1980s: Painful Adjustment

The 1980s: A Period of Financial Problems and Restructuring

In the early eighties the property and casualty insurance industry was going through painful changes.Years of cash flow underwriting and under-reserving of claim reserves were catching up with the industry. Florida Farm Bureau Casualty Company was no exception. In 1983 with the help of outside actuaries the company determined it needed some help to raise outside capital.

FFBF sold its life company to Southern Farm Bureau Life and applied the proceeds to the Florida Casualty Company. Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Company purchased Florida Farm Bureau Casualty Company and sold preferred stock to other state Farm Bureau insurance operations to refinance the company.

Time to Rebuild

By July 1985, Farm Bureau's Casualty and Mutual companies' financial positions were stabilized and profitable. The surplus had been boosted and the loss ratio reduced. The organization was ready for active growth.

Problems associated with the insurance companies' financial problems caused membership to decline drastically from 95,733 in 1982 to 62,129 in 1985. Carl B. Loop Jr. , who became president following the resignation of Walter Kautz in 1983, and the board of directors recognized the need to maintain the Federation's services to members as they sought to rebuild membership.

Since 1985 membership has grown each year. By 1999, it had exceeded 130,000.

Adapting to change

In the mid-1980s, the state of Florida mandated growth management and required counties and municipalities to develop their own growth management plans following state guidelines. While recognizing the need to manage the state's growth, Farm Bureau members also realized that without input from agriculture, the plans had the potential to cause land values to decrease. County Farm Bureaus mobilized to assure that farmers' concerns were articulated. FFBF appointed a full-time staff member to assist in coordinating this effort by the counties.

A voice in Tallahassee

FFBF maintained a legislative office in Tallahassee through the '80s. In addition to supporting a full-time lobbyist, Farm Bureau members travelled to the capital each year to host lawmakers at legislative receptions, then visit their individual lawmakers.

Commodity activities

During the 1980s it was recognized that Florida's agricultural diversity required some special awareness on the part of congressmen and their aides. The Commodity Activities Division was given the added responsibility of maintaining close contact with Florida's legislative offices in Washington D.C.

Farm Bureau's commodity advisory committees continue to play a vital role in recommending policy and monitoring conditions in individual commodity areas. The creation of an aquaculture committee in the late '80s demonstrated the ability of the system to change to accommodate new developments in agriculture.