Gaining Perspective. Growing Strategically: How AgriSompo is Evolving
By Marji Guyler-Alaniz, Chief Operations Officer
Over my career I am proud to say I have spent a significant amount of time at farms and ranches all around the country – seeing the crops and operation firsthand, listening to the farmer and truly learning the ins and outs of their business. That has hands down been the most interesting, engaging and exciting part of my professional journey.
In my role today as COO at AgriSompo, I spend much of my time meeting with teams, strategizing, planning and organizing how we will collectively achieve our goals. An important piece of the puzzle that often gets overlooked in the business of the day-to-day is stepping out of the office and into the field a little more.
So, as I travel to our regions for meetings with the AgriSompo team, I am also taking the very important time to go on a few field visits while I am there. Just a few weeks ago I met up with Jake Chamness, SVP of the Southeast Region, Chad Givens, Assistant Regional Claims Manager and Matt Calhoun, an Adjuster Specialist who is an essential part of our AgriSompo drone team.
Being out in the field, watching Matt use the technology to more accurately adjust the field, seeing the damage on some nursery trees and discussing the complexity of it all was a great experience and a healthy reminder for me of why we do what we do. It was also an important perspective – not everything is as cut and dry as it might seem when you are sitting in an office, far away from the realities of working a wind claim in a mature corn field or adjusting losses for a grower that has been dealing with damage from cicadas over the last few years.
I care deeply about our farmers and ranchers and believe strongly in crop insurance as a safety net to ensure that they can keep farming or ranching year in and year out. At AgriSompo, we’re not just supporting agriculture. We’re delivering stability to the farms and ranches that feed back into and support rural communities where so many of us live and work. We do important work, and I am proud to be part of an organization that is passionate about evolving in how we service the business for all our partners and customers.
Over the past year, we’ve streamlined key processes to simplify the complex and increase speed across departments. Acreage reporting enhancements, continued AgriNet system improvements and a faster flow of information between teams are all part of that ongoing effort to evolve.
Our Agent Update newsletter, now sent every two weeks, contains the latest news affecting our partners and customers. I encourage you to take the time to read it and reach out with any questions or feedback you may have – we want to have those conversations with you. That’s just one example of how we’re focusing on improving communication.
Out in the field, our business development team is currently delivering in-depth crop insurance training for crop year 2026. When they return from their fall update sessions, they will bring that same focus back to their daily roles, supported by new internal training systems to sharpen their skills even further.
Behind the scenes, we are modernizing claims systems and IT tools, so data moves more smoothly from start to finish. I’m particularly proud of the team who delivered an updated Schedule of Insurance workflow which will get these important documents into customers’ hands more quickly. Our goal is simple: to make it easier to process policies and resolve claims.
Our company’s departmental teams are also learning and evolving. Internal education for AgriSompo staff members, along with growing knowledge databases and new standard operating procedures, are providing our staff with the information they need to support our agent partners.
Our regionally-based company structure is essential to the success of all of this. By placing underwriters, field adjusting staff and decision-makers right in your communities, we are tapping into localized expertise. We believe proximity builds trust, and local insight consistently leads to better outcomes.
All these changes have one purpose: to make it easier for our agent partners to serve farmers and ranchers with ease and confidence in AgriSompo as a partner. As we approach our fifth year of AgriSompo, we have clear path of where we are going. That, mixed with the very necessary grounding of putting my feet in a field every so often looks like a recipe for success!
We’d love to hear what’s working for you — and where we can keep improving. Reach out to your regional contact or drop us a note. Let’s keep the conversation going.
FSA-578s Now Available Online
Producers with an account at farmers.gov may now download their FSA-578 documentation from the site. Files for the current year and for past years are available. Authorized representatives may download FSA-578s belonging to their customers.
A farmers.gov account also grants farmers and ranchers easy access to other information, such as detailed farm records and farm/tract maps for the current year, which are particularly useful when fulfilling acreage reporting requirements; farm loan payment history; assistance from NRCS conservation programs; and more.
Producers may sign up for an account at farmers.gov/account, and should contact their local FSA office with any questions.
ACRE Meets with U.S. House Representatives to Advocate for Crop Insurance
AgriSompo’s political action committee (PAC), the American Coalition for Rural Engagement or ACRE, recently met with two members of the United States House of Representatives to deliver PAC contributions and to continue our fight in support of crop insurance and American agriculture. It is ACRE’s mission to protect farmers and ranchers by advocating for the crop insurance program; meeting directly with our nation’s legislators is one of the most effective paths to achieving that goal.
On August 8, Brad Leighton, AgriSompo’s CEO, and Carolyn Payne, AgriSompo’s General Counsel and the Chair of ACRE’s board of directors, attended a meeting with Representative Sharice Davids.
Representative Davids represents Kansas’s 3rd congressional district. She is a member of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, and the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management and Credit.
Leighton and Payne spoke with Representative Davids about the importance of crop insurance and presented her with a PAC contribution made possible by the members of ACRE. Contributions like this help policymakers who support crop insurance continue the fight to protect the program and to promote its growth, flexibility and reach.
From left to right: Carolyn Payne, Representative Sharice Davids and Brad Leighton.
ACRE members also participated in an event with Representative Austin Scott in Moultrie, Georgia. Representative Scott, who represents Georgia’s 8th district, is the Vice Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture and the Chair of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management and Credit. He was also a member of the conference committees for the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills.
