July 26, 2017: listening session on alternative to crop insurance

You can participate in a teleconference listening session focused on the Nursery Value Select concept for Nursery Crop Insurance on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at 2:00pm EST.

FCIC (Federal Crop Insurance Corporation) Nursery Insurance is offered in all 50 states. The Risk Management Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture recently awarded a contract to conduct research to obtain information for a proposed new alternative nursery insurance program referred to as Nursery Value Select, and identify issues related to the proposed program. Watts and Associates, Inc. (W&A), a private economic consulting firm based in Billings, Montana, was contracted to conduct a targeted study to evaluate the efficacy of the new concept and gather stakeholder input regarding its appropriateness. W&A has completed nearly 100 contracts focused on crop insurance over the last 16 years.

As part of the required gathering of stakeholder input, W&A will be hosting a teleconference listening session using GoToMeeting presentation software on July 26, 2017 from 12:00-1:00 PM MDT (2:00pm-3:00pm EST). The meeting will focus on gathering input from Nursery operators as well as from Nursery industry stakeholders (Crop Insurance agents, insurance company representatives, association representatives, extension specialists, etc.).

You can view the presentation and join the meeting from your computer, tablet, or smartphone at https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/266885181. If you have not used the GoToMeeting software in the past and plan to attend the teleconference, please open the above link early to give yourself enough time to download the free software before the meeting commences.

To participate in the conversation, you can dial in using your phone:
U.S. (Toll Free) 1-866-899-4679, or 1-571-317-3117,
Access Code: 266-885-181

W&A is interested in collecting comments, opinions, observations, and thoughts about both the current Nursery Insurance product and the proposed Nursery Value Select concept from industry stakeholders. All stakeholders are welcome and any information regarding possible improvements to the insurance product is encouraged. A discussion will be held with the stakeholders in attendance regarding risks faced by the industry, value of insurance as a risk management tool, observations of the current Nursery Insurance product, and other relevant feedback.