An Introduction to Farm Insurance
Whether you’re focused on business success, family security or community prosperity, we can help you constantly evolve to ensure a bright future. We can help you better understand farm insurance and learn about our premier policy, AgriChoice®.
A farm insurance policy protects your property and offers liability protection for your home and farm or ranch operation.
A typical farm policy covers 5 main areas of protection:
- Home and contents
- Farm personal property
- Farm structures
- Liability
- Additional coverages
Coverage Choices
It’s important to understand what your policy covers. AgriChoice lets you choose coverage levels for your home, contents and farm structures:
Basic coverage
• Fire and lightning
• Windstorm and hail
• Collision4
• Damage in course of transit4
• Explosion
• Riot and civil commotion
• Sinkhole collapse
• Smoke
• Theft
• Vandalism
• Vehicles
• Volcanic action
Broad coverage
All basic coverages plus:
• Accidental discharge and
leakage of water system
• Artificially generated
electrical current5
• Attacks on livestock
(except sheep) by dogs
or wild animals
• Earthquake loss to livestock
• Glass breakage in a building
or structure
• Bursting of heating or
water systems
• Collapse
• Falling objects
• Freezing
• Sudden and accidental
collision damage causing
death of livestock
• Weight of ice, snow
and sleet
Broad cause of loss for covered livestock also includes:
• Accidental shooting
• Drowning
• Loading/unloading
• Collision causing death
or destruction
• Earthquake
• Electrocution of livestock
• Flood loss
Special coverage
Coverage for risks of direct physical loss to eligible property, unless excluded by the policy.
Home and Contents
Typical farm policy coverages include:
• Home and tenant dwellings
• Household personal property or contents
• Detached garages and other nonfarm structures, including
in-ground pools, outdoor radio and TV antennas, and
satellite dishes
• Materials for constructing or repairing buildings, outdoor
equipment, the home, grounds and attached structures
Ask us about additional coverages available:
• Credit card theft
• Debris removal
• Loss of use
• Damage to trees, shrubs, plants and lawns
Farm Personal Property
Coverage includes items used in your farming operations:
• Farm machinery and equipment (special coverage)
• Livestock (broad coverage)
• Farm products, including harvested grain, silage, feed,
pesticides and fertilizers (basic coverage)
Our AgriChoice policy allows you to insure on either
a scheduled or a blanket basis:
• Scheduled property is listed by item on your policy
declarations page with separate limits for each piece
• Blanket coverage covers all farm personal property at
insured’s location(s); certain exclusions apply
Farm Liability
Farm liability covers expenses you are legally liable to pay due to bodily injury or property damage. AgriChoice includes attorney fees and costs to defend.
Points to consider:
- Unwarranted animal cruelty protection — Reimbursement coverage up to $20,000 for help defending against unwarranted allegations of animal cruelty is included in an AgriChoice policy. This applies to civil or criminal claims in which the insured prevails without a finding of liability or guilt (not available in CT, MO, NY, TX or VA).
- Off-premises use of farm equipment — Liability coverage for use of farm machinery and equipment is generally provided both on and off your premises. ATV/recreational vehicles — Most policies will not cover off premises recreational use of an ATV, but a coverage endorsement is available, if needed. We recommend adding this coverage if your operation uses ATVs.
- Products liability — Farm policies typically extend liability coverage only for produce grown on the farm and sold in an unprocessed condition. If processing farm products, discuss the scope of your activities with your agent, as a commercial liability package policy may offer the additional coverage needed if you’ve expanded into commercial risks.
- Equine operations — Liability arising from equine operations is not typically included in a base farm policy. AgriChoice offers an endorsement to cover some types of boarding, breeding and training of horses. An endorsement is also available for loss of horses left in your care, custody and control (for example, boarding).
- Custom farming — AgriChoice extends liability coverage for some limited amount of custom farming. Coverage is determined by the amount of receipts generated.
- Pollution — AgriChoice offers a pollution endorsement to cover liability arising out of certain pollution events and costs associated with cleanup.
Ask us about additional liability coverages available:
• Livestock care, custody and control
• Orchard and row crop U-pick
• Commercial general liability — for incidental commercial exposures
Farm Structures
Your farm policy should cover loss or damage to buildings and structures used in your farming operations. This includes barns, confinement facilities, dairy parlors, silos, portable buildings, pens, chutes and corral fencing, building materials used on farm buildings, private telephone and electric apparatus, and fixed irrigation equipment.
Points to consider:
Equipment breakdown — This coverage is designed to help pay for repair or replacement of broken equipment due to mechanical breakdown, electrical arcing, short circuits, power surges and more. It can also cover lost farm income and extra expenses to keep operations running.
New construction — If you add a building, AgriChoice extends coverage during construction of up to $250,000 for 60 days or until the next renewal date.
Additional Coverages
These coverage options allow you to customize your farm policy to meet your protection needs.
Business auto — Coverage for commercial farm trucks and personal automobiles can be added to an AgriChoice policy. Coverage provides physical damage such as comprehensive and collision, as well as bodily injury and property damage liability coverage.
Umbrella liability — We offer a policy that extends your liability protection. This option is available with AgriChoice and with other liability policies (for example, personal auto, boat and recreational vehicle).
CountryChoice® — This is a small-farm policy tailored to include coverages that best fit your rural acreage needs.
Disruption of farm income — If you have a covered loss that disrupts your income, this endorsement may provide for the resulting income loss. AgriChoice offers an endorsement that packages coverage for income disruption with extra
expenses incurred.
Peak season endorsement — If your inventory of farm products fluctuates throughout the year, this endorsement allows you to indicate the periods when you have higher volumes.
Dwelling ordinance and law — Replacement cost on your home or farm structures allows you to rebuild with like kind or quality construction. If there are ordinances in your area that apply different standards, this endorsement provides coverage for additional costs required to conform to local laws.
Temperature-sensitive farm personal property — This endorsement broadens coverage on refrigerated farm products and supplies. These include damage caused by spoilage due to a change in temperature resulting from electrical interruption or mechanical or electrical breakdown of a refrigeration system.
Ask us about these specialized endorsements:
• Beekeepers
• Dairy
• Fruit and berries
• Vineyards and wineries
• Orchards