Blog

December 11, 2018

The below statement was issued by the American Association of Crop Insurers (AACI), the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB), the Crop Insurance Professionals Association (CIPA), the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA), the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA), and the National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) following the release of the farm bill conference report:

“Farmers and ranchers have seen their fair share of challenges in 2018 – from hurricanes, drought and wildfires to depressed commodity prices. The farm bill conference committee took a huge step today in helping rural America cope with these challenges by releasing a bipartisan package. We urge Congress to pass the Farm Bill immediately.

The 2018 Farm Bill maintains a strong crop insurance system because lawmakers knew that agriculture’s top risk management tool would be needed during these difficult times. They ensured that private-sector crop insurance would remain affordable and widely available for producers despite attempts by opponents of crop insurance to weaken this critical component of the farm safety net.

We applaud the leaders and members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, and the farm bill conferees, for crafting a comprehensive piece of legislation that has earned the backing of the agricultural community. We also thank our customers, who told lawmakers from Day 1 that protecting crop insurance was a top priority throughout this process.

Once Congress passes the new farm bill, we ask that the president quickly sign it into law, so America’s farmers and ranchers will have some certainty heading into the new year.”

Click here to read more.

December 7, 2018

Throughout the year, CIRB will spotlight members of the 2018-19 Emerging Leaders Program and share about their experience in the program.

 

Bret Keeler
Marketing Representative, ARMtech Insurance Services
Bret Keeler has been working in the crop insurance industry since 2009, after completing a bachelor’s in Finance from Kansas State University. Bret started as an accountant and has since moved into sales roles. Bret is responsible for the growth and retention of ARMtech’s portfolio in Kansas, Colorado, and northern Oklahoma.
In November, the 2018-19 Emerging Leaders Program class went to Minneapolis, Minnesota to join the CIRB Executive Committee for their quarterly meeting. “It was a great experience going to Minneapolis and having the chance to meet all of the members of the CIRB Executive Committee as well as the rest of the members of the 2018-19 Emerging Leaders Program,” he said. Keeler is looking forward to “future [ELP] meetings and advocating for the crop insurance industry as well as the farmers we all serve.”
Keeler lives in Assaria, Kansas with his wife and two sons. They operate a small family farm on the original quarter of ground that his great-great grandparents homesteaded in the late 1800s. Follow him on twitter at @bkeelerksu.
The Emerging Leaders Program is designed to equip up-and-coming professionals on key policy issues and prepare them to be effective advocates for the crop insurance industry. All participants are employees of CIRB’s growing membership, which includes both crop insurance and reinsurance companies.

November 30, 2018

Throughout the year, CIRB will spotlight members of the 2018-19 Emerging Leaders Program and share about their experience in the program.
Tracy Klever
Assistant Vice President of Training & Development, Farmers Mutual Hail
Tracy Klever learned about and became interested in agriculture while growing up on a Missouri cattle farm and working for the local Farm Service Agency. She began her crop insurance career in 2004 as an underwriter and now serves as the Assistant Vice President of Training and Development for Farmer’s Mutual Hail.
As a 2018-19 Emerging Leader, Klever and her peers joined the CIRB Executive Committee in Minneapolis, MN for their quarterly meeting. “I really enjoyed hearing the federal affairs update, which meant getting a pulse on farm bill discussions and the upcoming mid-term elections,” she said. “It brought light to the importance of CIRB’s communication efforts to engage members and coalition partners through social media.”
The Emerging Leaders took their policy learnings to the Hill this month, meeting with Congressional staff and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Roberts (R-KS). “This was a great experience to help me prepare for the D.C. fly-in,” Klever added.
Klever has a Master’s in Agricultural Education from Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor’s degree in biology secondary education from Graceland University. She lives in Polk City, IA with her husband and two daughters. Follow her on twitter at @TracyKlever.
The Emerging Leaders Program is designed to equip up-and-coming professionals on key policy issues and prepare them to be effective advocates for the crop insurance industry. All participants are employees of CIRB’s growing membership, which includes both crop insurance and reinsurance companies.

