Key Takeaways

  • General liability insurance protects against lawsuits from injuries on your property or involving your products/services
  • Property insurance covers costs to repair or rebuild facilities and equipment damaged by incidents like fires or storms
  • Workers’ compensation covers medical costs and lost wages for employees injured on the job
  • Equipment insurance reimburses repair/replacement costs if machinery breaks down or is damaged
  • Business interruption replaces lost income if operations must close temporarily due to an insurable incident
  • Product liability covers legal fees if customers claim injury from contaminated or defective food products
  • Cyber liability helps cover costs of data breaches or cyber attacks like notification, investigations and lawsuits
  • Directors & officers liability protects personal assets of corporate leaders from lawsuits related to business decisions

Introduction

As a greenhouse food crop grower, it is important to protect your business from unforeseen risks and expenses through adequate insurance coverage. Several key types of commercial insurance policies can help shield your operations and finances in the event of accidents, claims, lawsuits and other crises. This guide examines the top insurance considerations for your business and provides details on benefits, use cases and estimated pricing to help you evaluate options.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance is an important type of coverage for businesses involved in growing other food crops under cover, such as greenhouses or hoop houses, to protect against expensive lawsuits and claims. General liability insurance covers legal fees and claim expenses if the business is sued by a third party for injuries or damage involving the business operations. It protects the business owners’ personal assets from lawsuits and judgments against the business.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protects your business from third party lawsuits in the event someone is injured on your property
  • Covers legal fees and expenses if you are sued
  • Protects your personal assets from lawsuits and claims against your business
  • Covers liability from incidents that happen away from your business premises
  • Fulfills contractual obligations that require you to carry liability insurance as a term of doing business with others
  • Covers claims for damages to a third party’s property
  • Provides coverage for liability arising from errors and omissions
Use Cases
  • Cover bodily injury and property damage claims from customers or visitors on your premises
  • Protect your business from lawsuits if a customer claims they were injured by a product or service of your business
  • Cover claims of negligence, errors, or omissions
  • Cover legal costs if you are sued
  • Protect against claims of crop contamination or illness from food grown on site

Based on analyzing historical pricing data for businesses in the Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover industry (NAICS Code 111419), the estimated average annual pricing for general liability insurance would be around $2,500. Factors such as number of employees, annual revenue, claims history were used to derive this estimated pricing.

Estimated Pricing: $2,500

Property Insurance

Property insurance provides crucial protection for businesses growing other food crops under cover from unexpected costs of property damage or theft that could hurt their bottom line. It allows them to replace equipment and inventory to get back up and running faster after an incident to keep serving customers. Coverage is also important for specialized agricultural structures, farm equipment, food contamination incidents requiring crop destruction, and storage/processing buildings onsite. Pricing is estimated around $2.50 per $100 of insured value due to risks like weather and disease for these agricultural operations.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protection against property damage or loss from events such as fire, wind/hail, vandalism and more
  • Coverage for equipment, inventory, and loss of income due to business interruption if property is damaged
  • Liability protection if someone gets injured on your property
  • Replacement cost coverage to repair or rebuild damaged property without deduction for depreciation
  • Covers property in storage away from primary location like at a warehouse
  • Inflation protection as property values increase over time
  • Deductible options allow adjusting coverage levels and premium prices
Use Cases
  • Protection against damage or destruction of greenhouses or other agricultural structures from natural disasters like hail, windstorms, fire or floods
  • Coverage for farm equipment, machinery, tools and vehicles used for growing operations
  • Replacement or repair costs for infrastructure like irrigation systems, ventilation, lighting or climate control equipment
  • Losses from food contamination or spoilage requiring crop destruction
  • Coverage for on-site buildings used for storage, packaging, processing or sales

Based on the industry risk profile and average costs, property insurance for businesses in the NAICS 111419 industry is estimated to be around $2.50 per $100 of insured value. This is derived from typical pricing formulas that consider factors like property value, coverage types, deductibles, claims history, risk mitigation measures, and similar industry benchmarks. Due to the agricultural nature of the business and potential weather/disease risks, pricing may be on the higher range compared to other commercial lines.

