Picture any town in America on a warm Saturday afternoon. Whether you imagine a rural area or a cityscape, one thing is for certain: Kids are at play.

Welcome once again to the merry month of May; a time of blooming flowers, greening countryside and dreams of summertime! And as I write this, my dreams include once again experiencing a mouth devoid of metal bars, wires and cables.

A relentless drought, tenacious wildfires, extreme weatherover the past year, all of these have plagued the U.S. agricultural business, leading to lingering uncertainty for farmers and the agents and brokers that serve them.

Sam Goldwyn, one of the founders of Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer (MGM), was reported to have once said, Your oral contract aint worth the paper its printed on. Its a lesson that should be hung on the wall of every insurance agent and broker. Although binders evidencing an insurance policy can be oral,...