By Gina Ekstam for AssuredPartners The 2023 planting season is just around the corner, and many have already started or completed their annual equipment maintenance regimen. It is also the perfect time to review your insurance coverage to ensure equipment is insured for your specific needs and purposes for the season. Having the proper coverage will get you back in the fields as quickly as possible. The cost of farm inputs continues to increase into the 2023 planting season, and this includes equipment. Be sure to review your farm equipment lists to make sure all equipment is included as well as valued appropriately. Many farm blankets will have co-insurance so the full value of the blanket will be determined at …
Top Tips for Winter Safety
By Gina Ekstam for AssuredPartners Winter weather may have already appeared in your area, but if not, Jack Frost will likely pay a visit soon. Freezing temperatures, heavy snow, and ice are tough on nearly everything – creating a range of hazards – so be mindful and ready to react to weather changes to help protect your agribusiness operation. Worker Safety Even if you’re not in an area that gets frigid, the cold weather can still be dangerous. Those who work outdoors face the dangers of lowered body temperature, hypothermia, and frostbite. The following precautions can keep your workers safe: Dress for the weather to protect the body’s core. Multiple layers will help to keep body temperatures from dropping. The …
Best Practices for Avoiding Electrical Risks
By Gina Ekstam for AssuredPartners Electrical risks are one of the most overlooked hazards in agriculture. According to the National Ag Safety Database (NASD), thousands of workers are shocked and burned due to accidental contact with electricity each year, and an estimated $1.2 billion in property damage occurs because of faulty electrical usage. Accidents happen for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest dangers is overhead power lines. Workers using portable grain augers, large wagons, combines, fold-up cultivators, and other tall equipment should know where power lines are located as well as the clearance needed for equipment that must travel underneath the lines. Maintaining a minimum 10-foot clearance between the power line and the top of equipment traveling under …
Tips for Safely Extracting Stuck Vehicles
By Gina Ekstam for AssuredPartners Agricultural workers know all too well the risk of trucks and tractors getting stuck in the mud or snow. Unfortunately, it’s during attempts to dislodge a stuck vehicle that serious injuries occur. Safety training is one of the best ways to avoid an accident. Techniques may vary, but all safe towing practices should consider: Soil condition How deep the truck or tractor is stuck Stuck vehicle weight Towing vehicle weight When a vehicle becomes stuck, it’s important not to rush. Mistakes are more likely to happen when workers hurry to extract the vehicle, increasing the chance of property damage and injury. Instead, assess the following: How stuck is the vehicle, and how much damage may …
Harvest Season Tractor Safety
By Gina Ekstam for AssuredPartners As harvest season picks up, more tractors and farm equipment will be on the road and in the fields – including combines and other harvesting equipment moving from one field to another. When operated correctly, tractors are generally safe, but tractor overturns are the leading cause of fatalities in the ag industry. With approximately 130 deaths per year, overturn accidents can happen in seconds. A protective structure, such as a roll bar or cage frame, and a seat belt are simple measures that can protect workers from being crushed or thrown. Safety depends on knowledge, alertness, and hazard awareness. Read more here>>>
Confront Environmental Risk with an ERP
By Gina Ekstam for AssuredPartners While not exclusive to agribusiness, environmental exposures, such as air pollution and contaminated water and soil, must be confronted. One tool that is particularly helpful in assessing risk is called a risk profile. Typically used to identify strategies and procedures for administrative risks, a risk profile can be expanded to address areas of environmental liability. Referred to as an environmental risk profile (ERP), it systematically helps operators identify and manage environmental risk. A completed ERP can show how environmental exposure impacts the operation and the risk management strategies available. Environmental exposures can be grouped into three major categories: operations, transportation, and disposal liabilities. From groundwater contamination from spills or leaks, to poor air quality from …
Pandemic and Supply Chain Lessons Lead to Improved Food System Framework
By Gina Ekstam for AssuredPartners The pandemic and supply chain disruptions have revealed longstanding issues with getting food from farm to table. In an effort to strengthen the food system across the supply chain, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced details of its Food System Transformation Framework. More options, increased access, and improved markets are just some of the USDA’s goals for transforming our food system. The framework addresses the need for more capacity to gather, process, move, and store food. Increasing local/geographic capacity will help build resiliency in the face of market disruptions, provide more choices for producers to create value-added products and sell locally, and support new economic opportunities and job creation in rural communities. Click for …
Insurance Supports Sustainable Agriculture
By Gina Ekstam for AssuredPartners Each year, National Ag Day recognizes and celebrates the critical role of agriculture in our country. In addition to producing the food, fiber, and renewable resources we need, agriculture has an essential role in maintaining a strong economy. As the population grows, so does the demand for food and fiber. Because of advancements in farming, America’s farmers can produce more while practicing sustainability for the future. Consider this: in the 1960s, each farmer fed 25 people. Today, each farmer feeds more than 165 people. The theme for this year’s National Ag Day (held March 22, 2022) is “Agriculture: Growing a Climate for Tomorrow.” About 22 million people are working in ag-related fields. As stewards of …
USDA Confirms Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in a Commercial Poultry Flock in Delaware
WASHINGTON, February 23, 2022 – The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial poultry flock in New Castle County, Delaware. Samples from the flock were tested at the University of Delaware’s Allen Laboratory in Newark, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa. APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials in Delaware on a joint incident response. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flock will not enter the …
Grain Bin Safety Requires Year-Round Effort
By Gina Ekstam for AssuredPartners It’s well-known that working in and around grain bins is dangerous. In 2020, there were 64 documented agricultural-confined space-related cases, including 35 grain-related entrapments and 12 equipment entanglements, according to a report by Purdue University’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department. Grain bin entrapment is the most often identified hazard, but equipment handling, collapsing bins, fires, toxic fumes, and ladders are among the other equally hazardous situations that pose serious risks to worker safety. Regardless of the season, grain bin safety must be a year-round effort. With any safety initiative, it’s essential to identify and understand all potential hazards. Click for safety precautions to prevent grain-related incidents>>>