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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Insurance for the little farm
  • Date: Mon, 5 Sep 2011 10:57:28 -0400


On Sep 5, 2011, at 8:59 AM, Richard Robinson wrote:

I wonder how those of you with smaller farms handle insurance. We are a two-person
operation, with an honor farm stand, a micro-CSA, and a cut-your-own Christmas tree
operation. We'd like to begin selling to more restaurants and markets. As we've grown, the
question of how much our homeowner's umbrella liability covers any or all of this has
become murkier, and we are reluctant to ask our insurer without some background from
others

On Sep 5, 2011, at 10:31 AM, Beth Spaugh wrote:

In New York our options seem to be Farm Family (Farm Bureau) and
Erie Niagara.

In New York, it seems to depend on where in the state you are. Around here, it's mostly Ontario; though not everyone has the same insurer. I have a farmowner's policy, which covers (in addition to the usual sorts of residential insurance) farm equipment, Upick insurance which covers in general customers coming onto the farm, product liability, and did also cover selling at market; but I needed an additional business policy in order to be able to name a third party, as one of the markets requires (some groceries also require this, I believe; though not the small ones I've been selling to.) That added an additional couple hundred to the cost; though adding additional named third parties to the policy would cost very little.

If the customers you're interested in selling to require that they be named on your insurance policy, they'll tell you that.

What will be covered by any specific policy is something you will have to ask the insurance agent. A farmowners' policy, or any other type of policy, written by one insurance company in one area isn't necessarily going to provide the same coverage as one written by a different company, or even as one written by the same company but in a different area.

But I think what you need to know is:

1) from what specific hazards are which portions of your farm equipment and buildings covered?

2) if you take a farm stand setup elsewhere (e.g. to set up at market) is this covered when it's off the farm? (though if you don't bring more than you can afford to replace this may not matter)

3) does your liability cover a) customers coming onto the farm, if they get hurt b) product liability for sales made directly off the farm c) product liability for sales made at farmers' markets d) product liability for sales made to restaurants/groceries/etc?

4) will they list additional parties (farmers' markets, grocery stores, etc.) on the policy if necessary?

I may have left something out from that list --


-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale





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