# Ag Enters Age Of Civil Suits.



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Are you covered?......probably not. AgWeb.

Regards, Mike

https://www.agweb.com/article/farmer-beware-agriculture-enters-age-of-civil-suits-naa-chris-bennett/


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## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

I carry a $1M umbrella policy, initially because I have horses.

This story makes me furious though:

"Field recalls an incident involving a farmer who allowed a neighbor to ride a snowmobile across his land. The neighbor drove directly into a white gas storage tank. Argument: Due to snowy conditions, the farmer should have recognized the low-visibility of the tank and marked it. "Insurance handled the case, but in time, they'll get their money back from the farmer," Field says."

If I was snowmobiling in his field and I crashed into a white fuel tank, I'd be paying HIM for the damage I caused to his tank (after I THANKED him for letting me ride in his field, and then APOLOGIZE for damaging his property), and using my own health insurance to cover my injuries. It's on me to know the terrain I travel. The farmer's neighbor sounds like a little snowflake who can't take accountability for his own actions. And that's coming from somebody who leans liberal.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

On our policy we have coverage for our irrigation ponds. Like for example one is near a fairly busy intersection where I can easily see an accident sending a car into it and someone drowning. Luckily the county made a 4 way stop so vehicles are slower now. Also for idiocy. Who knows what could happen in the middle of the night in or near one of ponds.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I bumped my umbrella policy to 3M it was only a few hundred more then 1M.I hate buying insurance and run high deductibles but worry more about liability then I do about a fire or tornado.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

Eventually we won't be able to afford to cover all the what ifs in ag. Can you imagine if I had damaged the truck or hurt someone pulling the idiot out of my field that's posted elsewhere here. It's always someone else at fault not the idiot.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

swmnhay said:


> I bumped my umbrella policy to 3M it was only a few hundred more then 1M.I hate buying insurance and run high deductibles but worry more about liability then I do about a fire or tornado.


That probably still wouldn't be enough if your farm was worth more then 3 million. The neighbor drives a semi for his uncle who owns a large ranch in NE Colorado. He rear ended a guy down near Dallas after the guy slammed on the brakes after missing an exit. The "victim" was offered $2 million by his uncles insurance. Nope not enough. They want the value of the ranch.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Was a volunteer FireFighter most of my life 10 years back huge lawsuit came up from an MVA with fire they said they would be calling two people from the department . Bunch of Chiefs and VIPS said oh they will call me . I was not that lucky they called me and another guy who had a strong net worth


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Yes my buddy just got a drone he said you would not believe what you can see flying around these farms


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

In Maine, the snowmobile accident would never have incurred financial damages to either the farmer or his insurance carrier as by Maine's very liberal landowner laws, we are immune from such nonsense. But here me out as to why.

Maine has very little public land, something like 90% of it is private land, so to promote hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, etc; the state knew if they did not get access to this private land, people from out of state would not come, and we are a tourist type of state. Of course as a land owner, our first excuse to prevent access would be due to liability issues. So the state has a law like Good Samaritan Laws, if I dig a ditch and someone runs their snowmobile into the ditch and gets injured, I cannot beheld responsible.

Now if I was to post my land as no trespassing, then the law gets tossed out the window...again, the intent of the law is not to protect landowners, it is to promote access to private land. Myself I think it should be for posted or non-posted land, but that is how it works in any case.

As for insurance, I have no idea how you guys afford farm insurance because I sure cannot. It is already too high, and when a claim does come, there always seems to be a exemption clause that the adjuster knows about and the insurance salesman never told the farmer. Funny how that works.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

We have to have it....otherwise someone else will own our farm in short order should something bad happen. Cheap in the whole scheme of things.....but I'm sure they will wiggle when/if the crap hits the fan, it's what they do....


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Farm Bureau is pushing some new I think riders to provide far more liability coverage for farms, advertising with about the same lines as the article.


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