Your homeowners policy stops at the farmhouse. The barn, the herd, and the tractor are on their own.
Everything that makes it a farm — the outbuildings, the equipment, the livestock, the stored grain and feed, the liability of running an operation — lives outside a homeowners policy. A farm policy is built to cover it, and Nationwide has been insuring farms since 1926, when farmers founded the company. We place it, from a few acres and a couple of horses to a full production operation.
The short answer
A farm policy combines property, liability, and equipment coverage into one package tailored to an agricultural operation — the parts a homeowners policy leaves out. Through Nationwide that means your farm dwelling and contents, your structures (barns, confinement and poultry houses, silos, pens, fencing), your farm personal property (machinery, livestock, grain, feed, fertilizer), and your farm liability — with optional coverages so you only pay for what your operation needs. Nationwide writes it in tiers for hobby farms, production farms and ranches, and larger agribusiness, and it's the carrier that was literally founded by farmers in 1926. One thing it is not: crop insurance, which is a separate program.
A home policy doesn't know what a barn is.
Buy a place with a little acreage, add a few animals and a tractor, and it's easy to assume the homeowners policy stretches to cover it. It doesn't — and that assumption is the expensive one.
only where homeowners stops
A homeowners policy is built for the residence and its contents. Barns, machinery, livestock, stored grain, and the liability of an operation generally sit outside it — often excluded outright.
Everything that earns its keep is uninsured.
The barn that burns, the tractor that's stolen, the hay that's lost, the cattle killed by a storm, the visitor hurt near your equipment — these are farm exposures, and a homeowners policy typically won't answer for any of them. Some carriers will even non-renew a home policy once they learn a real farming operation is running on the property.
A farm policy exists precisely to cover the working part of the place: the structures, the equipment, the animals, the products, and your liability as an operator. If it produces, houses livestock, or generates income, assume it needs farm coverage until proven otherwise.
The whole operation, in one package.
Dwelling & Contents
Your farm home and household property — plus debris removal, loss of use, and options to increase limits on higher-value contents like firearms.
Barns & Farm Buildings
Barns, confinement and poultry houses, silos, portable buildings, pens, chutes, corral fencing, and fixed irrigation — the buildings the work happens in.
Equipment, Livestock & Products
Machinery and equipment, livestock, and farm products like grain, silage, animal feed, pesticides and fertilizer — the property that makes it a farm.
Farm Liability
If a visitor is hurt on the property, or your operation damages someone else's property — even livestock getting loose — this covers legal costs and settlements.
From a few acres to full agribusiness.
Nationwide writes farm coverage in tiers, because a hobby farm and a grain elevator are not the same risk. Finding the right one is most of the job.
CountryChoice®
Built for the small acreage, the hobby farm, the few horses and a barn. Real farm exposures — barns, equipment, livestock, liability — sized for a smaller operation.
AgriChoice®
For production farms and ranches — a base policy for what most operations need, then optional coverages so you tailor it to your exact crops, herds, and structures.
Agribusiness
Grain elevators, fuel and propane, food and beverage processing, commercial fleets — with agribusiness liability, umbrella, and workers' comp on the commercial side.
The optional coverages that actually matter here.
A base farm policy is the start. These are the add-ons we bring up most for Arkansas operations, because they map to how a loss really happens on a working farm.
Peak Season
Extra inventory protection for the times of year — harvest, especially — when far more product is stored on your property than usual.
Spoilage / Temperature Control
Responds when a power or ventilation failure hits temperature-sensitive stock — the exposure every poultry grower and cold-storage operation lives with.
Equipment Breakdown
Mechanical or electrical failure of your systems — and on an AgriChoice policy it can extend to electrical generating equipment, the backup generator a poultry house depends on.
Equipment Replacement
Replaces qualifying equipment up to five years old at a covered loss, instead of paying you a depreciated value on a machine you still owe on.
Earthquake
Arkansas sits near the New Madrid seismic zone. Standard farm property doesn't include earthquake — this endorsement adds it for operations that want the protection.
Farm Animal Cruelty Defense
Nationwide includes additional coverage for livestock producers to defend against unwarranted farm-animal-cruelty lawsuits — a modern exposure worth having.
More available — business income, water backup, identity restoration and more.
