| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Lee Boyer |
| December 13, 2006 | (406) 444-2402 |
Montana Hail Board Approves Refunds
HELENA, Mont. — Montana farmers who purchased state hail insurance for this year will get back 50 percent of the premiums they paid, the state Board of Hail Insurance has decided.
The board approved the refunds, the largest since 1987, after reviewing
an actuarial consultant's report at its annual meeting, said board Chairman
Gary Gollehon of Brady.
The Montana Department of Agriculture issued 2,107 hail insurance policies
covering 1,686,000 acres during 2006, a slight reduction from the previous
year due to dry weather and a resulting decline in the grain acres planted
and harvested, said Director Nancy K. Peterson. The program insured a record
1.9 million crop acres in 2005.
Premiums for the 2007 crop year will remain the same as those charged this
year, the board decided at its Nov. 29 meeting.
Serving with Peterson and Gollehon on the board are State Auditor John Morrison
and producers Trudy Laas Skari of Chester and Keith Arntzen of Hilger. For
more information about state hail insurance, contact the Montana Department
of Agriculture's hail specialist at (406) 444-2402 or by email at agr@mt.gov.
