The Effect of Simulated Hail Damage on Oats

With all of the advances in science and technology, the farmer is still helpless against the powers of nature. A natural disaster, such as a hailstorm, can seriously affect an individual fanner, or a small region. During the course of a growing season, the sum of these hailstorms can result in a substantial loss to the total farm economy. Hail insurance provides a way for farmers to protect themselves from losses due to hail, but the estimation of losses in a hailed field is a difficult job since the entire field is often hit leaving no check area from which to determine actual yield. It is to the benefit of farmers and insurers alike to have accurate and uniform adjusting procedures. The improvement of adjusting procedures has come A long way in small grains, especially in the case of wheat and barley. There are still several questions left unanswered in the case of oats, however. The major objective of this study was to determine the effect of simulated hail damage on oats at various stages of growth. This information may lead to the development of an adjustment table for use solely on oats; at the present time, there is one adjustment table for all small grains. In addition to providing a more factual basis for the adjustment of hail damage on oats, it will also increase our knowledge on the growth and development of the oat plant. Several treatments applied at various stages of growth were examined in an attempt to answer several of the questions raised about the adjustment of oats. The specific objectives were: 1) to determine the amount of blast caused by hail, 2) to determine whether a reduction in kernel weight occurs when the cu1m is broken below the head, and 3) to determine the percent of heads that fall prior to harvest. Answers to these objectives will help insurers make more accurate and uniform adjustments and provide farmers with just compensation for their losses