Farm policies also offer business income and extra expense after a covered building loss, water/sewer backup, increased limits on household valuables, and identity-theft restoration. We walk your operation and flag the handful that actually fit — you shouldn't pay for coverages you don't need.
Poultry, cattle, and hay country.
Northwest Arkansas is agriculture country in a very specific way. This is one of the densest poultry regions in the nation — broiler houses across Benton, Washington, and Madison counties — layered with cow-calf cattle operations, hay ground, small diversified farms, and a fair number of horses. Each of those is a different insurance conversation.
For a poultry grower, the whole risk can hinge on power and ventilation: a generator failure on a hot day can wipe out a full house of birds, which is why equipment breakdown on the generator and spoilage/temperature-control coverage aren't optional details — they're the point. For a cattle or hay operation, it's the barn, the equipment, the stored hay, and the liability of livestock near roads and neighbors. And for nearly everyone, insuring the buildings and equipment to accurate replacement value is what separates a survivable loss from a ruinous one.
A carrier that actually knows agriculture.
Nationwide's roots are in farming — it was founded by farmers in 1926 — and it backs that with real tools: the Ag Insight Center, Farm Risk Ready reviews, a Farm Certification program for agents, ag-specialist risk consultants, and legacy/succession planning through Land As Your Legacy®. That depth is a genuine reason the farm line carries the brand's "on your side" weight.
What a farm policy isn't.
Two things get confused with farm insurance constantly. Knowing the difference now saves a bad surprise later.
Farm insurance is not crop insurance.
A farm property policy covers your buildings, equipment, livestock and liability. Federal crop insurance (multi-peril crop insurance) protects the yield or revenue of the crop itself and is a separate, federally backed program. They cover different things — and one does not replace the other. Tell us what you grow and we'll make sure the crop side is handled or pointed to the right place.
Farm labor may need workers' comp.
If you have farm employees, workers' compensation is generally a separate policy from your farm coverage, and requirements depend on your operation. It's part of the whole picture we build — not something to discover after an injury. Same for farm auto and fleet, which ride alongside the farm program.
The pieces we'll talk through.
Priced on the operation, not a webpage.
No two farms price alike, so a planning number would mislead more than help. This isn't a quote or a guarantee. Worth knowing: for many operations, farm insurance premiums can be a deductible business expense — check with a tax professional. What actually moves the number:
Founded by farmers, rated A (Excellent).
On November 7, 2025, AM Best affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent), stable outlook, for the members of the Nationwide Property and Casualty Group — the companies behind this coverage in Arkansas.
Where Nationwide is strong on the farm
- Founded by farmers in 1926 and one of the nation's largest farm and ranch insurers — agriculture isn't a side line here, it's the origin.
- Real ag resources: the Ag Insight Center, Farm Risk Ready, ag-specialist risk consultants, Grain Bin Safety Week, and Land As Your Legacy® succession planning.
- Coverage across the whole spectrum — hobby farm to production ranch to commercial agribusiness — with an agribusiness umbrella for the liability.
- A policyholder-owned mutual, Fortune 100, rated A (Excellent) by AM Best for the P&C group that writes this coverage.
What we'll tell you honestly
- Crop is separate. A farm property policy doesn't cover the crop's yield — we make sure federal crop coverage is handled or referred, not assumed.
- Insure to real value. The most common farm mistake is under-insuring barns and equipment; we build the values honestly so a total loss actually rebuilds.
- We'll tell you when Nationwide isn't the fit. It's one of 40+ markets we place — if another writes your class better, we'll say so.
- We don't adjust your claim. The adjuster decides the payment; we can't overrule them, but we advocate hard for you.
The policies that ride alongside the farm.
One account across the whole place.
Farm, farm auto, umbrella, and any workers' comp are strongest when they're built to fit together and watched by one agent who knows the operation — so the pieces line up and nothing drops out from under you at renewal.
Nationwide farm & ranch questions.
Won't my homeowners policy cover my farm?
Not the farm part of it. A homeowners policy is built for the house and its contents. It generally won't cover your barns and outbuildings, your tractors and equipment, your livestock, your stored grain and feed, or your farm liability — the exposures that come from actually running an operation.
Once there's a barn, a herd, or income involved, you need a farm policy written for it. Trying to run a farm on a homeowners policy is how a barn fire becomes an uninsured loss.
What does a Nationwide farm policy cover?
