Ruth Fulford is the recipient of the 2022 Crop Insurance Industry Outstanding Service Award, which was presented during the 2022 Crop Insurance Industry Annual Convention this week in Indian Wells, California. The Outstanding Service award recognizes an individual who provides outstanding service to all farmers, including outreach to small, limited resource, and socially disadvantaged farmers.

Fulford has been in the crop insurance industry for many years. She worked for the Patricia Leggett Agency in North Carolina where she learned the importance of assisting farmers with risk management decisions. When the agency owner decided to sell the business to Flatlands Insurance Group, Fulford was given the opportunity to lead the crop insurance department at the new agency.

Since 2015, Fulford has helped make Flatlands Insurance Group a premier crop insurance agency in the state of North Carolina. In an effort to take her expertise to another level, Fulford was given the title of Crop Risk Advisor and Crop and Agribusiness Resource and Education Consultant. In this role, she works to educate the agricultural community on crop insurance and risk management information with specific emphasis on outreach to minority, women, and underserved farmers.

Fulford’s responsibilities, accomplishments and contributions to Flatlands and the agriculture community include developing focus groups for at risk minority and women farmers, developing a survey to assess the farm community needs, educating farmers on crop insurance products, planning lunch and learn meetings for farmers, and providing social media content for the agency.

Fulford strives to educate and reach those groups that may not have traditional access to crop insurance information. Her history, experiences, and initiatives make her an exceptional crop insurance agent who is well deserving of the 2022 Crop Insurance Industry Outstanding Service Award.

PHOTO: Ruth Fulford was presented with the 2022 Crop Insurance Industry Outstanding Service Award by Kendall Jones (left) Chair of the National Crop Insurance Services Board of Directors, and Tom Zacharias (left), President of National Crop Insurance Services.