Struggling Farmers and Crop Insurance

Struggling Farmers and Crop Insurance

UPDATE: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - The dry temperatures this summer have affected the fields.

Sue McMaster, a farmer at the Meridian Farmer's Market said, "So usually when something happens and it's not to late, we just replant."

This year they weren't so fortunate.

"If something happens we just don't have it, we just don't sell it. So if we have a bad crop of tomatoes like this year, we just will have less," said McMaster.

Dennis Greenman, and insurance agent at Farm Bureau in Mason said, "Well their trouble is first of all the drought and the lack of rainfall bringing it with the high temperatures and the prolonged drought season here is the big problem."

Despite this common theme, farmers are remaining hopeful.

"They are very optimistic that we are going to get rain, but they have thought that for the last six weeks and they haven't had the rain," said Greenman.

While some farmers are hoping for change, others are looking to insurance agencies for help. Some are looking into it for the first time but others have been attracted to these agencies for other reasons.

"Well there is an increase in interest in how it works. Even the people that have had it for a number of years are asking how much coverage they are going to have. So they are fine tuning their knowledge of what they have and how the insurance policy works to protect them," said Greenman.

The insurance deadline for this year's harvest has passed but farmers can start signing up now for the spring crops.

The insurance deadline for next year's harvest is March 15th.

ORIGINAL STORY: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Insurance agencies are profiting from the dry temperatures this year. Find out why Monday night on Meridian Magazine.

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