It bundles property, liability and equipment into one package: your farm dwelling and contents, your farm structures (barns, confinement and poultry houses, silos, pens, corral fencing, fixed irrigation), your farm personal property (machinery, equipment, livestock, and products like grain, feed, pesticides and fertilizer), and farm liability.
You then tailor it with optional coverages so you pay for what your operation actually needs.
Does Nationwide insure small or hobby farms too?
Yes. CountryChoice is built for small and hobby farms, AgriChoice is for traditional production farms and ranches, and the commercial agribusiness side handles larger operations like grain elevators, fuel and propane, and food and beverage processing.
The few acres with a couple of horses and the full production operation are both real farm risks — they just belong on different policies, and we'll tell you which one fits.
Is crop insurance the same as farm insurance?
No — this trips people up. Farm insurance protects your buildings, equipment, livestock and liability. Federal crop insurance (multi-peril crop insurance) protects the yield or revenue of the crop itself and is a separate, federally backed program.
They solve different problems, and a farm property policy does not replace crop coverage. Tell us what you grow or raise and we'll make sure both sides are handled or pointed to the right place.
Can I insure my poultry houses and backup generators?
Yes, and it's worth doing carefully in poultry country. Confinement and poultry houses are covered farm structures, and endorsements matter here: equipment breakdown can cover electrical generating equipment, and spoilage or temperature-control coverage responds when a power or ventilation failure threatens temperature-sensitive stock.
For a grower, a single ventilation failure can wipe out a house of birds — so how the generator and the flock are insured is not a detail to skip.
How do I get a Nationwide farm quote in Northwest Arkansas?
Start at our quote form or call (479) 286-1066. Tell us the operation — acreage, structures, livestock, equipment values, and whether it's a hobby farm, a production farm, or a larger agribusiness — because that determines which Nationwide farm policy fits.
Because we're independent, we can put Nationwide's farm program up against our other markets and tell you honestly which one protects your operation best.
If our farm and coverage guides are helpful, mark Cribb Insurance as a preferred source so more Northwest Arkansas farmers and ranchers find our local explanations.
Let's cover the whole place — not just the house.
Tell us the operation: the acreage, the structures, the livestock, the equipment, and whether it's a hobby farm, a production farm, or a larger agribusiness. We'll match it to the right Nationwide farm program, set the building and equipment values honestly so a loss actually rebuilds, add the endorsements that fit poultry and cattle country, and make sure crop, farm auto, and workers' comp are handled too. If another market fits your operation better, we'll say so.
Cribb Insurance Group Inc. is an independent insurance agency licensed in Arkansas. We are not Nationwide, and this page is not endorsed, sponsored, reviewed, or approved by Nationwide. "Nationwide," the Nationwide N and Eagle, "Nationwide is on your side," "AgriChoice," "CountryChoice," and "Land As Your Legacy" are service marks or trademarks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, used here nominatively to identify products and programs we are appointed to place. Nationwide's Arkansas farm, ranch, and agribusiness policies are issued by Nationwide-affiliated underwriting companies.
This page describes coverage in general terms for informational purposes only. It is not a policy, not an offer of insurance, and not a guarantee of coverage, availability, eligibility, or price. Product tiers, included and optional coverages, causes-of-loss levels (basic, broad, special), endorsements, limits, eligibility, program terms, and availability vary by operation, by state, by policy, and over time, are set by the carrier, and are subject to underwriting review, guidelines, and approval and to the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions of the policy actually issued. A farm property policy is not crop insurance; federal multi-peril crop insurance is a separate program. Farm labor may require workers' compensation, and farm vehicles may require separate auto coverage. Any statement that farm insurance premiums may be tax-deductible is general information, not tax advice — consult a qualified tax professional. If anything on this page conflicts with the issued policy, the policy controls.
Financial strength ratings are opinions of an insurer's ability to meet its ongoing insurance obligations, are subject to change, are not recommendations to purchase, hold or terminate any policy, and do not address an insurer's claims-handling practices; current ratings are at ambest.com. The A (Excellent) rating referenced applies to the members of the Nationwide Property and Casualty Group; a separate Nationwide life/annuity company carries its own rating. Statements about Arkansas agriculture and seismic exposure are general information; confirm your specific exposures and requirements with the appropriate authorities or a qualified advisor. If anything here conflicts with the issued policy, the policy controls.
Last reviewed July 2026.