Farm And Ranch Insurance FAQ Information

Farm And Ranch Insurance FAQ. Farm and ranch operations often combine personal activity exposures with those of a commercial enterprise. Many insurers offer a single specifically designed policy to cover both in order to eliminate the potential for coverage gaps.
Some coverage issues to consider are property coverages for the dwelling and farm buildings, inland marine coverages on the machinery and equipment used in the operation, accounts receivable and business and household personal property.
Other issues to consider are liability coverage for farm or ranch and also personal exposures, automobile liability and physical damage coverage, equipment breakdown, and crop/hail or similar crop insurance coverage.
Coverage for silos and grain storage elevators and their contents, as well as coverage for all forms of livestock, must also be considered. Farm employees also need to be protected through workers compensation.
We wanted to provide a deeper dive into small business insurance to help our readers get a better understand of the commercial insurance policies they want and need with the Farm And Ranch Insurance FAQ.
Read the Farm And Ranch Insurance FAQ to learn what type of commercial insurance coverages are right for your ranching or farming business - including liability, property, workers compensation and other specialty policies.
What Is A Service Business?
According to Business Dictionary - a service business is, "A commercial enterprise that provides work performed in an expert manner by an individual or team for the benefit of its customers. The typical service business provides intangible products...."
Farm And Ranch operations include - but are not limited to - the following types of businesses:
- Farms
- Ranches
You can reference the Insurance Definitions, Dictionary And Glossary to better understand the commercial insurance policy terms and language used in our Small Business Insurance FAQs.
What Kinds Of Insurance Do Farms And Ranches Need?
- At the minimum, farms and ranches need farm liability insurance.
- Farms and ranches might also need crop and livestock insurance.
- If they have employees they will need workers compensation in most states.
- If they have vehicles registered to the business, or use vehicles for the business purposes, they will also need commercial auto. With farms certain vehicles can sometimes be listed on a personal policy.
- There are also other specialty coverages and endorsements that might be needed based on their operations.
Following are some suggested commercial policies and coverages applicable for farms and ranches:
You can skip to the following types of farms and ranches small business insurance policy coverage types using these links:
Farms And Ranches Commercial Insurance Policies:
- What kinds of commercial package policies do farms and ranches need?
- What kinds of commercial property insurance do farms and ranches need?
- What kinds of crop and livestock insurance do farms and ranches need?
- What kinds of inland marine insurance do farms and ranches need?
- What kinds of crime insurance do farms and ranches need?
- What kinds of farm liability insurance coverage do farms and ranches need?
- What kinds of personal and commercial auto insurance do farms and ranches need?
- What kinds of workers compensation insurance do farms and ranches need?
- What kinds of excess and umbrella insurance do farms and ranches need?
- What kinds of specialty insurance do farms and ranches need?
What Kinds Of Commercial Package Policies Do Farms And Ranches Need?
When it comes to farming, one size definitely does not fit all! Because of this, there are many coverage options to consider and a great deal of form flexibility available. Both the insured and the insurer benefit when many coverages are combined into one policy but doing so is not always possible.
Each policy option listed and described below must take into account the eligibility requirements of the program, as well as the actual activities taking place at the farm or ranch. For example, a farming operation operating several businesses in the names of a number of different entities may require more than one package policy.
On the other hand, another operation may be able to combine all its activities and entities under a single policy.
Types Of Farm And Ranch Package Policies:
- Businessowners Policy (BOP)
- Commercial Package Policy (CPP)
- Farmowners Policies
- Farm Combination Coverage
- Homeowners Coverage
What Kinds Of Commercial Property Insurance Do Farms And Ranches Need?
Asset protection is the major concern of most farm operations. These assets include all buildings and structures on the farm property in addition to owned household and business personal property located on and away from the premises.
Some farm buildings are occupied and used for farming operations. Others are used by the family for personal activities. Some operations also have tenant-occupied properties.
In a growing number of cases, some family members who retain ownership in the farming operations may be in retirement homes or semi-retired and spending part of the year out of state but continue to need coverage.
Types Of Property Coverages:
- Building and Personal Property Coverage Forms
- Builders Risk Coverage
- Equipment Breakdown Protection Coverage
- Farm Property Coverage
What Kinds Of Crop & Livestock Insurance Do Farms And Ranches Need?
Loss of crops or livestock can financially ruin a farming operation. Therefore, special coverages are available to specifically cover these unusual loss exposures. The market is limited because of the unique nature of the exposures and the specialized knowledge necessary to price the risk and adjust claims.
Types Of Crop And Livestock Coverages:
- Bloodstock Insurance
- Crop Hail Coverage
- Livestock Coverage Form
- Livestock Mortality Coverage
- Multiple Peril Crop Insurance
- Revenue Insurance
What Kinds Of Inland Marine Insurance Do Farms And Ranches Need?
The different types of property commonly found on farms and ranches can be insured under inland marine coverage forms. There are many forms but the common denominator is that they cover the hazards of transportation in addition to other perils or causes of loss. Some of these forms cover the household personal property while others cover the farm operations property.
Types Of Inland Marine Coverages:
- Accounts Receivable Coverage
- Electronic Data Processing Equipment Coverage
- Mobile Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Coverage Form
- Personal Articles Floater
- Transportation Coverage
- Valuable Papers and Records Coverage
What Kinds Of Crime Insurance Do Farms And Ranches Need?
