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Catastrophic Crop Insur;
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
BETHLEHEM
(Northampton Co.) Penn*
sylvama Master Corn
Growers Association
(PMCGA) Vice President
Guy Wagner knows how im
portant catastrophic insur
ance, or CAT, can be for
producers.
Because of last year’s
devastating drought, Wagner
recalls that the com on 40
acres was so worthless he
simply disced it in.
CAT insurance for
Wagner amounted to $6O per
crop.
“I always took it,” he
said during an interview late
m December at his farm
Many Factors Go The Way
Of Five-Acre Winners
GAIL STROCK Award in the hand-harvest
Mifflin Co. Correspondent class with 204 3 bushels per
EMPORIUM (Cameron acre
Co )-She says farming is ex- Jeff and LuAnn Reed both
pensive, and would he like to work full time off the farm
try bowling instead'’ In their spare time, they farm
The humor in LuAnn about 45 acres of cropland on
Reed’s voice soon turns to his home farm plus an addi
pnde when she talks about tional 60 acres on his father,
her husband, Jeff, farming Earl’s, farm,
part time on his family farm, What pleases this Cam
and winning the 1999 Penn- eron County couple the most
syivama 5-Acre Corn Club jium i. Pat. 4)
The height of the com on Earl Reed’s term on July 4,
1919, exceeded everyone's expectations. Shown here,
left to right, are LuAnn, Jeff, and Earl Read.
. RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT
STRATEGIES
. CORN YIELD INPUTS
. grower feature
. STATE & NCGA MEWS
Fanners experienced about a
70 percent crop loss in the
county “How could you not,
especially the past year, when
producers got less than half a
crop?”
Ever since Wagner pur
chased the farm business
from his father, Walter, in
1990, he has bought crop in
surance for his 880 acres of
corn and 400 acres of soy
beans, for a total of $l2O.
As for CAT insurance,
“most don’t take it,” said
Guy. “They never thought
the year could have been like
this either You just never
know ”
CAT insurance pays off
only a fraction of the crop
(Turn •• a)
RNMK
VANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC., INC.
toaster Farming, Saturday, March 4, 2000
nee A Must For Bethlehem Grower
Pennsylvania Master Com Growers Association (PMCGA) Vice Presi
dent Guy Wagner knows how important catastrophic insurance, or CAT,
can be for producers. CAT Insurance for Wagner amounted to $6O per
crop. “I always took it,” he said during an interview late In December at
his farm. Photo by Andy Andrmws
WHERE CAN YOU
CUT CORNERS ON
CORN PRODUCTION?
After last year’s dreadful
year, many corn growers are
asking where and how they
can reduce input costs in corn
production
The key is to focus on those
inputs that give us the most
consistent responses to our
investment. Let’s review how
each of several common corn
inputs have produced a
return on investment in our
trials here at Penn State
One input you might think
about is seed In our trials
there is often a large varia
tion in performance-about 30
to 40 bushels per acre. So this
"TS^T
-J.—
NSYLVANIA MASTER
GROWERS ASSOCIATION
itween The Rows
Dr. Greg Roth
State Agronomy Associate Professor
input is not one to cut corners Our trials have shown rela
on Some, but not all, premi- tively low (3-4 bushel per
um-pnced hybrids are top acre) yield responses to the Bt
yielders Check out mdc- gene itself under normal
pendent data to get some idea planting conditions, as have
how new hybrids perform n
%»RN TALK
H Farm Calendar
Field Crop IPM, Weed, Schuylkill County Crops
Insect, and Disease Man* Clinic, Penn State Schuyl*
agement, Lebanon Valley kill Campus, Schuylkill
Ag Center, 9 a m <4 p m
Hu
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