It's important to trust the people you're working with....employees, advisors, suppliers, partners.  To do that quickly and well, you need to understand the intent of the relationship from both sides.  Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions covers that in this week's Finance First post on www.farmfutures.com.  Read it here.

Sometimes we still think about crop insurance the old fashioned way....that it's only there to protect us from Mother Nature.  If you haven't ramped up your knowledge on crop insurance in a while, there's a lot to know about how it can protect you against price fluctuations as well.  Here Water Street Solutions Crop Insurance Sales Manager Steve Jackson talks with Ken Rahjes of KRVN about this.  Crop Insurance is about More than Just Yield - Jackson AUDIO

This year there's also a new option that comes privately from the Climate Corporation, Total Weather Insurance.  Water Street Solutions has twelve Premier Agents that can help you with Total Weather Insurance.  Call (309) 680-1200 with questions or to be connected to the Premier Agent in your area.

All recovered from the holidays?  Now it's time to think about the family you just saw, the future you've built for them and how to pass on your legacy.  Ben Metzger is a Director with Water Street Solutions.  He heads up our Legacy Department and talks here with Ken Rahjes from KRVN.

Make Farm Legacy Planning Your New Years Resolution - Metzger AUDIO

As you're planning your 2012 crop year, it's important to manage risk.  One of the newer tools available for farmers is Total Weather Insurance from the Climate Coportation.  I talked here with George Bercaw, a Premier Agent for TWI who works for Water Street Solutions.  Learn more about the product by listening to this short interview.  George Bercaw on TWI

It's definitely something that gets put off, because while it's important, we sometimes don't see the urgency.  In his weekly post on www.farmfutures.com, Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions talks about why you need to put legacy planning on the top of your list for 2012.  Read the post here.

At this time of the year we often take stock in our relationships.  Today let's think about our business relationships and if they have value on both ends.  Here Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions talks with Ken Rahjes from KRVN about achieving win-win in this game.  The Importance of Trusted Relationships - Frye AUDIO

You may have read a lot about us over the years....and wondered if your business could benefit from our services.  In this interview with Dave Russell from the Brownfield Network, Water Street Solutions' President and CEO Darren Frye talks about the kind of farmer that benefits the most from working with us.  Listen to that interview here.

One of the toughest parts of planning for the future of your farm typically has to do with rental ground.  It's an area where it's hard to feel like we have a lot of control over the process.  But that can change if we're pro-active, according to Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions.  Darren talks about it here with Ken Rahjes from KRVN.  What Landlords Really Want - Frye AUDIO

Brownfield News reports that 2011 has been a year of big payouts for crop insurance companies, with more than $7.1 billion dollars paid out so far.  Read the full story here. 

Nine Water Street Solutions Crop Insurance Specialists have now qualified for Premier status with the Climate Corporation to market Total Weather Insurance.  This is a private product that can help augment coverage beyond 85% of a grower's APH.  It's based on insuring against bad weather circumstances in a 2 mile x 2 mile geographic grid.  Premier agents are:

• George Bercaw - Western and Southern Indiana, Kentucky -  (812) 887-2717
• Louis Guthrie - Southern Illinois - (618) 616-0588
• Brent Dykstra - Northwestern Illinois - (309) 525-3376
• Grant Frye - Northern Illinois - (309) 303-1126
• Ann Yocum - Springfield Illinois area - (217) 741-7583
• Ryan Siebenthal - Central Illinois - (309) 678-8953
• Jeff Schmidt - Eastern Indiana/Western Ohio - (937) 604-5191
• Jeff Lane - Iowa/Nebraska - (515) 707-0869
• Darryl Ricketts - Western Illinois - (309) 255-2306

Call the Premier agent in your area to get a free customized weather risk report.

The future of your farm depends on what land you can farm.  Often times, that's a piece of the puzzle that seems to be a little out of our control.  Today Dean Heffta, Director of Development for Water Street Solutions talks with Ken Rahjes from KRVN about what you can do to strengthen the relationships with landlords, and therefore the chances that you'll be able to farm that land long term.  Building Bonds with Landlords - Heffta AUDIO