7, is projected to cost $489 billion over the next 4 years. Among what it does is make some crop insurance available to specialty crop growers and federal block grants for specialty crops.Fusilier described his farm, which also has a second location near Chelsea, as a mid-size operation with about 300 acres now being farmed by his family’s fifth and sixth generations. He grows a variety of fruits and vegetables.He does wish the Farm Bill went a little further for specialty crops, he said, which is a large percentage of what he grows.Ed and Diane Makielski, owners of Makielski Berry Farm at 7130 Platt Road in Pittsfield Township, do not expect to get much help from the Farm Bill for their efforts.“There’s nothing that’s going to help me,” Ed Makielski said.He believes the Farm Bill’s programs are aimed more at large farms, particularly corporate farms and those with over 500 acres. For the last 30 or maybe even 40 years, he said none of the government farm programs seem to be designed to help “the little guy,” even if they’re under the guise of doing so.Ed Makielski, an 87-year-old World War II veteran, has been farming for 62 years. In November, the Makielski Berry Farm, which is known for its raspberries and blackberries as well as jams, raw honey, squash and gourds, will have been in operation for 63 years, and he plans to keep it going for more years to come.Programs for specialty crops could have potentially helped his berry farm, he said, but raspberries are an exception and cannot be insured in Michigan.Both this and some unpredictable weather have caused others he knows to give up growing raspberries, he said. He said he thinks he’s about the only farmer in southeast Michigan with a large quantity of raspberries at about 12 acres.Fusilier said he does believe the Farm Bill helps pave the way to more specialty crop coverage in the future and more opportunities for companies to try pilot programs that could get wider use if successful.“The grants will help growers sell their produce, protect crops from pests and improve production practices,” said U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, an author of the farm bill and chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.“What this is, is a food and farm bill,” said Stabenow, who started working on the bill in 2011. “It’s all about supporting the food system, from the farmers who are growing it to the consumers who are putting it on the table.”Any farm bill sees its share of criticism, said Fusilier. He said he thinks most of the money has been going into the farm industry before, but with the Agricultural Act of 2014 more funding seems to be going into risk management and there are more programs for smaller farmers than there used to be.Fusilier said another positive part of the bill he likes is programs it offers to help young farmers get started, something his son is making use of to start his own farm. It costs a lot for the land and equipment to get a farm going, and he said although the Farm Bill may not offer a lot of money to new farmers it can still help them get started.Recently, he said he is seeing more young farmers going into agriculture and he thinks the Farm Bill is a part of that. He said he thinks residents are going to see some great things from new farmers as time goes on.“We’re seeing bright young people coming back into agriculture,” Fusilier said.Research block grants from the Farm Bill are yet another good part, he said, because they will help fund future research into various pests that damage specialty crops and what can be done in response. Nature brings a variety of challenges to farmers like this, he said, such as the more recent problems with emerald ash borers.Funding for more conservation efforts are also part of the Farm Bill.Michigan’s cherry farmers, who were hit hard by freezes and other bad weather, are likely to take advantage of the crop insurance program. Unlike cherry farmers, it is more costly and time-consuming for commodity farmers to submit an insurance claim however, in part due to the challenge of keeping track of produce that have lots of varieties like tomatoes and peppers.When it comes to Michigan’s dairy farmers, Michigan Milk Producers Association president and St. John dairy farmer Ken Hobis says what they gained with the new farm bill is a safety net in case the economy flatlines again, as it did in 2009.At the time, feed costs escalated while milk prices dropped, resulting in the farmer paying more than $10 per hundred pounds to feed the cow, while milk prices dipped below $2. The farm bill’s new margin protection program mandates if milk prices go below $4 the USDA will buy dairy products and distribute them to area food banks, shelters and low-income food programs.Major reforms were made to the farm bill during its creation including the elimination of direct payments, which were paid every year whether they were needed. Instead farmers will gain access to better crop insurance and the option of two programs, including Agricultural Risk Coverage or the Price Loss Coverage.ARC covers losses at either the individual farm level or at the county-level. PLC provides payments when the price of a crop drops below a reference price. The problem is farmers have to make a one-time irrevocable decision to enroll in ARC or PLC and both are extremely complex.Data compiled by the Michigan Farm Bureau shows the state’s spending breakdown: 20 percent for farming (including commodities, conservation, crop insurance and miscellaneous programs).The other 80 percent is all about nutrition, encompassing everything from food stamps and loans for new farmers to funding research for the ever-growing bio products economy.Among the agencies that will benefit from the bill’s nutrition programs is Gleaners Food Bank. Last year, Gleaners partnered with 562 other agencies in order to distribute 95,241 meals, amounting to 41,601,477 pounds of food for Michigan families.The new farm bill also increases food assistance and expands access to local, tribal, Kosher and Halal foods in assistance programs.Source - http://www.heritage.com/

