Is Your Farm Protected? 

Growing up, I was somewhat blessed to be raised by parents who had a bit of a gypsy soul. Depsite their divorce, and living on opposite sides of the country, they managed to instill some of the same values and desires in my sister and I. One of those being a spirit of adventure and travel. In that, we had always been fortunate enough to visit the big cities, local towns and villages, beautiful shores and the peaceful country sides.

Some of my favorite trips though, involved playing "cows and graveyards" as we made the endless stretch across the farmlands. Little did I realize, years later, these would become some the the very places I would later seek to insure and assure they had longevity and prosperity. So what exactly does that entail. Well, the following questions come into play..

Can I cover my farm and home under one policy?

Absolutely. One policy can cover your home, farm equipment, farm contents, personal contents, buildings (ie- barns and storage) and autos. The key is being honest about the actual use of each item and where it actually lands within the policy.

For example, your push mower may handle the small patch of grass near your front deck, but clearly it is not gonna handle the whole 30 acres you have sitting behind your house. If so, that is one heck of a go getter you've got living under your roof. (Between us, I am pretty sure my mother would push mow 30 acres if we let her. Its her stress release. LOL!) So again, make sure you take time to evaluate the use of each piece of equipment used when placing it in the proper section of your policy.

Some things may cross over, such as, your baler may be used in all acreage, even that around your immediate home for hay. So is this farm or personal? The general use of it is hay, a farm use, so that would be in the farm section of your policy. Clear as mud, right?

Are there items that would not be covered under my farm policy?

Not all items are guarnateed coverage under your farm policy. For example, although having a fence on your property is often necessary for enclosing livestock and just general border of your property, it is not always automatically covered. Evalutions and photos may be required to assure that coverage will be provided.

Equipment is another questionable area. If the local kids decide to come down and "footloose" your property with a tractor race, or even drive off in it altogther, there is not guarantee you have a claim. Matters, such as storage of equipment, how it was left on grounds and other circumstances may come in to play at the time of loss. Your best bet is to live your life like my grandpa and assume everyone is out to steal your property.

Lord rest his sole he was a great man.

Are there other issues? Sure- pollution, debri and other unforeseen issues could arise. But much like any policy, it is a case by case matter. I am sure Auntie Em, was not prepared for her house to end up in Oz, and the adjuster on that clain must have had one heck of a time... But either way, we will deal with the issues as they arise.

Is my coverage enough to make sure I am not living in my car with a bunch of chickens?

Anything can happen.. Just ask any astronaut..

However, we never want to be in a place where we risk loss of home, livelihood or just simply what we enjoy. It never hurts to have your property and items appraised or even reviewed from time to time to make sure you have the proper coverage required to keep you and your loved ones safe and insured. A yearly review is always a good idea. Sometimes we buy equipment, sell others, add a fancy new fence or windmill decoration and we fail to notify our lovely insurance agent. No worries.. It happens. But we want to correct and address these things as soon as possible.

And if you are one of those overly cautious individuals who notifies your agent with every change, then fantastic. You are about one in a 1,2345 people who do. It is always better to ere on the side of caution.

So where do I go from here?

So unlike this lovely creature above who may be on life 7 of his 9.. You still have time.

Reach out today to make sure you have proper farm coverage.