Representative Scott met with Plenn Hunnicut, an AgriSompo agent, member of ACRE and the sponsor of the Moultrie event; Jake Chamness, the Senior Regional Vice President of AgriSompo’s Southeast Region; and Jerry Story, a Regional Claims Manager in the Southeast. They presented Representative Scott with a PAC contribution and provided a packet of educational information to the congressman meant to emphasis the importance of protecting the program.
From left to right: Clay Pirkle of the Georgia House of Representatives, Plenn Hunnicut, Jerry Story, Jake Chamness and Representative Austin Scott.
Want to help us make a difference? Join ACRE today!
We created ACRE to ensure that agents and producers have a voice in Washington. We work to educate officials and the public about crop insurance and to promote policy that supports the growth, flexibility and reach of the crop insurance program.
Click here to learn more about ACRE and to join. With your support, we will continue to advocate for crop insurance with key legislators, like Representative Davids and Representative Scott, who are guiding the future of American agricultural policy.
ACRE members in conversation with Representative Austin Scott.
Software Spotlight: Quick Quote
The Quick Quote is the fastest and simplest quoting option within AgriNet. It allows agents to rapidly generate accurate quotes which are tailored to the basic details of a producer’s operation.
Click here to view a video guide to using the Quick Quote. Click here for step-by-step directions.
For an even more customizable quote which takes the producer’s full 10-year history into account, check out the Max Estimate.
Software Training Webinars
Are you getting the most out of the AgriNet system? Beginning next week, our team of AgriNet experts will host live online events to answer your questions and guide you through the intricacies of the AgriNet suite.
Click here to register for our Quoting webinar on September 17.
Click here to register for our Keying Acreage Lines and Creating an APH webinar on October 15.
Click here to register for our Keying Production webinar on October 22.
Click here to register for our PRF Quoting and Keying webinar on November 5.
Looking for other agent trainings? Click here!
Regulation Roundup
This month, the Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced revisions to the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection policy and Micro Farm program. Changes were made to subsidy and coverage level amounts to conform with changes required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The RMA released changes to the Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) crop provisions, the Rainfall Index basic provisions, and the Rainfall Index handbook.
It also made changes to the Florida Citrus Fruit policy for the 2027 crop year.
Harvest prices were approved for Common Crop Insurance Policy and Area Risk Protection Insurance coverage with a discovery period of August 1 through August 31, 2025.
Final grid indices and payment calculation factors were released for the following:
- 2025 Crop Year Rainfall Index May – June Index Interval for Annual Forage (Growing Seasons 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9), Apiculture and Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage.
- 2025 Crop Year Rainfall Index December – June Catastrophic (CAT) Index Interval for Annual Forage.
Finally, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation expanded the number of counties where grapes and blueberries are insurable for the 2026 crop year.
To stay up to date with the latest information, be sure to bookmark the RMA’s “What’s New” page and check it out regularly.
Review the Latest Policy Changes
Several provisions and handbooks have been updated this month, including the below:
APH Florida Citrus Fruit (27-FCF)
Whole Farm Revenue Protection Pilot Policy (26-0076)
Rainfall Index Plan Common Policy, Basic Provisions (26-RI)
Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Crop Provisions (26-RI-PRF)
APH Florida Citrus Fruit Crop Insurance Standards Handbook (FCIC-20650U)
APH Florida Citrus Fruit Loss Adjustment Standards Handbook (FCIC-20650L)
Rainfall Index Insurance Standards Handbook (FCIC-18150)
General Standards Handbook (FCIC-18190-1)
Crop Insurance Handbook (FCIC-18010-1)
Document and Supplemental Standards Handbook (FCIC-24040-1)
Click here to view the full list of provisions and handbooks which have been updated for the 2026 crop year. Please contact your AgriSompo representatives with any questions or for more information.
General News and Reminders
Help Us Collect Policyholder Email Addresses
One of AgriSompo’s goals is to improve efficiencies and lower our carbon footprint with regard to physical mailings. We are working toward sending these documents digitally, decreasing the time for insureds to receive policy documentation.
To help us achieve this goal, please ensure your customers have a valid email address on file using the Insured Address List report in AgriNet.
This report can be found under the Reports tab. Open the Underwriting menu and select Insured Address List. The report may be exported into an Excel or PDF document. AgriSompo thanks you for your cooperation and assistance.
Important Reminder
Policyholders for Reinsurance Year 2026 will soon start to receive a notice (as required by policy) regarding changes to basic provisions, crop policies, endorsements and special provisions of insurance.
You can access past and current Insured Notifications within the Saba system. In the Crop Insurance Wiki section, click Insured Notifications. The notifications are organized by the sales closing date (when applicable) or the mailing date. We hope this will assist with any questions your customers may have after receiving a notification letter.
Insureds that are eligible for precision agriculture (PA) will also soon start receiving information about where to obtain the PA Enrollment Guidelines as required by the RMA. PA only applies to category B crops.
Please contact your AgriSompo representative if you have any questions.
Notice of Policy Document Issuance
Following sales closing dates, insureds will receive policy issuance letters along with a coverage confirmation. These documents can be viewed within AgriNet in the policy's Imaging screen.
Please contact your AgriSompo representative with any questions.
We want to hear from you!
If you have any feedback or suggestions regarding the Agent Update newsletter, please click here to complete a short survey.