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Dear Friends,

We hope you are enjoying the fall so far. We have been working very closely with Paul Horel to facilitate a smooth transition of the Crop Insurance Research Bureau's administrative affairs to Washington, DC, and wanted to take a moment to update you on some of the changes that have occurred in recent months.

As you likely know, last year's Farm Bill debate in Congress underscored the need for CIRB to be engaged in Washington, DC on a nearly daily basis, in order to continually educate Members of Congress on issues of importance to the crop insurance industry. Additionally, both the House and Senate are continuing to review the federal crop insurance program, and the upcoming round of negotiations on the Standard Reinsurance Agreement will require frequent efforts and interaction at the federal level. Therefore, it is only appropriate that we work to further develop our presence in Washington.

With this in mind, I have created the Michael Torrey Management Group (MTMG) to manage CIRB's administrative operations. As Executive Vice President of CIRB, I will have the opportunity to work with the Board of Directors and with all members to continually meet the organization's needs, oversee CIRB's annual budget and finances, and handle planning for CIRB annual meetings. I will also continue to serve in my current capacity as Federal Affairs Representative.

In addition, as part of this new arrangement, Jessica Hixson (jhixson@cropinsurance.org) is working alongside me as CIRB's Director of Operations, with responsibility for coordinating many of the daily functions of the organization. Also, Paul Bleiberg (pbleiberg@cropinsurance.org) is serving as Legislative Affairs Coordinator, with a focus on monitoring congressional action with respect to the federal crop insurance program. Lastly, Kurt Henke (wkh@henke-bufkin.com) will continue to serve as CIRB's Legal Counsel, guiding the organization through a range of anticipated regulatory changes as well as the upcoming SRA negotiations.

As of October 1, 2009, MTMG has officially assumed responsibility for managing CIRB. Our new Washington, DC office is fully operational and is receiving all CIRB correspondence and phone calls. Please don't hesitate to contact me via e-mail at mtorrey@cropinsurance.org or via phone at (202) 544-0067. In addition, you can continue to reach Paul Horel by e-mail at phorel@cropinsurance.org and by phone at (913) 522-1755.

We are excited for this new opportunity with the Crop Insurance Research Bureau, and we look forward to working with you in the coming years.

Sincerely,

Michael K. Torrey
Executive Vice President and Federal Affairs Representative
Crop Insurance Research Bureau

CIRB TESTIFIES BEFORE HOUSE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE HEARING
On Thursday, July 22, 2010, Steve Rutledge of Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa represented CIRB at a House Agriculture Risk Management Subcommittee hearing on the state of the crop insurance industry. At the start, Full Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) pointed out that a hearing would have been more practical during the Standard Reinsurance Agreement negotiation as opposed to afterwards; Subcommittee Chairman Leonard Boswell (D-IA) replied that Congress can still have its say "before all is said and done." read more...

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