THE PAPER
‘the paper’ salutes our veterans on pages 4-7
of Wabash County Inc.
www.thepaperofwabash.com
June 1, 2011
Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
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Local farmers face dilemma as corn planting deadline approaches.
Max Myers & Austin Carrothers
by Brent Swan With over 3.3 inches of additional rain falling from May 21, local farmers are again unable to get into their fields to finish, or begin, planting their 2011 corn crop. In addition to the frustration felt by many due to the inability to get their crops in the ground, farmers are currently facing the additional burden of determining their options as the June 5 crop insurance deadline approaches. For farmers who chose to carry some form of crop insurance before the March 15 deadline, June 5 now looms as the final day to make a decision regarding their 2011 corn forecast. According to George Patrick, a Purdue University Ag department professor specializing in risk management, about 70 percent of Indiana’s farmers insure their crops. corn in ground: 20 “Just as you have to place your bet before the roulette wheel beans in ground: 0 starts spinning, you have to place your bet and buy insurance before the spring weather happens,” Patrick said. For farmers, a variety of insurance options are available dependent on what type of coverage each farmer feels will benefit him the most. The most basic types of insurance are the Yield Production and Actual Production History. Based on at least four years of past farm yield data, these types of insurance pay growers for crop losses and cover 50 to 85 percent of the average yield. Total Acres: 1800 Another form of insurance, Revenue Planted Corn Acreage: 720 Protection, guarantees a certain value of the Percent of Corn in Ground: 45 commodity. “Rather than just talking bushels, it’s protecting what the crop is Percent of Beans in Ground: 0 worth as opposed to the physical quantity,” Patrick said. “If there was a really big crop and the price decreased from spring to harvest-time, it could trigger an indemnity, or payment.” In addition to crop insurance plans based on individual farm data, there are plans based on Percent of corn in the county’s yield and revground: 66 enue data. County or group insurance can be advantageous for individual farmers who (see page 7)
Name: Meyer Ponderosa Acreage: Row crop in four townships in Wabash County Percent of corn in ground: 10 Percent of beans in ground: 0
Mike Reed Percent of Percent of
In Memoriam Hugh Cleaveland, 57 Michael Douglas, 61 Thomas Keith, 89 Jerry Montgomery, 69 M. Max White, 88 Lawrence Yost, 80
Index Classifieds ..........28-31 Community News..9-11 D & E ................20-21 Sports Shorts ..........19 Weekly Reports ..12-13 Vol. 34, No. 11
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
Jack Vrooman
Gary Kratzer