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.

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.

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.

Robots – once the subjects of science fiction books, movies and TV programs – are now real-life partners involved in our daily lives in many ways.

Robotic applications are cropping up everywhere to replace an assortment of jobs that
have been performed by humans for decades. Often times, they’re designed to perform a very specific task, allowing them to deliver enhanced productivity, reduced operating costs and decreased error rates. They can be found in various locations and industries, completing repetitive tasks such as assembling orders in a warehouse, harvesting crops on a farm and even preparing meals at a fast-food restaurant.

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.