12.06.2014

USDA announces August deadline for crop loss aid

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency announced sign-ups have begun for 2012 crop losses under the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program.The program provides for one final period of eligibility for producers suffering crop losses caused by natural disasters occurring through Sept. 30, 2011, for crops intended for the 2012 harvest.“Most producers who suffered losses before Sept. 30, 2011, have already been compensated if they applied for SURE benefits for the 2011 crop year,” FSA Administrator Juan M. Garcia said.To be eligible, a farm must have at least a 10 percent production loss on a crop of economic significance resulting from a disaster occurring before Oct. 1, 2011. A crop of economic significance contributes at least 5 percent of the expected revenue for a producer’s farm.Farmers and ranchers interested in signing up must do so before the Aug. 29 deadline.Source - http://www.thedailyjournal.com/

12.06.2014

African insurers consider food security programs for farmers to encourage risk protection

To boost agric insurance and deepen market penetration in the continent, African insurers are considering food security programmes that give farmers better capacity for higher yields and encouragement for risk protection.The programme, which more or less looks like social programme for food security, would support farmers with high-bred crops, training and fertilisers to enhance volume and quality of produce. And these, experts say, would not only increase premium income from agric business, but would also create more employment and reduce food shortage and poverty in African countries.Bode Opadokun, managing director/CEO, Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation, said it would be a major intervention for agric development in the continent, and an opportunity to increase market penetration for agric insurance. Opadokun said the Nigerian government was already implementing a programme called e-wallet system where larger and smallholder farmers were accessing high-yield crops, fertilisers and other incentives to boost productivity.“Being that 2014 is the year Africa has declared food security, all of efforts were being put in place to strengthen capacity for food production through adequate insurance,” he said. Frank Gosselink, director, risk management, Cardano Development, said solving food security problem in Africa required improving agricultural productivity of smallholder farmers, stating that shortage of financial means was impeding productivity growth in the continent.“Smallholder farmers occupy 50 percent of the farmers and serve only household needs, so adopting satellite-based crop insurance rather than weather-stating as common in most African countries would boost production and help insurance sector growth,” Gosselink stated.At the just-concluded African Insurance Organisation (AIO) conference in Kigali, Rwanda, stakeholders resolved that food security was Africa’s most daunting challenge and that increasing farmers’ productivity was key to combating it.According to them, it was therefore imperative for African insurance industry to adopt the use of technology in crop insurance using satellite images with a view to reducing the processes in claims management and settlement.The stakeholders in their resolution also underscored the need for collaborative efforts in addressing Africa’s food security challenge and for the insurance industry to partner with agencies such as local banks, micro-insurance institutions, agricultural processers, buyers, government institutions and non-governmental organisations.They further argued that “working together and harmonising efforts with a view to providing the most-needed finance to support agricultural development in Africa is the way to go”.Source - http://businessdayonline.com/

12.06.2014

USA - Recent severe weather damages crops

As if farming isn't hard enough, Mother Nature has dealt blow after blow to West Tennessee growers damaging and destroying crops, leaving the ground too soft to support their heavy machinery."We've been out of the field now about a week or so at a very critical stage." Bob Hayes, Center Director of the West Tennessee Agriculture Research and Education Center, said.But many fields are still flooded, increasing the chances the taller crops knocked over by the winds could rot and the wet conditions make for a perfect breeding ground for insects and weeds.These insects and weeds are taking over the fields and feasting on those profitable crops."These are obviously great conditions for diseases and insects that are gonna be prevalent due too the wet conditions. In some cases a generations of insects may have formed and morphed into a second generation which will continue to invade the crops if you didn't spray to kill for the first one." Hayes says.Weeds and pests aside, farmers fear all the moisture alone could ruin or stunt their crops to the point it'll be impossible for them to turn a profit. Farmers remained sidelined though until the ground dries up and water runs off the fields."There is a combination of needing to get it out of the field and get the soybean planted also have the fields dry enough that we don't do a lot of compaction or rutting up the fields with harvesting equipment," Hayes said.With a dry day in the forecast for tomorrow, many West Tennessee farmers will be out to evaluate their losses and to see where they need to go next since harvest season is right around the corner.Source - http://www.wbbjtv.com/

