What does farm insurance cover?
Most farm policies protect your operations from events that interrupt your flow of income, such as property damage, disease, or infestation. Farm insurance provides complete coverage for buildings and equipment that are critical to the everyday functions, including:
- Vehicles
- Machinery
- Farm Structures
- On-site Dwellings
- Equipment
As a brokerage for over 70 of Ontario’s top insurance companies, we have access to some great coverages and rates for all kinds of farms.
What kind of farms do we cover?
Whether yours is a hobby farm or a commercial operation, farming requires large investments in time, labour, equipment, and buildings. Here are some of the agricultural operations we cover:
- Poultry/egg farms
- Dairy farms
- Livestock farms
- Grain farms
- Vegetable farms
- Orchards/wineries
- Nurseries
- On-site markets
Coverage options
There are a lot of coverage options for farm insurance depending on your specific needs. Here’s a few of them:
Pollution liability insurance
Pollution liability insurance covers environmental damage caused by your livestock or farming process. It includes legal fees, fines, cleanup and more.
Livestock and crops
Covers unexpected illnesses and the loss of livestock or poultry. It also covers infestations and the destruction of produce, agricultural products, and seeds.
On-site market
Extra liability for farmers operating a farmer’s market on their property, or with volunteers who work on the farm occasionally.
Replacement cost coverage
Covers the cost of replacing lost or damaged equipment like tractors and farm buildings to their original quality, without any deductions or depreciation.
Sewer backup
Coverage when sewer systems can’t handle heavy rainfall, causing excess water to emerge from plumbing and overflow into your home or other farm buildings, resulting in property and product damage.
Utility interruption
Covers property or crop damage, as well as lost income and ongoing expenses because of a loss of electricity or power – usually caused by a fire or natural disaster.
Fire department charges
Covers charges to farm owners by counties and municipalities for fire fighting expenses – includes fires started on the immediate property and spread to neighbouring ones.
Other coverages
We can tailor a policy as unique as your farm, that responds to the risks inherent in your agri-business. Talk to one of our farm insurance specialists today!
Frequently asked questions about farm insurance:
Is farm insurance a type of business insurance, or personal?
Usually a farm policy is a business policy, and we will tailor coverage to protect the critical elements of that business, including buildings, vehicles, crops and livestock.
If you have a family farm that you run strictly for your own needs, and don’t sell anything produced there, then it can be insured as a private home, and there would be a certain amount of coverage for barns and outbuildings, but vehicles and large machinery would have to be insured separately.
How much is farm insurance in Ontario?
Farm insurance premiums vary greatly depending on the following:
- The type of farm
- The annual revenues of the farm
- The number and type of buildings
- The number and type of vehicles
- The type of machinery used
- The number of people working there
- The location and distance from fire services
- Whether you have an on-site market
Call one of our farm insurance specialists for a comprehensive review of your farm insurance needs and a discussion of your coverage options.
Is tractor insurance mandatory in Ontario?
A tractor doesn’t require the same kind of insurance required for most motor vehicles in Ontario, but as an expensive piece of machinery, it is a good idea to include all tractors and other farm machinery and equipment under a farm insurance policy.
Is my home covered by farm insurance?
Yes. Farms are different from most other businesses in that in many cases, the business is also a home. If your farm includes a farmhouse or other dwelling, then your farm insurance package would include all the coverages typically included in a home insurance policy, including personal liability, coverage for the building and contents, as well as additional living expenses if you suffer a loss and you and your family need to stay elsewhere during repairs.
If a fire damages my farm equipment, do I have coverage to rent equipment during repairs?
Yes, you can opt for loss of use coverage that will allow you to rent equipment, vehicles, and tools to keep your business running after a loss.
