Colorado Corn Growers Association Sees Progress with Adjustments to 2020 T-Yields
GREELEY, CO – December 11, 2019
Colorado Corn Growers Association (CCGA) is pleased to share the progress made on one of their top priorities. Based on the concerns of farmers, especially those with limited Actual Production History (APH), CCGA’s Public Policy Committee sought to have Transitional Yields or T-Yields reviewed and the significant disparities between these yields and actual yields narrowed.
Background: In February, an eight-member team from CCGA and CCAC went to Commodity Classic with several important issues they wanted to resolve, including the T-Yield disparities. Team members first presented the disparities to their peers in Kansas and North Dakota during caucus, and then to other states, and to National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA’s) leadership and Risk Management Action Team.
Three weeks later, Dave Cure, CCGA Public Policy Chairman, and Jeff Self, CCGA Vice President, shared the T-Yield disparities with board members of Southwest Council of Agribusiness (SWCA) and the chief economist for the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture.
“When our peers recognized the T-yields were really off, we knew we had an opportunity to make a difference,” Cure stated in an earlier press release.
In July, Kim Reddin, CCGA staff and Brad Weddleman with Combest-Sell and Associates (representing SWCA), met with six staff members of the Risk Management Agency (RMA) in Washington D.C. for a status update. RMA confirmed the corn yields were under review. They also confirmed the adjustment limit would increase from the standard 10% to 20%. And, when enough actuarial data was available, RMA would adjust as high as 40%. With this news, CCGA Public Policy Committee members were cautiously optimistic.
Results: On November 30, 2019 RMA published the adjusted T-Yields on corn for 2020. Staff members from the Topeka, Kansas office presented the percentage changes from 2019 to 2020 on irrigated/non-irrigated silage and corn Dec. 4th during the CCGA Annual Event in Greeley, Colorado.
“With the due diligence of CCGA’s Public Policy Committee and help from other organizations, these adjustments begin to address the problems farmers face if they have limited APH or their yields are impacted by drought or hail,” stated Mark Sponsler, CEO of Colorado Corn.
“We recognize the adjustments RMA has made to T-Yields and appreciate their follow through,” Cure said. “We also recognize that several counties in Eastern Colorado still face a 70% value disparity compared to similar corn producing counties outside the state. CCGA Public Policy Committee remains committed to working with RMA on T-Yields.”
Contact an insurance agent for the adjusted T-Yields or visit https://webapp.rma.usda.gov/apps/actuarialinformationbrowser2020/CropCriteria.aspx.