Some agricultural insurance representatives agree that after the 2015 flood and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, farmers are paying more attention to the importance of insuring their crops and other farm-related possessions.
“I feel like before the flood, people participated in it but maybe not paid attention to it as much,” said Ben Tillman, ag risk consultant with Silveus Southeast.
Tillman attended the S.C. AgriBiz and Farm Expo in Florence Thursday along with several other agriculture-related vendors.
Silveus is based in Ridgeland, and Tillman said the company covers Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Insurance coverage protects farmers during weather events and any type of drop in revenue, he said.
“It’s important for the farmers to have its safety net,” Tillman said. “They’re probably in one of the most riskiest businesses.”
Tillman said farmers are awesome and so is crop insurance.
James Trammel, lead adjuster for the Rain and Hail agricultural insurance company in North Carolina, said agricultural is the number one career in which people can do everything they can to succeed, but nature is the number one factor itself.
“The general public may not know this (agricultural insurance) is the number one way for farmers to protect themselves,” Trammel said.
Chris Mishoe, a rain and hail representative, said the company protects farmers from loss due to wildlife, weather-related incidents and any other circumstances that are not manmade.
Crop insurance is an equal opportunity service and is available to all farmers, Mishoe said.
Source - http://www.scnow.com
