AAIS sat down with Casey Davis, Product Manager of Farm & Agribusiness, to discuss some of the current trends affecting the Farm & Ag insurance market. She also touched on new coverages seen in this insurance space and expanded on some of the modern products offered to insurers by AAIS.

AAIS recently attended the IRMI Agribusiness Conference (AgriCon), the premier event for insurance and risk management professionals specializing in the exposures and coverage needs of farms and agribusinesses. Among the many interesting and informative sessions, AAIS Product Development Specialist Hope King highlighted two topics particularly near and dear to AAIS and our Members.

The farm industry continues to transform. While smaller family farming operations maintain a strong presence and make up a large percentage of the market, we’re seeing growth of large commercial farms that include a variety of operations and layered revenue streams. It is an ultra-competitive market with each company searching for an edge over their competitors.

Cannabis insurance is a budding topic, growing alongside the expanding cannabis industry. Five states have approved recreational cannabis during the 2020 elections, bringing the total states where cannabis is fully legal to 15. What does this mean for the cannabis market, particularly for insurers involved with this growing industry?

COVID-19 has left a trail of destruction in its path. Spreading across the world, it has weakened businesses and industries as people and governments respond to the challenges associated with the ongoing pandemic. The Farm and Agriculture industry is no exception, having experienced disruption due to the deadly virus. In some locations, workers were sent home and transportation was stalled, leaving the tables of millions of families without the produce they so rely upon.

Climate change continues to wreak havoc on farm and agriculture businesses. With increasingly unpredictable weather, destructive storms, and a decrease in natural resources, the farm & ag industry is scrambling to find a more reliable way to farm– one that would protect the industry from a quickly changing world.

An increasing number of states are legalizing the use of medicinal and recreational cannabis, creating the opportunity for new business ventures and the need for reliable insurance coverage as the industry expands and matures.

Dairy, meat and crop supplies are available…but processing is not. Decreased demand for ethanol leads to changing priorities from farmers, and Midwest family farms, already impacted by rising machinery prices, struggle to survive. For Farm & Ag insurers, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unexpected challenges requiring quick, creative solutions to help keep the farm industry afloat.

From record heat waves to the coldest of winters, hurricanes, droughts and flooding, it’s no secret that our climate and weather are changing…and changing the agribusiness insurance landscape with it.

In 2018, the California Camp Fire wildfire resulted in more than $16 billion in loss. Flooding in the Midwest resulted in crop contamination from nearby livestock fields. And the crippling cold from two polar vortexes in the last five years caused frozen pipes and burst boilers, leading to property and equipment damage claims.

There has seen an increase in governmental oversight of the manufacturing, handling and storage of food. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was passed to prevent practices that could potentially create food safety hazards. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in turn, released rules for the safe transport of food. They are known as rules for "Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food", and they are affecting the inland marine market.