Editor
Kevin Harris remembers many years ago comments made by farmers about whether crop insurance was needed in their operation.
He smiled and offered the same sense of skepticism at one time.
“I remember my first wheat crop in 1988 and my mom asked if I was going to put any insurance on it,” Kevin said.
His mother had established a successful crop insurance agency, Harris Crop Insurance, 1207 Kansas Highway 15, but because it was her son did not want to pressure him.
“I told her I don’t think so, but I’ll think about it,” Kevin said.
His mother offered to pay back the premium if he was not satisfied. Kevin decided to go ahead to add the coverage.
“I planted that first wheat crop that fall and we got hit by the 1989 drought,” Kevin said. “Without the insurance right off the bat, it might have been the end of my farming career.”
The proceeds from the coverage gave him an opportunity to keep going. He was glad he took his mom’s advice. That makes it easy for him to embrace the concept and tell others in practical terms what it can mean. Having his livelihood tied to production agriculture helps him to understand the input costs today’s farmer faces. It allows him and wife, Rosemary, who now co-own the agency, to give farmers a realistic view of what coverage gives them the best flexibility.
Kevin said that is essential because of the roller-coaster ride in commodity prices over the past five years. Now, more than ever, he said, crop insurance coverage provides a producer with flexibility as part of his overall picture.
Harris Crop Insurance was established in 1981. His dad was a crop adjuster when all crop insurance was provided by the federal government. As the program transitioned into the private sector, his dad encouraged his wife, Lorene, to start an agency. The more she thought about it, with her husband’s encouragement, she formed an agency and typed out a letter introducing herself and sent it in 1981.
Today there are still customers from the first year of operation, Kevin said.
The challenges of running a crop insurance business was tough, much like production agriculture. The first year first year was tough as in 1981-82 was a major wheat freeze that struck Kansas.
His mother believed in customer service, which is a trait handed down to her son and daughter-in-law. The agency grew and that helped the family farm to survive, Kevin said.
“She basically was able to keep the family farm intact,” Kevin said. “I think that helped them get through the period of the late 1970s and early 1980s.”
Rosemary Harris said the crop insurance business in those early years was the sole source of income. Kevin said the diversity paid off and by the late 1990s the family could transition to the future.
Kevin and Rosemary took over the family farm operation in 1997 and on Jan. 1, 1999, they took over ownership of the Harris Crop Insurance by purchasing the agency from Lorene.
The decision to change vocations was not easy. Kevin and Rosemary were both highly regarded teachers in Chapman and Junction City, respectively. Kevin taught vocational agriculture classes and was an FFA adviser at Chapman High School for many years.
“I enjoyed my job and still cherish many fond memories,” Kevin said, but his father was beginning to face significant health issues and by summer 1997 the family began the steps of transitioning the daily farm duties over to Kevin. It made sense for Kevin, now 48, to do that because he had helped at the family farm most of his life. Harris said even when he taught vocational agriculture for several years at Mankato before beginning his teaching duties at Chapman, he took time to travel home to help with wheat harvest.
About a year later is when Lorene also had discussions about retiring. By then Kevin had decided to quit his full-time teaching job and concentrate on farming.
“The toughest decision I every had to make was to leave teaching,” Kevin said. “I know Rose felt the same way. We both had been in education for a long time and enjoyed it.”
The calling of production agriculture also was important to Kevin.
“My boyhood dream was to farm and the opportunity to do so presented itself,” Kevin said.
Soon, Kevin and Rosemary’s entrepreneurial skills were called upon for a related field. Changes were beginning to occur in the crop insurance industry and Lorene asked her son and daughter-in-law to consider purchasing the agency.
Kevin first started working with his mother’s customers in 1998, which helped with the groundwork for a seamless transition. Kevin and Rosemary’s education background proved to be an asset.
“We’re still educating people,” Kevin said. “We feel that helps our effectiveness in explaining what is not always an easy topic to understand.”
The Harrises said they enjoy working together. Rose handles the business management of the office, which entails payroll, accounting and advertising. Kevin’s role is to give presentations and meets one-on-one with many of the customers and potential clients. He handles most of the livestock protection coverage polices and mapping.
The versatility of the couple helps because they are able to answer many of the questions, which in the crop insurance industry often leads to the proverbial mountain of paperwork, the couple said.
Customer service remains at the core of what the Harrises do. Crop insurance comes to farmers at the same basic cost, which makes customer service essential if an agency wants to grow its base.
Kevin said the Harrises are able to give their customers a sense of comfort.
“We think of a farmer’s needs first because I am, too,” Harris said. “I think in their terms instead of that of the agent.”
Kevin said he and his wife stress to customers what options they have and try to provide information to customers that they can use to make a good decision for their operation. A straight forward approach is best, he said. The Harrises also continue a strategy forged by Lorene, which was to treat all customers equally, regardless of whether they are large or small producers. They also are proactive in making sure policies are place before the deadline date.
Rosemary said it is important to educate people so they understand what they have. “Sometimes it is showing them what they don’t have is just as essential. The educational aspect is what I enjoy. The guys (farmers) are very busy people.”
Rosemary said the couple provides flexible hours to customers, which is one reason they enjoy having their business in a rural area. Customers know they can contact them at any time because they do not treat them like an “8 a.m. to 5 p.m.” urban business. Their customers also understand why they want to be active in the lives of their children.
Kevin said the crop insurance industry is one of its most challenging times. Because of his experience in production agriculture, he understands the frustration. In farming, a producer has no say-so over monetary policies that impact the capability to sell grain and meat products overseas, he said.
As of now there is significant pressure from the Obama administration to cut monies that are made to help farmers who want to continue to use crop insurance as a risk strategy. The reasoning was that because of high commodity prices several years ago, the companies that provided coverage also had profitable years.
Harris hopes that Congress will write a measure that recognizes that using high commodity prices as a benchmark is unrealistic in farm country.
Despite all of the variables, the couple is glad they are involved in the industry. They have farm clients in 21 counties, all in Kansas. Kevin said it is humbling to work with farm customers because they appreciate honesty and loyalty in good and bad times.
He said he is proud of two recent compliments he shared with Rosemary. “We know you understand my needs” and another, “you take care of us.”
Kevin said comments like those are a reminder that working in partnership with producers is a trust that he and Rosemary appreciate.
Kevin said as he learned from his experience with his mother on that first wheat crop, that being honest with producers is the best recipe for success.
“Crop insurance will never replace a great harvest year,” Kevin said. “But what crop insurance can do is keep you in the ball game for a second year. If you lose a crop, it’s not just for one year but three to four years just to get back to Square One.”
Kevin was glad he took his mom’s advice the first year. It’s a message he and Rosemary do not mind sharing with producers in explaining that having crop insurance coverage can make all the difference in being able to pencil out future opportunities.