Farm operators

Farm insurance in Quebec, with a broker who understands your farming reality

Contact us for a quote

1.833.231.3757 Contact form
File a claim

Your type of farm operation

Inspection of young plants by agricultural professionals using a digital device. Typical context requiring insurance for an agricultural business and protection of professional activities.

Farm insurance in Quebec, adapted to your operation and your real risks

Every farm is different. A sugar bush faces different risks than a dairy farm or a market garden. 

A barn fire mid-season, a tractor breakdown at seeding time, or a problem with the herd can quickly disrupt operations. 

The right farm insurance coverage can make a real difference, subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions, limits, and deductibles of the policy.

A farm has many assets to protect:

  • Buildings: the barn, the stables, silos, the piggery, the henhouse, the greenhouse
  • Equipment: machinery, tools, trailers
  • Animals: the herd, livestock, newly acquired animals
  • Products: harvests, seeds, stored goods
  • Income: business interruption following a covered loss that forces operations to halt
  • Residence: the main home if it is located on the property

Standard farm insurance is not always enough. Generic policies can leave gaps when buildings, equipment, animals, products, income, and liability exposures are not reviewed together. 

A La Turquoise broker can review each element with you and help identify important risks before a loss occurs.

Contact us for a quote

1.833.231.3757 Contact form

Farm insurance coverages to consider

A farm represents years of work. These coverages can help address common agricultural risks and support your recovery when a covered loss affects your operation.
Protect what you’ve built with coverage options reviewed for your situation.

Farm buildings

The barn, the stables, silos, the henhouse, and the equipment shed are often the heart of your operation. In the event of a covered fire, storm, or vandalism loss, this coverage can help pay for repair or reconstruction costs. 

The amount covered depends on the policy terms, exclusions, deductibles, limits, and insured value. We can walk you through the options.

  • A fire destroys your barn.
  • An ice storm brings down the roof of your stable.
  • Someone vandalizes your equipment shed. 

Animals and livestock

Cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep, goats, or horses represent real values and specific risks. Coverage is generally established by species, based on the amounts specified in your policy. Newly acquired animals may also be covered for a set period, depending on the policy wording. We can help you understand how livestock coverage may apply to your operation.

  • A fire in the stable causes the loss of part of the herd.
  • Recently purchased animals perish at a covered loss.
  • A covered incident causes the loss of part of your dairy herd during peak production season. 

Sugar bushes and sugar shacks

A sugar bush can involve a heritage building, costly processing equipment, syrup stock, tubing systems, and a short production season. A covered loss at the wrong moment can affect a significant part of the year’s income. Coverage options can help protect your buildings, evaporators, tubing systems, syrup stock, and general liability if you welcome visitors.

  • A fire destroys your sugar shack at the height of maple season.
  • A visitor is injured during a group visit to your sugar bush. 

Home insurance on the farm

The house on the farm is often where everything started. It may require its own home insurance policy, separate from your farm insurance. Your residence, personal belongings, and private outbuildings should be reviewed separately from your agricultural operations. Eligible home insurance discounts may apply, depending on the insurer and your situation.

  • A fire damages your main residence.
  • Personal belongings are stolen from your home.
  • Water damage affects your house after a storm.

Farm machinery

A tractor, a combine harvester, tillage implements, tools, and spare parts can be essential to your daily operations. A theft, fire, or accidental damage at the wrong moment can disrupt your farm for days, weeks or more. This is especially true if the equipment is specialized or hard to find. Machinery coverage can help protect eligible equipment, depending on the type of loss and the policy wording. Certain equipment less than five years old may be eligible for replacement costs, subject to insurer conditions and required documentation.

  • Your tractor is damaged in an accident.
  • A fire destroys your combine before the harvest.
  • Farm tools are stolen from your shed. 

Farm products

Harvests, seeds, fertilizers, and animal feed help keep your farm running. Farm products may be covered while in the barn or in storage. They may also be covered while in the field, depending on the type of product, the cause of loss, and the policy wording. We can help you understand when coverage may apply.

