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.

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

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.

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.

Over the weekend, Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions appeared as a guest analyst on US Farm Report.  Frye discussed what farmers can do to find profit in the market at this point.

We may be winding down from a bull market and entering into a trend that looks more bearish as we move into 2012.  That means crop insurance will be more important than ever, according to Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions.  He talks about this with Ken Rahjes from KRVN.

The Importance of Crop Insurance in a Bear Market - Frye AUDIO

We've been talking about The New Rules of Profitable Farming, and we're up to #3 this week.  To review, the first two suggest that you need to know the financial details of your operation and make those decisions, even if you have a consultant helping in this arena.  The second is that you need a plan specific to your operation.  Here we pick up with #3:  Leverage the Tools Frye AUDIO

If you've been following us here online for a while, and want to get to know us face to face, this year's Farm Progress Show is the perfect opportunity.  Water Street Solutions' display will be in the Varied Industries Tent #9606.  We're happy to talk with you about your farm, your concerns and the future success of your business.  Market Advisors and Crop Insurance Specialists will be giving updates and sharing insight into the challenges with the coming harvest and what that might mean to you.  The show is August 30, 31 and September 1 near Decatur, IL.  For more information about the show itself, click here.

There's so much to know on the farm to keep all of the elements moving in the right direction.  If you hire some of this out, it's important that you still stay involved enough with a consultant to understand and make the business decisions.  Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions talks here with Ken Rahjes from KRVN about why it's important that you know.  You Need to Know - Frye AUDIO

As your farming operation grows, you're likely to find that you just can't do it all.  Delegating is a tough task for many of us.  And some things you still need to manage from a base of knowledge.  In this week's Finance First post on www.farmfutures.com, Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions talks through the concept of what work to outsource, what you still need to know, and how to learn it.  Read the post here.