Applications for Ohio Farm Bureau Health Plans now available
Members have three ways to apply: contacting a certified agent, calling 833-468-4280 or visiting ohiofarmbureauhealthplans.org.
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The following information is provided by Nationwide, the No.1 farm and ranch insurer in the United States.
“As the use of drones has increased, we realized there was a gap in coverage,” said Brent Van Roekel, senior underwriting director, Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance Company. “Commercial insurance policies have typically excluded liability coverage for aircraft. To keep up with the technology and with customers’ needs, we needed to address that issue. We want to make sure our commercial agribusiness customers, such as co-ops, are covered appropriately.”
Drones are an issue some insurance companies haven’t wanted to tackle. “Some insurance companies indicated they’re not interested in covering drones mostly because of the privacy aspects you might potentially have,” he said. “We recognize that potential exists but, based on the quality of our customers, we feel it’s a smaller risk. We see the use of drones as becoming essential for the ag economy, so we need to be able to provide a solution.”
Nationwide Agribusiness began writing coverage for commercial agribusiness customers using drones at the end of 2013. “It’s not a separate policy,” Van Roekel explained. “It’s an endorsement we add to the policy we’re already providing for those customers.”
Nationwide Agribusiness is not charging for this added coverage. “Since our customers are mainly using drones for crop scouting, we see this as an extension of their agronomy operation. Our feeling is this is a coverage ag operations need to fully protect that part of their business,” Van Roekel said. “We essentially built it into the agronomy piece of the coverage and are not charging an additional premium.”
As agribusinesses move toward bigger and more expensive equipment and drone usage expands into areas like fertilizer and chemical application, the price structure could change.
“As with all our coverages, our drone coverage will change as the industry and our customers’ operations change,” Van Roekel said. “We’re trying to stay contemporary to our customers’ needs.”
Nationwide Agribusiness officially rolled out drone coverage for its commercial agribusiness customers in March 2014. Coverage in all states was made available by 2015. Learn more.
Products underwritten by Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance Company, Farmland Mutual Insurance Company, Allied Property and Casualty Insurance Company and AMCO Insurance Company. Products and discounts not available to all persons in all states. Nationwide, the Nationwide N and Eagle and Nationwide is on your side are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. © 2018 Nationwide.
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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