Vacations are for reducing stress, not adding to it. Unfortunately, things can happen to make any vacation a stressful experience, no matter how beautiful the locale or destination.

Some things you are not able to control, such as the weather or flight delays. Other things, such as missing documents or stolen credit cards, have the potential to interrupt your fun but do not have to end your vacation if you are prepared.

Before you pack your bags and turn on your email out-of-office message, here are six tips to make your vacation one for the books:

1. Make Copies of Your ID and Passport: Make two

photocopies of your license or passport in case either is lost or stolen. Bring one copy and store it separately from your original, and leave another with a friend or relative. The U.S. Government also offers the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, a free service for U.S. citizens and nationals traveling abroad. The program permits enrollment with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, which can assist during an emergency such as a lost or stolen passport.

2. Streamline Your Wallet: Lost wallets are the leading cause of identity theft. Only carry the card(s) you plan to use on your trip, and leave your checkbook and the rest of your cards at home. If you decide to bring more than one credit card, consider stashing the extra, along with account information and customer service

Six Essential Travel TipsArticle provided by Travelers.

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numbers for the cards you have with you, in a hotel safe or other secure location.

3. Check Out Guides: Before you book that zip-lining, parasailing or river rafting trip, check online for any customer reviews. Seeing what others have to say about the company and the excursion can help you choose a safe and well-run adventure.

Ihry Insights

Article provided by Curtis Kaufman, Agency ManagerIhry Insurance

Spring Updates

Reconnecting The Farmer To The Food

Oscars 2020: Joaquin Phoenix’s best-actor acceptance speech• “We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow, and when she gives birth we steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. And then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.”

• We grew up in an era when a significant percentage of the U.S. population was no more than two generations from the farm and kids who grew up in the city or its suburbs spent part of their summer on the farm with grandpa and grandma. Though they were living in urban areas, most people understood normal farming practices.

• Today farmers and their families constitute less than 2 percent of the U.S. population and any connection consumers have to farming and agriculture are tenuous at best. As a result, most people have little understanding of agricultural practices and the nature of food production.

• To move trust to the next level, farm families need to share their stories of how the food they sell is produced. The key is that these producers must directly or indirectly create a chain of trust between themselves and the people who are the ultimate customer.

4. Travel like a Local: When visiting any location, know your surroundings and plan your route in advance. Be aware of how the locals talk and dress, and consider whether certain actions will make you stand out as a tourist.

5. Check the Weather: Into every life—and vacation—a little rain must fall, so take steps to protect yourself from lightning, hail, thunderstorms and severe weather by monitoring the local weather and packing the appropriate gear. Also, keep tabs on the weather at home to make sure your property is protected.

6. Avoid Oversharing Online: Posting photos or checking in on social media sites advertises your absence from home. Real-time updates can be tempting, but wait until you return safely home before sharing your adventures.

Take advantage of your time away to decompress and relax by taking a few steps to help avoid potential problems before you travel.

Spring Updates

Hemp: USDA Announces Details of Risk Management Programs

• A pilot hemp insurance program through Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) provides coverage against loss of yield because of insurable causes of loss for hemp grown for fiber, grain or Cannabidiol (CBD) oil 

• Producers may apply now, and the deadline to sign up for both programs is March 16, 2020.

• The MPCI pilot insurance is a new crop insurance option for hemp producers in select counties of 21 states for the 2020 crop year. The program is available for eligible producers in certain counties in North Dakota & Minnesota

• This pilot insurance coverage is available to hemp growers in addition to revenue protection for hemp offered under the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection plan of insurance.

• Under a regulation authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill and issued in October 2019, all growers must have a license to grow hemp and must comply with applicable state, tribal or federal regulations or operate under a state or university research pilot, as authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

• Contact your Ihry agent for more info.  

Updated Info on WHIP+

• Whip+ is a Disaster program administered by FSA which will use RMA data to qualify you for payments. • Claims must be completed to finalize a WHIP+ payment• You Can & Should sign up for WHIP+ even if you did not have a loss• Payments under WHIP+ are BY CROP & BY UNIT, which means that you can submit a WHIP+ application on wheat now and follow up with other crops when harvest is complete and you have assembled your production records.• You can sign up NOW at your county FSA office and they will hold the application until you can supply all your records• Because FSA will be using RMA records, you must report all production to your crop insurance agent on each crop so that that production can be submitted to RMA and complete the WHIP+ application.• WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, today announced that Congress has approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Agriculture Appropriations bill, including the additional $1.5 billion in disaster assistance he secured to help agriculture producers impacted by severe weather. Hoeven was also able to secure provisions requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to make disaster payments for eligible sugar growers and expanded program eligibility to cover quality losses for qualifying crops.

DISASTER ASSISTANCE • $1.5 billion in disaster assistance, which is being reprogrammed from unspent Fiscal Year 2017 disaster funding. This funding is in addition to the $3 billion in disaster funding approved earlier this year.  • Requiring the secretary to make disaster payments to eligible sugar cooperatives. • Expands loss coverage by authorizing USDA to cover quality losses, in addition to production losses.  • Clarifies eligible disaster events by including losses related to excess moisture and D3 drought. • Contact your Ihry agent with any additional questions you may have • We will continue to update you on WHIP+ as more details become available.

Farm Bill Program Deadlines Approaching

Important Deadlines

• There are six deadlines under the 2018 Farm Bill (see Table 1). By March 15, 2020, decisions concerning ARC and PLC will need to be made, with those choices being in effect for the 2019 and 2020 program years. More detail on these choices is provided below. Also, by March 15th, FSA farms must be enrolled for the 2019 program year.

The 2018 Farm Bill – Decision 2020

Between now and March 15, 2020, producers & landowners will have the opportunity to elect one of two programs – Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Area Revenue Coverage (ARC) – at the FSA office. This updated Talking Points letter is intended to help you make a better educated decision, as the right choice could potentially add some needed dollars to your farming operation. Here are some main points to consider:

1) This election is for the 2019 and 2020 crop years. Subsequent program elections will be single year elections for 2021, 2022, & 2023.

2) There is no need to hurry and make this election. Since these programs utilize the Market Year Average (MYA) price and the final county yields to determine potential payments, let’s get as much information about both before making our choice.

3) This decision is by farm and by crop. You could split your choices if you wanted to, unlike crop insurance, which is by crop and by county.

4) PLC is the default program election. Producers/landowners will still have to enroll in the program each year if they wish to participate. 5) Farms not enrolled in the ARC are eligible to add the Supplemental Coverage Option to their insurance policy. SCO is county coverage starting at 86% down to the producer’s individual coverage level.

Urgent Care vs Emergency Room: Which Should I Choose?Article provided by Anthem.

You’ve been in the situation where you’ve had an accident or illness and need to see a doctor quickly for treatment. But your decision on where you go for care can impact your health as well as costs. Read about the differences between Urgent Care and the Emergency Room.