12.06.2014

USA - Rain causing some concern for wheat harvest

As of Wednesday afternoon, Belle Mina in Limestone County had received 4.72 inches of rain since June 1, according to the National Weather Service in Huntsville. The Athens area had received 6.61 inches.Regional Extension Agent Tyler Sandlin, who covers agronomic crops in the county, said the main concern right now is wheat.“It’s starting to get close to time to get into the field,” Sandlin said. “But, farmers are having a hard time getting in.”Some farmers have had wheat blown over. Others are concerned if their wheat crops don’t get harvested due to the rain it will start to sprout.Sandlin said some farmers are pushing the window when it comes to need to harvest in Limestone County. He said if the area continues to get rain, and farmers are unable to harvest, the situation could possibly lead to yield loss.“If it will dry out and the wheat dries out, we can get in to get it out,” Sandlin said, adding it’s “not doom and gloom, yet.”According to Sandlin, sometimes rain might be good for one crop, but not for another.Corn crops are looking good, said Sandlin, who added rain is “very beneficial” for corn that is starting or close to tasseling.“You can have too much rain,” he said. “But, right now, it’s OK.”Sandlin said soybeans also look good and though cotton is a little slow, it’s OK right now as well.Home gardensRegional Extension Agent Chris Becker, who covers home grounds, gardens and pests, said rain is good for the area because it recharges ground water and aquifers, but a lot of rain can cause problems.“Folks can’t get in their gardens if it’s too wet,” Becker said, adding anytime it rains a lot diseases start to set in.Storms tend to move fungus into the area, according to Becker, and wind and rain have a lot to do with spreading disease as well.He recommends that home gardeners spray fungicide on their plants before it rains.To be successful, he also recommends getting out — even in the rain — and scouting the garden to see what is happening to plants.“It is important to identify any problems and find a control before it sets in and there is no hope,” Becker said.He also believes in taking advantage of the rain.“In a month or two, we might not get any,” he said, adding he promotes rain water harvesting. “Collect it now (in rain barrels) while we’re getting it, to use when we don’t have it.”Source - http://www.enewscourier.com/

12.06.2014

India - Odisha farmers threaten stir over non-payment of Phailin crop damage

With compensation towards crop loss due to cyclone Phailin and subsequent floods yet to be paid even eight months after the natural calamity, discontent is fast brewing among farmers in Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s home district of Ganjam.Several members of the Zilla Parishad expressed their concern over the delay in payment of assistance for crop damage at the meeting held at Chhatrapur over the weekend.Ganjam was the worst affected in the cyclone and floods in October last year with different crops, including paddy, in over 3.90 lakh hectares affected. The district administration had sought an assistance of over Rs 165 crore to provide succour to the affected farmers towards crop loss which is yet to arrive, said official sources.Agriculture and Revenue departments had jointly assessed the crop loss, said sources.Farmers’ leaders have threatened to take to the streets if the state government delays payment of assistance to farmers for crop losses due to the twin calamities any further.Convener of Chasi Surakhya Abhiyan Rabi Rath alleged; ” Keeping an eye on the elections, the government had announced the compensation package for the affected farmers, but has forgotten all about it after the elections are over.”“Though the government had announced a package for the affected farmers, they are yet to get any help even eight months after the calamity,” alleged Simanchal Nahak, secretary of the Rushikulya Raita Mahasabha, a farmers’ organisation.On the other hand, Ganjam collector Prem Chandra Chaudhary said; “I hope the issue will be resolved soon. We are pursuing the matter with the government. We hope the new government will take a decision and release the funds soon.”Chaudhary said the delay in the government taking a decision perhaps could be due to the elections in the state and enforcement of the model code of conduct.Source - http://odishasuntimes.com/

11.06.2014

USA - Cover crop sign-up underway

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced a special funding opportunity to help landowners plant cover crops for erosion control, soil improvement or other conservation needs.Cover crops are highly effective in reducing soil erosion, as well as suppressing weeds and building up organic matter and soil health. The cover crop may include rye, oats, millet, wheat, red clover, turnips, canola, radishes, or other species, either alone or in combination.Cover crops reduce wind or water erosion by literally covering the soil. They also use up excess nutrients in the soil reducing risk of runoff; they sequester carbon, and improve soil structure.Farmers with crop insurance will need to check with their crop insurance agent to make sure the cover crop is terminated so as not to impact their insurance payments or coverage.Source - http://www.agriview.com/

