Montana Crop Hail Claims Nearly Double The Norm

State officials say damage claims for Montana crops because of hail are nearly double what they’ve been in recent years.
The Billings Gazette reports the state Department of Agriculture’s Walt Anseth says farmers submitted 200 insurance claims from January to May. Claims from June haven’t yet been counted, but officials usually receive only about 100 claims through early July. Federal data shows Montana has had 266 reports of hail at least three-quarters of an inch in size this year. That’s a little more than the 20-year average of 263 reports of hail that size a year.