  • A fire destroys hay set aside for winter.
  • Seeds are lost following a covered loss. 

Agricultural general liability

An accident on your property, damage caused to a neighbour, or an accidental spill can create liability exposure. Farm operations carry risks for others. Agricultural general liability coverage can help you respond to a claim alleging bodily injury or property damage. This coverage includes defence costs and damages for which you may be legally liable, subject to the policy wording. Farms that rely on volunteer helpers or work exchanges can face additional liability exposure. A volunteer injured on your property can give rise to a claim against you, even before liability is determined. Specific coverage options may be available for these situations, depending on the nature of the work, who is involved, and the policy terms.

  • A visitor is injured while on your property.
  • Your equipment damages a neighbour’s property during field work.
  • A contamination issue leads to the rejection of a milk shipment and creates a financial loss or liability concern.
  • A visitor, volunteer, or family member is injured during field work or at the sugar shack. 

Additional farm insurance coverages to consider

Some coverages can be added depending on your type of farm, your activities, and insurer eligibility.  They can complement your basic coverage and help protect against situations that are easy to overlook.

Business interruption

A covered loss can force your operations to halt for weeks or even months. In the meantime, expenses keep coming. Business interruption coverage can help replace a portion of lost income and cover certain additional costs while you resume operations. It is subject to the waiting period, limits, indemnity period, and policy wording.

  • A fire destroys your stable and prevents milking for two months, subject to the applicable coverage and waiting period.
  • A covered loss forces the temporary closure of your sugar shack. 

Agricultural services for third parties and contract work

Do you plow private driveways, spread on a neighbour’s land, or offer spraying services? Your farm policy does not automatically cover activities carried out of your property or services provided to others. Separate coverage may be required based on the type of work performed, where it is performed, and how often.

  • You clear private driveways or public roads with your equipment.
  • You perform spreading work on another producer’s land.
  • You offer spraying services to neighbouring operations. 

ATVs and snowmobiles

Your farm policy may not cover an ATV used in the forest or a snowmobile used to travel your land in winter. These vehicles may require a separate policy adapted to their use and specific risks.

  • You use an ATV to monitor your land or work in the forest.
  • Your snowmobile is used to travel your property during the winter months.
  • You own a recreational vehicle not used exclusively for farm activities.

Equipment breakdown

Your milking parlour, ventilation system, or electronic and mechanical equipment can fail without warning. Equipment breakdown coverage can help pay repair or replacement costs caused by a sudden accidental breakdown. It may also cover certain resulting losses, such as spoilage caused by a refrigeration unit failure, depending on the policy wording.

  • Your milking system breaks down because of a sudden mechanical failure.
  • Your refrigeration system fails, resulting in the loss of stored crops. 
  • The automated milking system stops working during the morning milking. 

Animal welfare

After a covered loss, animal welfare standards may require specific arrangements before you can resume operations. This endorsement may cover a portion of the costs incurred to meet applicable requirements and support the welfare of your animals. However, it is subject to policy limits and conditions.

  • A loss forces the reconstruction of a livestock space to current standards.
  • Arrangements are required for your herd’s welfare before resuming operations.
  • Additional costs are incurred to comply with applicable codes of practice. 

Environmental coverage

A fuel, pesticide, or manure spill can lead to significant cleanup costs. You have a responsibility toward the environment and your neighbours. Environmental coverage can help respond to soil and water decontamination costs. This includes some pollution events that may not be covered under a standard farm policy, subject to policy terms, exclusions, limits, and regulatory requirements.

  • A diesel tank cracks and contaminates the soil near a waterway.
  • A manure spill affects a neighbouring property after a storm.
  • An accident causes pesticides to flow beyond your property. 

Farm trailers

Farm trailers and equipment that travel on public roads may need separate coverage. This coverage can help protect eligible assets while in transit or on public roadways, depending on their use and the policy wording.

  • A farm trailer is damaged on the road during transport.
  • Equipment being transported is lost or damaged during transit. 

