FMH agent Chad McCollester of Mid-Continent Insurance Consultants in Silver City, Iowa, has used Precision Solutions since FMH began offering the functionality in 2015, citing the importance of offering new services to current and potential customers. “It was clear that the future of farming is directly tied to precision agriculture,” he said. “Young farm families are interested in using precision data to make good decisions for their operations.” 

In many cases, using Precision Solutions enables insureds to maximize the use of equipment and processes they’re already implementing. “If farmers own this equipment, they want to use it,” said McCollester. “Our customers can send their data quickly, and that speeds up workflow.” He added, “the data is correct, and they are positioned well if there is a claim that needs to be worked throughout the year.” 

Precision Solutions has proved valuable not just for his customers, but for the growth of McCollester’s agency. 

“It sends a message to our current and potential customers that our agency is willing to learn and grow along with them.”

His customers describe how using Precision Solutions for reporting saves them time during all stages of planting and harvesting. “Precision reporting allows our insureds to report acres and production quickly and accurately,” he said. “The farmer can send me the planting and production data with a few clicks.” With production and harvest reporting, McCollester noted, “the ability to use calibrated yield monitor information to avoid a three-year audit on a major loss year is extremely valuable.”  

As an early adopter of Precision Solutions, McCollester has been impressed with FMH’s commitment to the technology throughout the process. “I am encouraged by the emphasis FMH has placed on precision agriculture within their company,” he said. He also praised FMH’s upgraded systems. “The new FMHA mapping is more user-friendly than the old system,” he said. “It’s more intuitive, so the chances of me figuring out how to get ‘un-stuck’ are much better than with the old system.” 

If he does get stuck, his FMH Precision Technology Specialist, Branden Plummer, is only a phone call away. “Branden has a great deal of knowledge of the system and has become an invaluable resource for any issue that I need help with,” said McCollester. He mentioned one instance where an insured’s original shared data was not usable. Plummer discovered a solution to get the data needed for McCollester to complete a report for the insured. 

“It’s outside-the-box thinking like this that impresses me – I appreciate that,” he said . As he grows both his agency and his own skill set with Precision Solutions, McCollester looks forward to continuing to utilize the tool to meet his customers’ needs. “FMH has made great strides in assisting me in all aspects of precision reporting,” he said. “I look forward to what is to come.”