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| Issue No. 111 |
April 12, 2016
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April is stress awareness month so - Chill Out!
These days, it seems a big stressor on the minds of many is healthcare and insurance. At Texas Ag Coop Trust, we are always looking for ways to reduce cost and improve benefits for our members. We are committed to providing our members with the benefits and coverages they need and generate additional revenues to TACT to offset these cost increases.
Texas Ag Coop Trust aids in providing group benefits to members in the agricultural industry providing quality plans and working to hold down future rate increases for participants. With TACT, you don't rent your insurance plan, you own it.
With TACT there is no need to stress. Regulation, coverage, concern? YOU are our business - we are here to address any and all concerns, we are here to alleviate the stress of healthcare and insurance. What can we do to help?
Now serving ALL of Texas Agriculture -
Contact us for more information
TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family.
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Final rule extends new religious liberty protections to beneficiaries of federally-funded social service programs
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, along with other federal agencies, published a final rule that will provide new religious liberty protections for beneficiaries of federally funded social service programs, while also adding new protections for the ability of religious providers to compete for government funds on the same basis as any other private organization. The regulations - which are being published after public notice and comment - formally implements Executive Order 13559.
"These regulations build on widespread agreement that we can and should do more to protect the religious liberty of beneficiaries and provide greater clarity and transparency about applicable church-state rules," said Melissa Rogers, executive director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. "These reforms will strengthen partnerships that serve people in need, and we commend the agencies for working together to issue these final regulations." For example, these final regulations: - Require HHS to ensure that all decisions about Federal financial assistance are based solely on merit, without regard to an organization's religious affiliation or lack thereof, and free from political interference, or the appearance of such interference.
- Make clear that faith-based organizations are eligible to participate in HHS' social service programs on the same basis as any other private organization.
- Clarify what activities can and cannot be supported with direct Federal financial assistance by replacing use of the term "inherently religious activities" with the term "explicitly religious activities" and providing examples of such activities.
- Prohibit organizations that receive Federal financial assistance from discriminating against beneficiaries, including denying services or benefits, based on religion, a religious belief, a refusal to hold a religious belief, or a refusal to attend or participate in a religious practice.
- Require faith-based organizations that receive direct Federal financial assistance for domestic social service programs to provide written notice of certain protections to beneficiaries or prospective beneficiaries of the program. Specifically, an organization that receives direct Federal financial assistance is required to give notice to beneficiaries that-
- The organization may not discriminate against a beneficiary based on religion, a religious belief, a refusal to hold a religious belief, or a refusal to attend or participate in a religious practice;
- The organization may not require a beneficiary to attend or participate in any explicitly religious activities that are offered by the organization, and any participation by the beneficiaries in those activities must be purely voluntary;
- The organization must separate in time or location any privately funded explicitly religious activities from activities supported by direct Federal financial assistance;
- If a beneficiary or prospective beneficiary objects to the religious character of the organization, the organization will undertake reasonable efforts to identify and refer the beneficiary to an alternative provider to which the beneficiary does not object; and
- A beneficiary or prospective beneficiary may report violations of these protections, including any denials of services or benefits, to the Federal agency or intermediary administering the program.
While these regulations become effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, recipients of Federal financial assistance have until 90 days after publication in the Federal Register to satisfy the new obligations in the final regulations.
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USDA Reports Corn, Cotton, Rice Acres Expected
to Rise in 2016
Courtesy - Southwest Farm Press
 U.S. farmers are expected to plant 93.6 million acres of corn this year, an increase of 6 percent from 2015 if they follow through on what they told USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service for its March 31 Planting Intentions Report. Growers could also plant an estimated 82.2 million acres of soybeans, which would be down only slightly from 2015 when they were expected to plant a record 84.6 million acres. They actually planted 82.6 million acres, according to NASS. The corn numbers caught most analysts, including USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson, by surprise. Johansson had been predicting 90 million acres of corn for 2016 rather than the 93.6 million acres reported by farmers responding to USDA's first crop production report survey of the year. "Corn up by 5.6 million acres is a big number," he said. Even with average yields "that would put us around 14 billion bushels for 2016 or a little bit above that with normal weather. Obviously, a lot can happen going forward but it's hard to say right now what that will mean for expected prices." Near-term, corn futures fell, partly due to the higher acreage forecasts and also because USDA forecast corn stocks of 7.8 billion bushels, as of April 1, which would be the second highest on record. Ample Corn Supplies
Peanut plantings are also forecast to decline across the U.S. with growers seeding 1.48 million acres, down 9 percent from 2015's 1.63 million. Observers had expected peanut acres to remain high due to more favorable provisions for peanuts in the 2014 farm bill.
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Allergies - Will El Nino Make Things Worse?
Time to stock up on extra nasal spray, tissues and start taking your allergy medication. The mild, wet winter and the presence of El Niņo could spell trouble for allergy sufferers, as forecasters are expecting a brutal allergy season in 2016.
Any year that the El Niņo weather phenomenon is active contributes to lots of rainfall. Weather is an important factor in how much pollen is produced by local plants, how it's distributed and the volume of pollen in the air at a given time.
The wet weather helps trees and plants develop very healthy root systems. When the warmer weather arrives and the allergy season starts, their root systems are ready to release massive amounts of pollen. Another issue is the mild winters and early arrival of spring, a phenomenon that's been increasing the past few years. Some scientists believe that more carbon dioxide in the environment may also cause plants to release more pollen this time of year. As many forecasters predicted, our allergy season arrived a few weeks early in mid-February. What to do? - Resume any allergy medications, especially allergy shots
- Monitor the pollen numbers and avoid being outdoors as much as possible
- Add a HEPA filter to your Air Conditioning system
- Use a HEPA filtered vacuum and keep your home as dust and pollen free as possible
- Keep your sheets & pillows covered during the day to avoid pollen landing on the surface and making your nights miserable
- Consider showering before bed to prevent getting pollen on your pillowcase (and making your allergies flare up overnight)
Start prepping now to get a jump on the season!
To read featured health news
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REFER US!
Click above to learn more or
to contact the TACT office.
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Contact Us
Texas Ag Coop Trust
915 Austin Street
Levelland, TX 79336
806-747-7894
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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
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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Texas Ag Coop Trust
is endorsed by:
Texas Grain & Feed
Association
Texas Cotton Ginners Association
 Texas Coop Marketing Exchange
Texas Corn Producers
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No Need to Stress
At Texas Ag Coop Trust, we realize it isn't easy for consumers to know exactly what they are buying when it comes to healthcare coverage. We are always looking for ways to reduce cost and improve benefits for our members. 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 TACT to offset cost increases.
Texas Ag Coop Trust 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. With TACT, you don't rent your insurance plan, you own it.
With TACT there really is no need to stress. Regulation, coverage, concern? Openness is the goal of the measure. Education and information is the goal of TACT.
Meeting Note: Should you find yourself in attendance at Texas Grain & Feed's 118th Annual Meeting in Fort Worth, make sure to stop by booth #54! TACT would love to visit with you. And, be sure to drop off a business card when you take a packet - there will be a drawing for $250 on Friday, April 15!
You have the right to take an active role in containing your health care costs. For more information, or for questions locating an in-network provider, please call Texas Ag Benefit Administrators at 806-747-7894.
What can we do to help you? What questions do you have? We are here to answer your questions.
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.
TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family.
Next Issue: April 26, 2016
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