Farm coverage backed by recognized insurers

 

View our partner insurers

La Turquoise works with several insurers that specialize in agriculture and farming risks. This gives us access to multiple markets. It allows us to compare coverage options for your farm, based on your operation, eligibility, insurer appetite, and policy conditions.

Example Partner Insurers:

  • Intact
  • Estrie Richelieu
  • L’unique
  • Promutuel (Lanaudière, Deux-Montagnes, Outaouais and St-Laurent-aux-Appalaches)
  • Economical
  • Optimum

Potential discounts and advantages based on your situation

Certain discounts or advantages may be available depending on your insurer, your farm, your home insurance, your equipment, and your eligibility. A La Turquoise broker can help verify what may apply to your situation.

Partner associations and programs

La Turquoise collabore avec plusieurs associations, regroupements professionnels et organisations afin d’offrir des avantages à leurs membres. Parcourez la liste pour voir les associations et programmes actuellement offerts.

Affinity programs and discounts

Protect your farm with the right insurance advice

Communiquez avec un courtier pour obtenir une soumission personnalisée et des conseils adaptés à votre situation.

Contact us for a quote

1.833.231.3757 serviceagricolepme@laturquoise.ca
Contact form

Your questions about farm insurance in Quebec

Farm operations face specific risks that standard insurance does not always address. This section answers frequently asked questions to help you better understand your coverage options, your obligations, and the decisions involved in insuring your farm properly.

Not necessarily. Farm insurance policies include specific clauses and certain exclusions depending on the risks involved. Damage caused by snow loads, for example, is not automatically covered under all policies.

The insured value of your buildings and the risks included vary depending on your policy. A La Turquoise broker can review your current coverage and help identify potential gaps before a loss occurs.

La Financière agricole may respond to certain crop losses caused by weather events, depending on the program and eligibility. It generally helps offset losses related to what is in the field. It does not replace farm insurance for buildings, farm machinery, livestock, or general liability.

Picture a hailstorm that damages both your crop and your silo. La Financière agricole may respond to the crop loss, depending on the program and eligibility. 

For the silo, you would need separate farm insurance, with any reimbursement subject to the policy wording, insured value, deductible, and valuation basis. 

The two coverages are complementary. One does not replace the other.

A dairy farm, a sugar shack, and a vineyard do not face the same insurance risks. A specialized broker can review your operation in detail, including buildings, livestock, inputs, machinery, and direct sales activities.

An insurance broker is not tied to a single insurer. Comparing several markets can help identify coverage options adapted to your reality. An underinsured stable, an uninsured business interruption exposure, or a combine breakdown at harvest time can have major financial consequences. 

A broker helps you review the important risks so fewer exposures are missed.

Farm operations are exposed to accidental pollution risks. These include manure spills, fuel leaks, and contamination of a waterway or groundwater. These situations can trigger your environmental general liability and lead to significant decontamination costs.

Many standard policies limit or exclude pollution-related damage, especially when contamination develops gradually or falls outside the policy’s basic pollution wording. 

Basic pollution wordings generally only include sudden and accidental pollution events. 

Specific environmental coverage may be important for livestock farms, field crop operations, and any farm that stores fuel, pesticides, manure, or other potentially contaminating products. Check with your broker about whether this coverage is included in your current policy and how it applies.

Welcoming the public creates additional liability exposure. A fall in the driveway, an accident during a field activity, or an injury at the sugar shack can result in a claim against you. 

General liability coverage in a farm insurance policy may respond to this type of situation, including certain defence costs and damages for which you may be legally liable, subject to the policy wording.

This coverage is particularly important for agritourism farms, maple producers who receive groups, and producers who sell directly to the public. 

To avoid coverage issues, all activities open to the public should be declared to your insurer. Make sure your policy reflects your current activities.

Practical tips for farmers and everyday protection

View all our insurance tips

Insurance solutions designed for your personal and business needs

Because every situation is different, we offer insurance solutions adapted to your reality, whether it involves your property, your activities, or your business.