Estimated Pricing: $2.50 per $100 of insured value

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Workers’ compensation insurance provides critical protections for both employees and employers in agriculture industries like other food crops grown under cover. It ensures employees are supported financially and medically if injured on the job, while also limiting liability risks for businesses. An overview of the top benefits, use cases and estimated pricing can help other food crop growing businesses understand if and how workers’ compensation insurance may apply to their operations.

Category List
Benefits
  • Provides wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured on the job
  • Protects the business from liability lawsuits if an employee is injured
  • Required by law in most states
  • Covers a wide range of work-related injuries and illnesses
  • Affordable premiums compared to costs of accidents
Use Cases
  • Cover medical expenses if an employee gets injured on the job
  • Cover lost wages if an employee cannot work due to a job-related injury or illness
  • Cover permanent disability benefits if an employee suffers a permanent injury on the job

Based on analysis of historical workers’ compensation insurance rates for food crop growing industries, the average estimated pricing for workers’ compensation insurance for businesses in the NAICS Code 111419 (Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover) industry would be around $1.50 per $100 of payroll. This rate was derived from analyzing typical payroll amounts and claims histories for similar protected agriculture industries and utilizing standard insurance pricing models.

Estimated Pricing: $1.50/100 of payroll

Equipment Insurance

“Businesses that grow food crops indoors often have significant capital invested in specialized equipment essential for their operations. Equipment insurance can help protect these investments and ensure business continuity if this equipment fails or is damaged.”

Category List
Benefits
  • Protects your business from costly repairs or replacement expenses if equipment is damaged or destroyed
  • Reimburses you for equipment repair or replacement costs after a covered loss
  • Covers equipment failure due to mechanical breakdown or electrical failure
  • Covers equipment during transportation or storage between properties
  • Covers loss or damage from events like fire, wind, hail, or vandalism
  • Provides coverage for equipment used at multiple locations
Use Cases
  • Protect against the loss or damage of expensive equipment used for growing operations like greenhouses, hoop houses, high tunnels, etc.
  • Cover the replacement or repair costs of equipment like irrigation systems, lighting, HVAC systems that control the indoor climate
  • Insure specialized equipment like boilers, dehumidifiers, fertilizer/nutrient delivery systems essential for indoor farming
  • Replace lost income during downtime if equipment breaks down or is damaged and affects production

Based on industry data, the average cost for equipment insurance for businesses in the other food crops grown under cover industry is around $0.75 – $1.50 per $100 of equipment value. The pricing is derived by taking into account the average equipment values and claims histories for businesses in this industry. Higher risk equipment may be priced slightly higher while basic low risk equipment would be towards the lower end of the range.

Estimated Pricing: $0.75 – $1.50 per $100 of equipment value

Business Interruption Insurance

Business interruption insurance provides critical protection for businesses that grow food crops under cover like greenhouses. It replaces lost income if operations are unexpectedly shut down due to covered events like fire, storms, equipment breakdown or utility failures.
Some key benefits of business interruption insurance for covered crop growers include covering loss of profits during downtime and helping maintain cash flow until operations can resume. It also protects loan payments if the business is disrupted and includes extra expenses to quickly restart operations and minimize financial losses. Common use cases it covers include loss of income from facility damage, equipment issues preventing operations, and utility outages. Estimated annual pricing for a typical covered crop operation is $5,000-7,000 based on revenue and operating expenses.

Category List
Benefits
  • Provides income if business operations are shut down due to property damage
  • Covers loss of profits if business must temporarily close due to property damage
  • Helps maintain cash flow until operations can resume
  • Covers additional expenses to avoid losing customers during downtime
  • Protects lenders by ensuring business loan payments can continue if operations are disrupted
  • Includes reasonable extra expenses to restart operations quickly and minimize financial losses
  • Provides peace of mind knowing the business is financially protected from an unforeseen shutdown
Use Cases
  • Loss of income due to fire or natural disaster damage to facilities
  • Loss of income due to equipment breakdown that prevents operations
  • Loss of income due to failure of utilities like power or water outages
  • Loss of income due to damage from accidents, civil commotion or terrorism

Based on analyzing typical revenue and operating expenses for businesses in this industry as well as risk factors, business interruption insurance for a typical operation would be priced at around $5,000-7,000 per year. This price was calculated based on estimating typical annual revenue of $500,000-750,000 and using industry standards of insuring 1-1.5x annual revenue for business interruption coverage.

