The Rural Voice, 1983-04, Page 20PROFILE
Roger Brown:
Largest crop insurance
Since 1970. Roger Brown of Stratford
has been making sure farmers in Ellice.
Downie and Blanshard townships have
the opportunity to protect themselves
from adverse weather through crop
insurance.
But all good things must come to an
end. Sometime. at the end of 1983,
Roger Brown will retire at age 70, as is
Commission policy. However, this is
not Roger's first retirement. In his
active career, he has retired from sales
supervisor, farming and the post office.
Brown was appointed in January 1970
as the Crop Insurance agent to service
Ellice, Downie and Blanshard Town-
ships in Pe'th County. He remembers
his first training and information meet-
ing that year. "I was given renewal
forms for only three farmers and was
told that farmers in my area had to have
crop insurance explained to them", he
recalls.
Brown must have told the story well.
In March and April he called on farmers
and they began to see the merits of
protecting the farming costs with crop
insurance. By May 1st, the deadline,
Brown had taken his business from
three endorsements to a whopping
fifty-four.
The next year it went to eighty, in
1972 to 189, in 1974 to 411, 1976 to 639
and in 1978 to 727 endorsements. In
1982, Brown sold 822 endorsements, a
number which has never before been
achieved.
Crop insurance is protection for farm
crops when a weather related disaster
occurs. It is funded by three partici-
pants. The farmer's premium is
matched by the Federal Government
and the administrative costs are paid by
the Province of Ontario.
When bad weather such as hail,
flood, wind. frost, drought, etc.,
strikes, the insured's out-of-pocket ex-
penses are covered. There is a separate
plan for each crop. The first year the
farmer carries crop insurance, he is
guaranteed 70 per cent of his average
farm yield. Each year thereafter, his
coverage moves up a step if a claim is
not made, or stays the same if the
claim is Tess than the premium paid
that year. The coverage moves down a
step if a claim exceeds the premium
paid. The farmer's coverage increases to
80 per cent after five claim free years.
Claim payments are based on the
insureds guaranteed yield and the price
option hp selects in the spring.
After graduating iron) the Ontario
PG. 18 THE RURAL VOICE, APRIL 1983
agency
Roger Brown, right. being congratulated
by Len Davies, Ontario Sales Manager
for Canada -Ontario Crop Insurance.
Brown. who will be retiring at the end
of 1983. is well known in this area and
operated the largest crop insurance
agency in Ontario.
Agricultural College, Brown invested
$150 in sales inventory and $300 in a
used car and sought his fortune in the
Dirty Thirties selling merchandise for
Aluminum Goods Limited in Southern
Ontario. "It was strictly a straight
commission deal and if I didn't sell, I
didn't eat", he recalls.
That was all the incentive Brown
needed to succeed, and succeed he did
until the war broke out and the com-
pany started making bombs.
Meantime, in 1941, he married his
wife Mary. Without aluminum ware to
sell Roger Brown and his wife turned to
agriculture. He took a farm manager
position at a farm near Centralia.
After the war ended, the lure of the
sales field took the Browns to London,
then Toronto and a position as sales
supervisor.
As his eldest child reached school
age, he wanted his family to have the
advantages of growing up in a rural
area. Once again the Browns went back
to farming, this time on a 150 acre farm
near Carlingford in Perth County.
At age 55. Brown retired from farming
and settled into a home in Strafford. He
soon became restless and landed a job
working half days at the Post Office
and continued there for nine years, until
mandatory retirement age. "I enjoyed
the work there, he confirmed, but after
only four hours work a day, I still had
plenty of energy left to take on a
second part-time job; so I didn't hesi-
tate to accept the Crop Insurance
Agency for this area".
In the thirteen years since that ap-
pointment, Brown has continued to use
his exemplary sales talents. Selling 822
Crop Insurance endorsements in 1982 is
an accomplishment that will go un-
equaled for some time to come.
At age 69, what does Brown think
about his impending retirement from
another career? "I'm really not looking
forward to full retirement, but I should
slow down a bit. I promised my wife a
trip to the West next year, and will
continue my CanFarm Agency", he
explained. "I can look back with satis-
faction on a busy and fulfilling life and
will always remember the good rapport,
and many friendships with the many
fine people I have met along the way".
For the time being, it's the Crop
Insurance spring sales season and as
far as Roger Brown is concerned, he's
looking forward to being of service to
his many clients again this year.
William M. Mullin,
Area Manager,
Crop Insurance Commission of Ontario
PUT CROP INSURANCE
IN YOUR TOOL CHEST
In 1983 farmers will need as many
tools as possible in their farm manage-
ment tool chest. Such is the message
being delivered this month by Len
Davies, Sales Manager for Canada -On-
tario Crop Insurance. "One of the most
important and perhaps least thought of
as a management tool is the protection
of a crop insurance contract," he
stated.
The cost for crop insurance premium
is low. The federal government pays
one-half of the total premium, and the
Ontario government pays for the ad-
ministration of the program. For this
premium, the farmer is assured that in
case of a weather related disaster he
can get out-of-pocket costs back.
As a management tool, Davies said
Crop insurance can do even more for a
farmer.
"We now know an insured farmer is
in a better position to bargain with the
lending institutes" said Davies.
"With crop insurance, the farmer
knows his investment won't be lost. He
therefore can safely invest additional
dollars in yield maximizing techniques"
he said.
Another way crop insurance is a
good management tool is that it allows
the farmer to make and carry out long
term plans, he points out.
Crop insurance is offered to farmers
by agents located in every agricultural
community in the province. ❑