The Climate Corporation has upgraded its weather insurance program for corn and soybean growers to offer more precise coverage of adverse weather conditions. Now growers can select a precise location for their Total Weather Insurance (TWI) coverage based on a 2½- x 2½-mile grid instead by county. The precise location allows more accurate measurement of weather damage and the resulting crop damage. And the weather measurements are taken on a daily basis.

The Climate Corporation, formerly WeatherBill, offered its first full-season insurance policy for agriculture in 2010. The TWI programs provide protection for crop yield losses due to bad weather before federal crop insurance kicks in. This insurance obviously fills a void; the company says it has seen an explosion in growth.

The insurance covers all types of weather troubles—from flooding and cold spring temperatures to dry periods, heat stress and early frost. Growers can select the type of coverage needed by location. Then as the growing season begins, The Climate Corporation tracks all weather conditions.

When the adverse weather occurs, the company will automatically generate payments to insured growers without needing field inspections. Payments are generated throughout the season, also.

During this past summer, The Climate Corporation reported it paid clients for many different weather events. For example, the early-season rain component of TWI triggered payouts in 52% of the counties where coverage was purchased. And 48% of all the policy holders were given payouts for drought and heat damage. Some growers received checks for adverse weather in three different months.

The Climate Corporation relies on a sophisticated technology platform that uses weather measurements from 2.5 million locations. It forecasts daily from major climate models and processes the data along with 150 billion soil observations. Each day, all this data amounts to five times the information contained in the printed collection of the U.S. Library of Congress.

Growers may sign up for the full-season 2012 corn and soybean coverage by March 15, 2012. Growers interested in the TWI program or looking to find an authorized agent may visit www.climate.com.