November 16, 2018

Emerging Leaders Program Visits Washington DC for November Fly-In
The 2018-19 CIRB ELP class was in Washington D.C. this week for their November fly-in. The group took a tour of the Capitol, received advocacy training, and networked with members of the Crop Insurance Coalition Jen McPhillips (Marsh & McLennan Companies), Robbie Minnich (National Cotton Council) and Lauren Sturgeon (CoBank). They then met with several Congressional offices including that of Congressman Davis (R-IL), Senator Ernst (R-IA), and Senator Klobuchar (D-MN). Members of the group also met with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Roberts (R-KS) and received an update on the ongoing farm bill negotiations.
The Emerging Leaders Program is designed to equip up-and-coming professionals on key policy issues and prepare them to be effective advocates for the crop insurance industry. All participants are employees of CIRB’s growing membership, which includes crop insurance, AIPs and reinsurance companies, and brokerage groups.

November 9, 2018

Throughout the year, CIRB will spotlight members of the 2018-19 Emerging Leaders Program and share about their experience in the program.
Bryce Benson
Claims Supervisor, American Farm Bureau Insurance Service

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Agri-Business, Bryce Benson began a farming and ranching partnership with his brother in law and they started operating the family farm and ranch. He began his crop insurance career in 1996 and in 2005 became a claims representative for AFBIS.
This year’s ELP class began with an introductory webinar that shared insights on the legislative state-of-play for the farm bill, policy communications efforts, membership engagement, and upcoming events and meetings. “I learned that there are 154 Senate and House of Representatives that have never voted on a bill that is focused on crop insurance,” Benson explained.

Benson lives in Alva, Oklahoma and oversees claims in seven states. He and his wife, Sherrie, have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and one grandchild. Follow him on twitter @brycebenson915.

The Emerging Leaders Program is designed to equip up-and-coming professionals on key policy issues and prepare them to be effective advocates for the crop insurance industry. All participants are employees of CIRB’s growing membership, which includes both crop insurance and reinsurance companies.

August 29, 2018

The Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) named 10 industry professionals to its 2018-2019 Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) class. The program increases participants’ knowledge of key policy issues and prepares them with the skills they need to be effective advocates for the crop insurance industry. All participants are employees of CIRB’s growing membership, which includes both crop insurance and reinsurance companies.

“The Emerging Leaders Program is an established curriculum that provides a great experience for professionals to learn how to tackle the challenges and opportunities facing federal crop insurance,” said Ron Rutledge, Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Chairman. “CIRB has been leading the way with its advocacy and communications efforts in Washington, D.C. and it is essential to educate our rising leaders on best practices for the future.”

The 2018-2019 CIRB Emerging Leaders Program class includes: Chelsea Abrahamson, Farm Bureau Financial Services, Bryce Benson, American Farm Bureau Insurance Services, Kevin Boeckenstedt, Crop Risk Services, RJ Brinkmeyer, Farmers Mutual Hail, John Haldy, Guy Carpenter, Bret Keeler, ARMtech, Tracy Klever, Farmers Mutual Hail, Ryan Kramer, Farmers Mutual Hail, Cole Patrick, COUNTRY Financial, Amy Zeik, Rural Community Insurance Services.

Click here to read more. 

August 29, 2018

Washington, D.C.- Today, the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) named 10 industry professionals to its 2018-2019 Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) class. The program increases participants’ knowledge of key policy issues and prepares them with the skills they need to be effective advocates for the crop insurance industry. All participants are employees of CIRB’s growing membership, which includes both crop insurance and reinsurance companies.

“The Emerging Leaders Program is an established curriculum that provides a great experience for professionals to learn how to tackle the challenges and opportunities facing federal crop insurance,” said Ron Rutledge, Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Chairman. “CIRB has been leading the way with its advocacy and communications efforts in Washington, D.C. and it is essential to educate our rising leaders on best practices for the future.”
Now in its fourth year, a total of 24 industry professionals have graduated from the ELP program. Alumni have remained engaged in CIRB and some have even moved on to serve on the organization’s Executive Committee. The program consists of monthly activities that include webinars, industry networking and meetings with USDA’s Risk Management Agency in Kansas City. Over the course of the program, participants also attend CIRB Executive Committee meetings and receive advocacy training during two Washington, D.C. fly-ins.
The 2018-2019 CIRB Emerging Leaders Program class includes:
Chelsea Abrahamson, Farm Bureau Financial Services
Bryce Benson, American Farm Bureau Insurance Services
Kevin Boeckenstedt, Crop Risk Services
RJ Brinkmeyer, Farmers Mutual Hail
John Haldy, Guy Carpenter
Bret Keeler, ARMtech
Tracy Klever, Farmers Mutual Hail
Ryan Kramer, Farmers Mutual Hail
Cole Patrick, COUNTRY Financial
Amy Ziek, Rural Community Insurance Services
The program officially kicks off in September and will conclude in April 2019 with a graduation ceremony in Washington, D.C. You can learn more about this year’s class here. Please contact Kerry Lynch with any questions about the program.
Click here to view the full release.

