4 Ways to Prepare Your Farm for Severe Weather

by John Grant, Manager, Agribusiness Underwriting 

Severe weather like tornadoes, flooding, droughts and wildfires can all take a toll on your farm equipment and property. So, before bad weather hits, make sure you take these steps to prepare.

1. Take inventory

• Take inventory of your farm equipment and property to keep a record of exactly what’s on your farm, what the value is and where it’s located. This will come in handy in the case of a farm insurance claim. Download our farm inventory document, fill it out and give it to your COUNTRY Financial Insurance Agent. Pro tip: Photos are a great way to inventory your tools and equipment in your sheds. 
• Verify with your insurance agent that you have the proper insurance for livestock and equipment. 

2. Prepare employees

• Review emergency escape routes for each building. Keep in mind your emergency plan might differ depending on the event (tornado, flood, fire, etc.). Check out our tips to help keep employees safe on the farm.
• Document procedures to account for all employees. 
• Determine a safe place for all employees to meet. 
• Create an emergency contact list for owners, employees, family members, and suppliers.
• Assign different roles and responsibilities to each employee, like who is responsible for taking care of livestock, moving equipment, or calling emergency contacts.

3. Inspect farm equipment

Keep generators in working order. Make sure you have an adequate supply of liquid propane in the event that power is out for multiple days. If portable generators are hooked up to tractors, make sure the tractor has adequate fuel supply. 

4. Review farm insurance 

• Meet with your COUNTRY Financial Insurance Agent annually to review your farm insurance coverages and share any changes you have made to equipment and property. These conversations can help to identify any gaps in coverage and provide opportunities to discuss adding optional farm insurage coverages that are not currently on your policy. 
• Discuss the process for filing a farm insurance claim if disaster strikes.

You may not be able to stop bad weather from striking, but these steps can help you feel more prepared.  

Updated 5-5-23