While some farms may be served reasonably well by the crime insurance found in personal insurance forms, larger farms or commercial operations may need the commercial crime forms. The insured should consider a complete analysis of actual crime exposures to which the risk is exposed, such as employee dishonesty, fraud, theft of money and securities.
Types Of Crime Coverages:
- Computer and Funds Transfer Fraud Coverage
- Employee Theft Coverage
What Kinds Of Farm Liability Insurance Coverage Do Farms And Ranches Need?
The type of form used to insure the liability exposures of a farm or ranch depends on the nature of the risk and the underwriting practices of the insurer. A farm liability, commercial general liability or personal liability coverage form may be used. Brief descriptions of the forms, pertinent endorsements and supplemental insurance that expand coverage follow:
Types Of Farm Liability Coverages:
- Christmas Tree Lots
- Commercial General Liability (CGL) Coverage
- Custom Farming Liability Coverage
- Employment-Related Practices Coverage
- Farm Liability Coverage Form
- Farmers Personal Liability Coverage
- Personal Injury Endorsement
- Railroad Protective Liability Coverage
- Underground Storage Tank (UST) Liability Coverage
What Kinds Of Personal & Commercial Auto Insurance Coverage Do Farms And Ranches Need?
The automobile exposure must be carefully considered because farmers often drive on public roads with heavy loads when going from one field to another. The driving age in some farming communities may be lower from time to time to recognize the active role of children in bringing in the harvest on a family farm.
Young drivers comfortable in driving the farm wagons may be in danger of being overly confident driving back roads in the family car or pickup. The distances driven are not usually excessive but cases may arise that involve travel to distant locations to obtain higher crop prices.
It is not unusual for a farm/ranch auto exposure to be a combination of some very difficult personal and commercial exposures.
Types Of Personal And Business Auto Coverages:
- Auto Medical Payments
- Business Auto Coverage
- Collision Coverage
- Comprehensive Coverage
- Hired & Non-owned Auto Coverage (HNOA)
- Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists Coverage
What Kinds Of Workers Compensation Insurance Do Farms And Ranches Need?
The laws and statutes of a given state must be reviewed carefully to determine if its workers compensation laws pertain to farm employees. The coverage provided applies to losses due to the statutory liability of an employer as a result of personal injury or death to an employee in the course of employment.
Monetary compensation is provided in amounts prescribed by law. However, some agricultural workers are exempt from coverage. It is important to add voluntary compensation coverage endorsement to cover those workers in order to avoid a coverage gap.
Farm workers have some of the highest rates of work-related injury, so coverage should be as broad as possible. Endorsements are available to add employers liability coverage to the farm policy.
Types Of Workers Comp Coverages:
- Stop-Gap or Employers Liability Coverage
- Voluntary Compensation Coverage
- Workers Compensation and Employers Liability Coverage
What Kinds Of Excess And Umberlla Insurance Do Farms And Ranches Need?
These forms can provide excess liability limits for general, personal, auto, employers liability and even aircraft and watercraft exposures, if needed. They also provide protection to the insured with respect to certain exclusions in the underlying policies and coverage gaps that can occur.
An umbrella liability policy is triggered when the primary policy insurance limits are exhausted or, in cases of claims not covered by underlying or primary liability policies, when the self-insured retained is satisfied.
Types Of Excess Liability Coverages:
- Commercial Umbrella Coverage
- Excess Liability Coverage
- Farm Umbrella Liability Coverage
- Personal Umbrella Liability Coverage
What Kinds Of Specialty Insurance Do Farms And Ranches Need?
The farm business changes constantly and only those operations that modify, adapt and change to reduce costs and overhead while increasing revenues have any chance to survive. Thorough exposure analyses are needed to uncover any potential coverage gaps that may exist. One or more of the following coverages may fill a coverage gap or respond to an identified coverage need:
Types Of Specialty Coverages:
- Aircraft Liability Coverage
- Aircraft Passenger Liability Coverage
- Aircraft Physical Damage (Hull) Coverage
- All-Terrain Vehicles Coverage
- Business Legal Expense Coverage
- Cyber Liability Coverage
- Foreign Insurance Requirements
- International Insurance Coverage
- Kidnap/Ransom Extortion Coverage
- Mountain Bikes/Dirt Bikes Coverage
- Snowmobile Coverage
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) (Drones)
- Watercraft and Yacht Coverage
Farm And Ranch Insurance FAQ - The Bottom Line
There are many commercial insurance policies available for Farms And Ranches. To find out what types of coverage your business needs, speak to a professional insurance broker with experience in insuring farming & ranching operations.
Frequently Asked Questions By Industry
Learn about the insurance coverages and surety bonds available for specific industires with the Insurance FAQs below:
- Agribusiness
- Artisan Contractors
- Associations
- Automotive Sales and Service
- Aviation Risks
- Boats and Yachts
- Construction Contractors
- Eating and Drinking Establishments
- Educational Institutions
- Farm and Ranch
- Financial Institutions
- Food Processing Plants
- General Liability
- Government, Institutions and Utilities
- Health Care Providers
- Lodging Places
- Logging, Mining and Quarries
- Manufacturing
- Media
- Printing Services
- Processing
- Real Estate and Rental Property
- Recreation and Sports
- Retail Food and Beverage
- Retail Stores
- Services Businesses
- Trucking and Transit
- Warehouses and Storage
- Wholesalers and Distributors