June 22, 2018

This week, CIRB’s work building the weekly #ProtectCropInsurance social media campaign was honored at the annual Agricultural Relations Council “Golden ARC” Awards. The campaign received first place in the social media tactic category. The #ProtectCropInsurance effort provides turnkey content for crop insurance allies to customize and share on social media. In 2017, CIRB created a total of 39 weekly toolkits that were shared with CIRB members and coalition partners, with a potential reach to 440,000+ Twitter users. The campaign to protect crop insurance in the farm bill continues – please contact Kerry Lynch to receive future toolkits.

May 16, 2018

This week 418 local, state and national organizations and individual companies signed on to a petition urging Congress to do no harm to the crop insurance program in the farm bill. This includes broad support from across the country, from Hawaii to Maine, representing everyone from farmers to lenders to conservation organizations to agricultural input providers. This petition was sent to the House of Representatives, as H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, heads to the House floor for a vote this week.

Click here to read more.

April 30, 2018

Approximately 65 organizations of the crop insurance coalition sent a letter to Members of Congress. The group asked Members to oppose harmful amendments to crop insurance specifically those that would reduce participation in crop insurance, make insurance more expensive for farmers during a time of economic downturn in agriculture, or harm private-sector delivery. “Given the importance of crop insurance, the undersigned organizations urge you to support America’s farmers, ranchers, rural economies and national security by opposing amendments that would harm crop insurance.” the letter explains. Click here to read the full letter.

Please contact CIRB Federal Affairs Vice President Tara Smith at tsmith@torreydc.com  with any questions about the letter or the crop insurance coalition.

February 6, 2018

More than 135 crop insurance leaders gathered for the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau’s 2018 Annual Meeting, which ended Friday in Scottsdale, AZ. During the program, expert speakers provided a glimpse ahead at the upcoming farm bill debate.

“It is going to take everyone who cares about crop insurance working together for us to succeed in protecting the program during the 2018 Farm Bill,” said current CIRB Chair Ron Rutledge of Farmers Mutual Hail.

Click here to read more.

August 30, 2017

CIRB announced that seven industry professionals will participate in the 2017-2018 Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) class. The program increases participants’ knowledge of key policy issues and prepares them with the skills they need to be effective advocates for crop insurance.

“Now in its third year, there is no equivalent to CIRB’s Emerging Leaders Program. It provides a unique opportunity to gain real-world advocacy experience and learn about the challenges and opportunities facing federal crop insurance,” said Ron Rutledge, Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Chairman. “Our future leaders also build relationships with influencers across the industry and from other trade associations, federal agencies and Members of Congress.”

The 2017-2018 CIRB Emerging Leaders Program class includes:
Sheila Backer, Farmers Mutual Hail, Joshua Bright, ARMtech, Brad Clow, COUNTRY Financial, Chad Groen, Farmers Mutual Hail, Heather Horne, Rural Community Insurance Services, Justin Newman, ADM/Crop Risk Services, Daniel Potts, Crop Risk Services

Click here to read more.

July 25, 2017

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing titled “Commodities, Credit, and Crop Insurance: Perspectives on Risk Management Tools and Trends for the 2018 Farm Bill.” Ron Rutledge, President and CEO of Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa (FMH), provided testimony showcasing the vital role that federal crop insurance plays for America’s farmers and the rural economy.

“Crop insurance provides farmers, ranchers, and their lenders with certainty that ad hoc disaster assistance cannot provide,” Rutledge said. “It provides assistance in a timely manner when disaster strikes. And importantly, farmers are always expected to pay for the protection of crop insurance, unlike ad hoc disaster assistance which is fully-funded by taxpayers.”

Click here to watch a video archive of the hearing, including testimony from 16 other agriculture stakeholders including many who turn to crop insurance during times of natural disaster. Click here to read the full press release.

May 23, 2017

The White House today released details of its FY2018 proposed budget, which included steep cuts to crop insurance and other farm policies. Click here for the joint statement made by the The American Association of Crop Insurers, Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau, Crop Insurance Professionals Association, Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, and National Crop Insurance Services in response.

Please contact CIRB Federal Affairs Vice President Tara Smith at tsmith@torreydc.com with any questions.