Record Hail Losses are Paid Off 



VALUE of crop hail protection in 

 Gjuntry Mutual Fire Company, Illi- 

 nois Farm Bureau members' own 

 company, is well demonstrated in a 

 report just completed on 1948 figures. 



Country Fire paid out in 1948 a total 

 of $3,451,000 to Farm Bureau members 

 who suffered losses on their crops which 

 were covered by growing crop hail in- 

 surance. This was almost six times as 

 much as the losses in 1947 and set a new 

 all-time record for the company. 



The 1948 experience, however, has 

 not impaired the splendid financial 

 standing of Country Fire, D. L. Achen- 

 bach, manager, points out. Adequate 

 reserves have been set up from year to 

 year to meet emergencies and reinsurance 

 is carried to offset storms of catastrophic 

 proportions. 



Yes, Country Fire was able to stand 

 up under these record-breaking losses, but 

 think what nearly three and one-half mil- 

 lion dollars in lost income would have 

 meant to the farmers of Illinois if they 

 had not had insurance protection. 



Because of the widespread hail dam- 

 age, the cost to the Company, includ- 

 ing operating and adjusting expense, was 

 HI per cent of the $4,119,625 premium 

 received in 1948. This means that no 

 dividend can be paid on the 1948 crop 

 hail business, but on the other hand, no 

 rate increase is being considered, even in 

 the areas where the most serious storms 

 occurred. 



The policyholder who has carried in- 

 surance in Country Fire every year from 

 1939 through 1948 has received an aver- 

 age dividend of 26.3 per cent on all 

 crop hail premiums paid. 



The plan of Country Fire has always 

 been, and will continue to be — to pay 

 back the money through dividends, in 

 years when losses justify such action, and 

 to retain it in years when the Company 

 needs it to pay claims, Manager Achen- 

 bach reported. 



Field corn accounted for the largest 

 amount of losses paid in 1948 by Coun- 

 try Fire to Farm Bureau members with a 

 total of $2,704,851.84. Next on the list 

 of 1948 losses was soybeans. These 

 losses amounted to $439,754.69. Some 

 of the other losses in order were: oats, 

 $161,206.23 and wheat, $89,516.30. 



Other growing crops insured by the 

 Country Fire Company include sweet 

 com, peaches, apples, onions and onion 

 sets, rye, barley, tomatoes, canning peas, 

 etc. • ' 



Veteran Feeder Explains Money-Making 

 System of Fat Cattle Production 



( Continued 



best. They sold for $36.75, weighing 

 800 pounds. The other 39 are still on 

 feed and will be marketed soon. 



The calves last year cost $21.50 in 

 the west. I now have 199 at home 

 that cost $29 in the west. 



Does this method of feeding pay.' 



Our Farm Bureau Farm Management 

 records show that pasture feeding has 

 shown a greater return for feed than 

 dry lot feeding. 



These records also show that during 

 the past seven years we have received 

 $140 return for each $100 worth of 

 feed. The average for all feeders 

 keeping records was $123 for each 

 $100 of feed. 



The sheds are kept bedded, but not 

 the yards. The yards are cleaned out 

 regularly. We have two silos, 14x40 

 and 14x50, which were filled with grass 

 silage this year. No preservatives were 

 used. 



We have a large concrete feeding 

 yard put in about 35 years ago. It is 

 still in good condition. Silage and 

 grain are fed in bunks on this floor, 

 while the cattle in dry lot are fed hay 

 in racks in the sheds. 



After they are yarded we feed them 

 all the silage they will clean up, about 

 19 or 20 pounds a day. In addition, 

 they get a half pound of linseed or soy- 

 bean meal, three or four pounds of 

 alfalfa hay, and one-tenth pound of a 

 simple mineral mixture. 



from page 18) 



Then about the last of March we sort 

 the heifers into two lots, lights and 

 heavies, with about equal numbers in 

 each. Then from the lighter lot we 

 sort any that are not choice quality or 

 that would tend to grow out rough, or 

 lose their conformation on pasture. 

 These are put with the heaviest lot. 



The herfers in the heavier lot are 

 then fed smaller amounts of silage and 

 greater amounts of ear corn for a week 

 until they are on a full feed of corn 

 and getting no silage. The protein feed 

 is also increased to about two pounds. 



This heavy lot will be kept in dry lot 

 all the time. This year we sold seven 

 head from this lot on May 17 for 

 $30.40, weighing 825. On June 3 we 

 sold 20 head for $33.25, weighing 810. 

 On June 16 the rest were sold for 

 $34.75, the 67 heifers weighing 730 

 pounds. 



All the grain and silage feeding is 

 done by one man using a small tractor 

 with a box mounted on the draw bar. 

 The box can be put on or taken off in 

 about a minute. 



Xhe tractor has an extension steering 

 wheel, clutch lever, and other controls 

 to enable the driver to stand in the back 

 of the box and drive along the feed 

 bunks. One man can feed 150 to 200 

 head of cattle in 30 to 35 minutes. 



We use crushed ear corn which is 

 ground just enough to partly crack 

 kernels. In feeding, protein supple- 



ment and minerals are mixed with corn 

 as the corn is loaded on the tractor. 



We made a "back scratcher" from an 

 old tractor tire fastened on a good solid 

 frame and platform. It has been used 

 for four years and is nicely polished. 



One man used to spend a full day 

 twice a week hauling straw. Now with 

 the chopped straw inside one man can 

 do the bedding in less than an hour. 



My cattle feeding program has been 

 a gradual development. In looking 

 back through my farm records I find we 

 have fed cattle every year since we 

 started farming 28 years ago. 



We've fed all kinds, from 1600 

 pound market toppers to wet cows. 

 We have fed calves, however, for 15 out 

 of the last 19 years. 



It's the Farmers Who 

 Are Buying Land 



IT'S the farmers, and not city folks, 

 who are buying land, a survey in the 

 Wall Street Journal shows. The article 

 quotes Dr. H. C. Filley, economist at 

 the University of Nebraska, who says: 

 "Farmers are convinced there's at 

 least another year of good demand for 

 agricultural products especially with the 

 European Recovery Program in operation. 

 Even at today's high land costs, farmers 

 can write off the price of land in three or 

 four years of good crops. 



Mastitis is an inflammation of the udder 



which may reduce the milk flow and ul- 

 timately destroy the functional tissue of the 

 udder. 



28 



L A. A. RECORD 



