The Farm Owner’s Guide to Insurance
Sep 1, 2022
2 min read
As a farmer or rancher, you know your business isn’t exactly a 9-to-5 job. Because you don’t have a typical job, you can’t settle for typical insurance. When your farm is your business, a homeowners policy likely won’t provide the protection you need for your operation. Learn what farm property and liability insurance covers so you can get the right protection for your farm or ranch. So, what does farm insurance cover?
Farm Property
The equipment you rely on every day to do your job isn’t easy (or cheap) to replace. Your policy should ensure that items such as your farm machinery and equipment are covered.
Insuring a farm includes more than just coverage for a house and barn; it can also include machine sheds, outbuildings and the equipment stored in them. In addition, other things considered property include livestock, fertilizers and pesticides. Your farm or ranch probably requires a lot of electrical, mechanical and computer equipment. Equipment Breakdown Coverage can protect you from losses caused by electrical or mechanical breakdown. Even the GPS systems and computers you need for your operations can be covered by insurance. Confirm with your provider what is included with your farm insurance coverage, as many of these items are often considered separate from a homeowners policy.
If you have a building on your property that generates income (like hog confinements or dairy barns), you could be looking at a loss of income if one of those buildings is no longer operational. Farm and Ranch Operations Interruption coverage can help forestall loss of vital income.
Farm Liability
Farm or ranch liability coverage protects your assets in case of a lawsuit. A liability claim can be costly and damaging to your operation. This customizable coverage can protect you from bodily injury claims or accidental property damage claims that occur.
Do you ever invite the public to your farm or ranch? This can be a huge risk if you don’t have the right farm liability insurance coverage. With agritourism (think corn mazes, pumpkin patches and u-pick apple orchards) becoming more popular every year, coverage is even more vital. If someone is injured on your property, you could be the one paying if you don’t have farm liability insurance that covers an agritourism operation, whether it’s year-round or a seasonal endeavor.
Vehicles
On a farm or ranch, you need vehicles to get the job done. Make sure that your coverage includes things like comprehensive and collision coverage for your farm trucks and semis. Likewise, liability coverage is an important element of a vehicle insurance policy, as it can help protect you from claims against you if there is an injury or property damage caused by your personal vehicle. Have an ATV? You’ll want to make sure that’s covered, too.
Workers’ Compensation
If an employee is hurt on your farm, are you covered? Keep in mind, what qualifies as an “employee” may include more situations than you think. Even family members helping on the farm for a day could leave you — and them — exposed to risk. A workers’ compensation policy can be a valuable (and, sometimes by law, necessary) addition to your farm owners insurance. A workers’ compensation policy could make all the difference if an employee is hurt in the course of employment.
Crops
Nothing is more unpredictable than the weather, which means crop insurance could be crucial to your operation. Crop insurance comes in a variety of forms and depends on what you grow and when you grow it. It can cover things like planting and replanting, large production losses, weather-related causes of loss and more. Even if your acres are just pasture, rangeland or forage, there’s coverage for that too.
Smarter Insurance for Agriculture®
Whether your operation is a small, family-run affair or a commercial one, Farm Bureau insurance offers coverage that is customizable, comprehensive and smart. Talk to your local Farm Bureau agent about how to protect your livelihood and what matters most to you.