FARMERS EDGE UNVEILS HAIL DETECTION AND REPORT TOOL

Farmers Edge has unveiled a new severe weather detection, notification, and reporting tool.

Expediting what is typically a time-consuming process, the Hail Detection and Report Tool delivers in-depth reports that contain important information required by insurance professionals so they can assess and take action when severe weather strikes.

This easy-to-use management tool merges field-centric weather data, machine learning, daily satellite imagery, and crop health change detection into a single platform, which Farmers Edge says is a welcome breakthrough for the crop insurance industry. From viewing active hailstorms, following storm paths, and monitoring the times storms touch down on fields where a grower has a policy, insurance professionals can follow an event rather than have to piece together details from various sources. Automatic notifications are generated to alert growers, agents, and adjusters to critical information, including fields affected, location, crop stage, and extent of the damage. A Crop Health Change Map offers an added layer of field-level analytics to support assessment and manage claims.

“The concept of automating claims processing is not new, but the automation of prediction, detection, and reporting powered by field-specific data for insurance is game-changing,” says Wade Barnes, CEO and cofounder of Farmers Edge. “One of the challenges in developing accurate models and reports is not just the amount of data required, but the quality as well."

It’s also where the company saw an opportunity to help and tackle this gap in the industry.

“By layering what we’ve built — the highest quality data sets available — with powerful digital tools, insurance professionals can refine their claim-reporting process and deliver premium services to their customers,” Barnes says. “At the end of the day, it’s about providing growers with the best possible experience through deeper digital connections. This new tool does just that, transforming an outdated process to one that’s more efficient and profitable for growers and insurance professionals alike.”

HOW IT WORKS

Detection. Powered by a severe weather monitoring system and Farmers Edge Advanced Weather Network of on-farm stations, insurance professionals and growers can access real-time, historical, and 10-day weather forecasts to identify and track risks.

Notification. The morning after a hail event occurs, growers and insurance professionals are alerted with an email notification. High-resolution imagery of the field is also automatically analyzed before and after the event to detect and pinpoint potential damage or changes in crop health.

Reporting. The notification links to advanced reporting features in FarmCommand, which detail the hail event rated by severity, time, location, size of affected areas, and the stage of the crop impacted. Crop adjusters can view imagery from before and after the event to assess damage and determine what action is needed.

To learn more about the Hail Detection and Report Tool visit farmersedge.ca.