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Nebraska farmer frustrated by insurance company over wildfire losses

A Nebraska farmer says he’d like to see changes to insurance policies to better protect producers from natural disasters.

Tim Rowe of Elwood says he applied starter fertilizer to several fields before a wildfire burned it off earlier this month. “When you have fertilizer spread out on the ground, there’s no coverage for that. We’ve got residue laying out there on the ground to protect the ground or feed or whatever your case is, that’s not covered,” he says. “That’s devastating.” 

He tells Brownfield that’s a $130 per acre loss. “There’s going to be three-quarters there so that’s going to be significant. But, I have heard from other agronomists that there’s people that have their starter on there and they had their whole nitrogen program on there plus herbicide on already. If that’s the case, some of these people are going to be looking at a $400 to $450 loss that’s not covered.”

Rowe says he’d pay for better coverage.  “I wish there was a way to get that covered through our insurance companies. We’ll probably have to pay a premium, I realize that, but I think it needs to be addressed.”

He says his insurance doesn’t cover any feed that spread out on field at the time of the fire.

A fire started in North Central Gosper County on April 7 and burned 35,000 acres as it moved south into Furnas County.

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