“That clarity supports underwriting confidence because it signals that the business is being managed deliberately rather than reactively.” While many conversations focus on the day-to-day, they are increasingly relevant to long-term planning, as well as short – to medium – term confidence. Expanding the advisory lens Resilience has always been at the core of strong farming operations, and building that resilience comes in many different forms. Brokers who broaden discussions beyond insured perils, to include workforce sustainability, governance maturity, and succession planning, can provide deeper strategic value to farming clients. Cashflow, says Richards, is another risk to always keep in mind. Practical takeaways for brokers: 1. Explore workforce capability and training exposure as part of renewal discussions. 2. Assess how aggregation has altered asset concentration and liability exposure. 3. Encourage documented governance and risk management practices ahead of succession. 4. Lead conversations that extend beyond immediate insured perils.
milestones in the lifecycle of a farm. Whether it is being kept in the family or sold to investors, succession planning often intersects with risk management practices, and it’s a key conversation to have.
That conversation is often deferred, but when it becomes urgent, the consequences can be significant.
Ben Church, General Manager of Broker Distribution at Allianz, believes that governance maturity can influence perception.
“Risk management of a farm is a really good proxy for how that enterprise is managed more broadly,” he says.
“When you walk onto a property and you can see that there’s discipline around safety, documentation, maintenance schedules, and contingency planning, that usually tells you a lot about how the overall business is being run. “If it presents well from a risk perspective, it will present well to someone looking at purchasing it. It gives confidence; not just from an insurance point of view, but from a governance and operational maturity perspective.” That means that documented contingency planning, structured insurance programs, and transparent risk management are essential to the next chapter in the farm’s life, as well as being hugely important to how things operate today.
“We need to help reduce the income troughs that cause the most strain on farmers,” he says.
Proactivity is key, says Gilmore. “The farms that are thinking about workforce planning, aggregation strategy and governance proactively are generally better positioned over the long term.
“Insurance is part of that conversation, but it sits alongside broader business discipline.”
Gilmore agrees that governance maturity can influence insurer confidence.
In a sector defined by volatility and long planning horizons, the broker who understands both visible and invisible risks becomes indispensable, not just at renewal time, but across months, years, and decades.
“Where there’s clear documentation, structured risk management and a defined succession plan, it provides clarity,” he says.
12 A NIBA Brokers’ Guide: to farming the future
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