11.06.2014

India - Rs 4,200cr crop loan to farmers

Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday ordered the disbursal of 4,200 crore as crop loans to farmers by July 31. The order came soon after Mr Patnaik held a review meeting with the officials of the departments of agriculture and cooperation at the state secretariat here.Mr Patnaik asked the officials to ensure seeds of non-paddy crops are provided to the farmers in the event of any damage to paddy crops due to irregular monsoon in the state.The review meeting was attended by senior officials of meteorological department, Bhubaneswar.Hit by unseasonal rains triggered by a low pressure, the farmers had urged the government to provide loans to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.State agriculture minister Pradip Maharathy said the government would make efforts to compensate the farmers for losses.Source - http://www.asianage.com/

11.06.2014

USA - Farm impact from the heavy rains

Heavy rains overnight and in the forecast are a mixed blessing for local farmers. For some farmers the rain is just what they need, but the concern is, what if it continues? The problem is, the crops need the moisture, but if this water stays here for 24 to 36 hours, crops could die.“I don’t think this will catch us up for the year yet,” said Bob Haselwood, farms in Berryton.Bob Haselwood farms in Berryton. His fields are so wet. He has spent the day working in a shed on his equipment instead of out in the fields.“It’d be nice to be getting some things done, but I’m not going to complain about the rain now,” said Haselwood.Haselwood says his crops like soybeans are so thirsty for moisture, even with the heavy rainfall on Monday, the soil soaked up all of the rain. Kansas has been in a drought in recent years.That has left the soil extremely dry. The ground is acting like a sponge, soaking up all of the extra moisture it can.“Many of the farmers have tiled their fields, in other words, they have drainage systems underneath the fields, so if it tends to have water sitting quite a bit, that water soaks out and drains out,” said Kenlon Johannes, CEO for Kansas Soybean Association.With Monday’s rain, and more in the forecast, farmers are hoping that their fields will get a good soaking.“If you get down there to that 3 or 4 foot area, it’s probably pretty dry down there yet,” said Shannon Hook, farmer in North Topeka.Still there are some drawbacks, field work is nearly impossible and if the fields are too saturated, it can kill the crops already planted. But farmers are optimistic.“It’s nice to have the field work always caught up as you go. it’s good to have the rain,” said Haselwood.Hook tells if the rain continues the way that it has, he thinks that he will get a better crop this year than last year. The Kansas Soybean Association says one protection farmers have is crop insurance, which can cover flooding.Source - http://kansasfirstnews.com/

11.06.2014

Africa - Cotton farmers get K250,000 for destroyed crops

Microensure and Focus General Insurance have paid out K250,000 to over 3,600 cotton farmers whose crop was destroyed last farming season.The insurance firms said they had facilitated the payment of weather insurance claims to farmers who cultivated 4,300 hectares of cotton under contract with NWK Agri-Services.According to David Dorey, agriculture programme manager at MicroEnsure, the farmers were all covered by FarmerShield, a unique product developed by the insurance provider.FarmerShield is a product designed to protect farmers in the event of loss of life and adverse weather events.Under the product, payouts are made directly to NWK, who use the payout to credit the outstanding loans of contracted farmers and then payout cash benefits with the balance.Dorey said farmers in Lundazi and Mgubudu in Eastern Province were affected by dry spells in the early part of the season while farmers in Magoye, Kalomo and Moobola in Southern Province were also affected by excessive rains during the early part of January."The fact that we are able to pay claims in the first season is a strong indicator that satellite-based products are an effective way to reach scale," Dorey said.Charles Hayward, chief agriculture service officer at NKW Agri-Service, also said the firm was looking to extend farmer coverage on both life and weather in the coming farming season.At least 6,610 farmers were covered with weather insurance in the past farming season."This is the first season in NWK Agri-Services are using FarmerShield and we are pleased that farmers in weather-affected shed areas will see the benefit of taking out the weather cover. They will shortly be notified of these payouts," said Hayward. "We certainly look to expand farmer coverage on both life and weather in the forthcoming season."Source - http://www.postzambia.com/