Iowa: Life Changing
Copyright 2006 - Write Solution Group, Inc.

When the clouds roll in, they can bring nourishment to the farm field and the promise of a continued good growing season - or they can unleash devastation. No profession so essential to the health of nations faces such daily doses of risk as the farmer. Any given day can begin in prosperity and end in ruin. Since 1919, one company has worked with federal government policy-makers and farmers nationwide to mitigate the threat of loss on the farm, growing to become one of the largest of its kind in the world - Rain and Hail L.L.C., headquartered in Johnston, IA.

Johnston, Iowa

Experience, financial stability and dependable performance have made Rain and Hail one of the nation's leading crop insurance underwriters, according to Rain and Hail President and Chairman of the Board, Steve Harms. "When a catastrophe occurs," says Harms, "we have the capacity and infrastructure to meet the needs of the growers who have our protection. We know the rural landscape. It's our home. Rain and Hail employees understand American agriculture because they've lived it. Their personal understanding of the producer's insurance needs translates into top efficiency and performance."

A commitment to provide risk management programs to rural America is the foundation of Rain and Hail; company founders established the standards of expertise and innovation that continue to define the company. "Our main goal is to service agriculture," says Harms. "We work to be the best agricultural insurance company in the world. No other crop insurance company also provides Farm Property and Casualty coverage to their customers. That's the unique thing about Rain and Hail - we're a one-stop risk management company for farmers." As agriculture changes, Rain and Hail works to offer efficiencies that help smooth the transitions. "Farmers have to get better all the time. They must be leaner, operate with less and while trying to attain more. We see ourselves playing a significant role helping farmers continue their way of life. We cut down on what they have to do by being a one-stop source."

Scott Arnold, National Marketing Manager for Rain and Hail, says the Company demonstrates commitment to its grower and agency base with effective, specialized insurance products. "Our company founders are still recognized as pioneers in the crop insurance industry," says Arnold. "They not only formed one of the nation's first risk management pools in 1919, they were largely responsible for establishing equitable adjusting and rating procedures." Today, Rain and Hail remains an industry leader in developing sound agricultural risk management programs. Arnold says that over the years, Rain and Hail has enhanced its original portfolio of private Crop-Hail coverage with Multiple Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI, a government subsidized program serviced by Rain and Hail) for crops and livestock as well as other additional programs such as Farm Property and Casualty Coverage.

"Because we bring an informed, unique perspective on risk management to rural America, we're able to tailor insurance plans to fit the rural communities where our customers live and work. Our nationwide reach allows us to offer risk management coverage that really impacts the local area," says Arnold. Policies serviced by Rain and Hail are backed by Rail and Hail's own Agri General Insurance Company and ACE USA Companies amongst others. "Agri General is our wholly owned subsidiary and one of our most successful expansions." By participating as a risk bearer on both a direct and reinsurance basis, Agri General further enhances the diversity of protection available to agricultural producers.

Rain and Hail's programs are delivered to rural areas across America through a network of agencies that depend on fast response times should customers suffer an unexpected calamity. "To the agent, we promise a long standing and financially sound risk protection partnership that offers the ability to make sure their insured clients are treated quickly with outstanding customer and claim services," says Chairman Steve Harms.

When hail pounds a good crop into the ground, when wind tears apart farm structures or accidents disable vital machinery, customers depend on immediate attention and fast claims turn-around. "The fact that we have a localized service structure makes it so much easier to get payments where they're needed, when they need them," says Arnold. "Daily operations are not run out of the corporate headquarters in Johnston. We have on the ground informed people out there in Amarillo, Texas, and Spokane, Washington, supporting the local Rain and Hail agent, helping him or her service clients quickly."

Tom Norton, owner and operator of Lee Agency in Muscatine, IA, is one of those independent agents in the field. "We've represented Rain and Hail throughout my entire career," reports Norton. "We have built a relationship based on trust and common values. Our agency has grown from 30 crop insurance clients to more than 300 since I started with Lee, something that wouldn't have happened without a strong relationship, dependable service and help from many people at Rain Hail."

On occasion, says Arnold, clients may not even be aware the service from their local agent has Rain and Hail standing behind it. But Dale Hughes, owner of W.T. Waggoner Ranch near Vernon, Texas, knows. "My experience with Rain and Hail Crop Insurance has been excellent," says Hughes. "From our local agent all the way through to the payment of claims, I could not ask for better response and service from everyone involved."

With eight U.S. division offices, as well as offices in Canada and Brazil, Steve Harms believes the employee-owned company is poised for continued growth, even when instability menaces the market. "Working with risk bearing companies that are financially healthy gives us leverage in the marketplace," says Harms. "We're able to apply financial strength, responsive claims service and unmatched support of agents to sustain a forward momentum."

"One of the largest factors contributing to our current success and future growth is a sincere commitment to our policyholders, says Harms. We work very hard to understand the producer's risk management needs and, in turn, make sure we provide the programs to fit those needs. If I put myself in the position of a producer, I am looking for a company that is stable, financial sound, and has good claim service - an area where we are above and beyond our competitors. We've been here a long time and work hard every day to earn the trust of the farmer and the local agent."

In agriculture, success comes to those who expect the best and plan for the worst. For more than eight decades, Rain and Hail has made it possible for the farmer whose day ends in adversity to pick up the pieces and prepare for a fresh start tomorrow.