Issue No. 87

May 12,  2015

 


 


At Texas Ag Coop Trust, we are always looking for ways to reduce cost and improve benefits for our members. In today's uncertain financial environment, combined with the ever increasing cost of health care and health insurance, it is more crucial than ever that we are committed to providing our members with the benefits and coverages they need and generate additional revenues to offset cost increases.


TACT aids in providing group benefits to members in the agricultural industry. TACT provides quality life and health benefit plans and works to hold down future rate increases for participants.

 

We look forward to continuing our provision of great service, outstanding benefits and SAVINGS to you! 

You are a partner in decision making and you are partnered with a thriving coverage provider. Keeping YOU the priority. Keeping YOUR NEEDS in perspective. With TACT, YOU are our business. 

 


 

Now serving ALL of Texas Agriculture -

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TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family. 

  

 Healthcare in the News

 

  

HHS issues final recommendation for community water fluoridation

adjusted level seeks to maintain dental health benefits of fluoride



 


Courtesy hhs.gov

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the final Public Health Service (PHS) recommendation for the optimal fluoride level in drinking water to prevent tooth decay. The new recommendation is for a single level of 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water. It updates and replaces the previous recommended range (0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter) issued in 1962.


The change was recommended because Americans now have access to more sources of fluoride, such as toothpaste and mouth rinses, than they did when water fluoridation was first introduced in the United States. As a result, there has been an increase in fluorosis, which, in most cases, manifests as barely visible lacy white marking or spots on the tooth enamel. The new recommended level will maintain the protective decay prevention benefits of water fluoridation and reduce the occurrence of dental fluorosis.


"While additional sources of fluoride are more widely used than they were in 1962, the need for community water fluoridation still continues," said U.S. Deputy Surgeon General Rear Admiral Boris D. Lushniak, M.D., M.P.H. "Community water fluoridation continues to reduce tooth decay in children and adults beyond that provided by using only toothpaste and other fluoride-containing products."


For the past 70 years, communities across the Uni ted States have found that fluoride in their public water systems significantly improved their residents' oral health. Fluoride occurs naturally in most water systems, but often at levels too low to prevent tooth decay. The practice of adding fluoride to a community's water system to reach the optimal level for preventing tooth decay has grown steadily over the years. Nearly 75 percent of Americans who are served by public water systems receive fluoridated water.


Community water fluoridation has led to such dramatic declines in both the prevalence and severity of tooth decay that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named it one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.


"Community water fluoridation is effective, inexpensive and does not depend on access or availability of professional services. It has been the basis for the primary prevention of tooth decay for nearly 70 years," said Dr. Lushniak.


The U.S. Public Health Service Recommendation for Fluoride Concentration in Drinking Water for the Prevention of Dental Caries was published today in Public Health Reports: http://www.publichealthreports.org/fluorideguidelines.cfm 


For more information about community water fluoridation, as well as information for health care providers and individuals on how to prevent tooth decay and reduce the chance of developing dental fluorosis: http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation.
 


 


 


 

Agriculture News
   
Agricultural drones can help grow more food, save water and reduce pesticides

Farmers and ranchers are eager to use airborne drones to improve their businesses, but they need flexibility to use these tools to their full potential, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) said.


AFBF testified recently before the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on its rule concerning the "Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems," according to FBNews.


Farmers and ranchers have increased their yields while reducing their environmental footprint, thanks to advances in precision agriculture.


"Drones are the next evolution in American agriculture," said Dale Moore, AFBF executive director of public policy. "Used properly, they let us grow more food on available land using less water and fewer pesticides. High-tech cameras and other airborne sensors give us important tools with which to reduce erosion and keep agricultural runoff to the absolute minimum. This is important not just for farmers but for anyone else who cares deeply about the environment. These tools won't do anyone any good if they're grounded by restrictions that make them too cumbersome to use."


Farmers and ranchers need to be able to manage these tools safely and should be assured their farm data is secure and cannot be used unfairly against them.

"Farmers and ranchers are ready to unlock the potential of new technologies in agriculture, and we're hopeful that the FAA's final rule gives them a key to do that safely and quickly," Moore said.

 

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 Healthful Hint

  

May - Melanoma 
Awareness Month
Surprising Statistic - 

More Kids Getting Melanoma

 

With summer just around the corner, it is time to begin thinking smart when it comes to the sun!


Melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, doesn't usually occur in kids, but a new study shows that it's happening more often.


While melanoma in children is still extremely rare, the rate increased by about 2 percent per year from 1973 to 2009 among U.S children from newborns to age 19. Melanoma accounts for up to 3 percent of all pediatric cancers, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.


According to the study, 1,317 children were diagnosed with melanoma during the study time frame. Of these, 1,230 children were white. Because the number of melanoma cases among other racial and ethnic groups was so small, researchers focused the analysis on white children.


The biggest jump in melanoma rates was seen among adolescents aged 15 to 19, especially girls, the study showed. The new findings were published in the May print issue of Pediatrics.


Recent studies have also shown that melanoma is on the rise among adults as well. Exactly what is driving these trends is not fully understood, but increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation from both the sun and tanning booths as well as greater awareness of melanoma may be responsible, according to study authors led by Jeannette Wong of the U.S. National Cancer Institute.


The researchers used a database to capture trends in childhood melanoma, but they did not have any information on participants' tanning habits or sun exposure history.


Boys were more likely to develop melanomas on their face and trunks, while girls were more likely to have melanoma on their lower legs and hips, the investigators found. Other risks for melanoma among children and adults include fair skin, light-colored hair and eyes, moles, family history of melanoma and a history of sunburns.


Dr. Amy Forman Taub, a dermatologist in Lincolnshire, Ill., said that tanning behaviors have a lot to do with the increasing rates of melanoma in children and adults. "It's the tanning booths and the fact that we go away on vacation where we are exposed to a lot of intense sun," she said.


Genes may also play a role, suggested Taub, who was not involved in the new study.


It is rare, but children do get melanoma. When in doubt, get it checked out.


  

Note of Interest: In Texas, the 2013 Senate voted to raise the minimum age for using a tanning facility to 18 from the minimum age of 16½ with parental permission.


 


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Texas Ag Coop Trust
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Texas Ag Coop Trust
Officers, Board of Trustees
 
Kimberly Tullo-Holcomb
TACT Executive Director
Lubbock, TX
 
Jim Turner, Chairman
Dalhart Consumers Fuel Association
Dalhart, TX

Bret Brown, Secretary/Treasurer
Ag Producers Co-op
Sunray, TX 
 
Ben Boerner
Texas Grain & Feed Assn.
Fort Worth, TX
 
Craig Rohrbach
Parmer County Cotton Growers
Farwell, TX
 
Dean Sasser 
Farmers Coop Elevator
Levelland, TX

Tony Williams
Texas Cotton Ginners' Association
Austin, TX
 
Paul Wilson 
United Cotton Growers
Levelland, TX


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In re cognizing National Nurses Week, May 6-12, we celebrate TACT's nurse, Kathy Payne! Kathy is  YOUR key to maintained wellness through TACT! TACT employs Hines Healthy Tomorrows Team as a benefit to YOU! Kathy Payne is TACT's nurse - she takes care of all of our health and wellness screenings.


The theme for this year's National Nurses Week is "Ethical Practice. Quality Care." Nurses lead the way, every day, imparting quality care through ethical practice. It is a nurse who shows an elderly patient how to manage his or her diabetes. It is a nurse that makes sure their patients - children and adults - get the vaccinations they need. They lead the way in quality care, helping young moms learn how to care for their infants. And they lead the way in quality care, conducting research to promote high-quality life for those with chronic illnesses, and to help all of us stay healthy across the lifespan.

Calvert Home Health, also employed by TACT, does wellness screenings for TACT participants. Once results come back, they are entered into a database with Hines, who then has Kathy follow up with health management programs. YOU qualify to have Hines assist in working with doctor's, treatments and plans to help in streamlining care. It is as if you have your own personal nurse - Kathy! And, this benefit is a part of your healthcare plan at NO COST to you!

Get Personal! Improve your health! Call Kathy! Kathy Payne is YOUR key to maintained wellness through TACT! Improve your health by participating! Call 800-592-8097 and ask to see Kathy! Visit www.hinesassoc.com or visit TACT at www.txagcoop.com.


 

You are a partner in decision making and you are partnered with a thriving coverage provider. 
Keeping YOU the priority. Keeping YOUR NEEDS in perspective. 
With TACT, YOU are our business.


 TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
  you know and trust...like Family. 
 

 

Next Issue:  May 26, 2015 
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