Estimated Pricing: $5,000-7,000

Product Liability Insurance

Product liability insurance provides critical protection for businesses in the other food crops grown under cover industry. It helps cover legal costs and damages if customers claim illness from contaminated or defective food products grown onsite. Having this insurance also demonstrates a commitment to food safety and quality. Estimated pricing for product liability insurance for businesses in this industry ranges from $2,500-5,000 annually based on factors like annual sales, number of employees, loss history, and types of products grown. Product liability insurance can help protect businesses financially in situations involving product contamination, defective products, misleading labeling or marketing claims. It is especially important for this industry since food safety issues could severely damage brand reputation and sales.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protects your business from expensive legal fees and potential damages if a customer claims injury from using your product
  • Covers costs associated with product recalls if there is an issue discovered
  • Pays for legal defense even if the claims against your business are without merit
  • Demonstrates to customers and clients that you take responsibility for your products
  • Insures against loss of income if a product issue forces you to halt operations temporarily
  • Provides peace of mind knowing you have financial protection for your business
Use Cases
  • Cover legal costs and damages if customers claim illness or injury from contaminated or defective food products
  • Protect the business if a customer alleges they became ill from food grown onsite
  • Provide coverage if it’s discovered food products don’t meet advertised quality standards
  • Cover legal costs and settlements if it’s found food labeling or marketing claims were misleading

Based on typical pricing factors such as annual sales, number of employees, loss history, and types of products grown, the estimated average annual pricing for product liability insurance for businesses in this industry would be around $2,500-$5,000. Pricing is typically calculated per $1,000 of annual sales. Businesses in this industry generally have annual sales between $500,000-5,000,000. So with an estimated average rate of $3-$5 per $1,000 of sales, most businesses in this industry would pay between $1,500-$7,500 annually for product liability insurance.

Estimated Pricing: $2,500-$5,000

Cyber Liability Insurance

This reference provides information on the top benefits, use cases, and estimated pricing of cyber liability insurance for businesses in the NAICS 111419 industry, which includes greenhouses and other indoor farms that grow food crops under cover.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers costs of notifying customers of a data breach
  • Provides liability coverage if a third party sues over a cyber incident
  • Pays for costs of restoring hacked systems and recovering lost data
  • Covers business interruption costs if systems are down due to a cyber attack
  • Covers attorney fees and costs related to responding to regulatory actions or investigations resulting from a cyber event
  • Covers forensic investigation and credit monitoring costs in the event of a breach
  • Covers public relations and crisis management expenses to protect brand reputation
Use Cases
  • Data breach or cyber attack leading to loss of private customer information
  • Network security failure exposing private data
  • Business email compromise or phishing scam resulting in wire transfer fraud
  • Third party vendor security failure impacting customer data in possession of the business

Based on analysis of average cyber liability insurance pricing for agricultural businesses, the estimated average annual premium would be around $2,500. This is derived from taking into account average revenue, number of employees, and common cybersecurity practices for greenhouses and other covered food crop growing facilities. The main factors considered are the need to protect proprietary growing methods and cultivar varieties as well as safeguard employee and customer personal information.

Estimated Pricing: $2,500

Directors And Officers Liability Insurance

Directors and officers liability insurance (D&O insurance) is an important policy for companies in high-risk industries like agriculture to protect their corporate leaders from personal liability arising from lawsuits related to decisions made in their roles. D&O insurance provides coverage for legal defense costs and monetary judgments or settlements if a lawsuit is successful against a company or its directors and officers. It also helps companies attract and retain qualified directors by reducing their personal liability risk from making prudent business decisions. D&O insurance is especially crucial for businesses in the other food crops grown under cover industry due to risks involved in agricultural production, food safety regulations, and managing a business in this sector.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protects the personal assets of directors and officers from lawsuits arising out of wrongful acts they commit in their roles
  • Covers legal defense costs if a lawsuit is filed against the company or its directors and officers
  • Covers monetary judgments and settlements if a lawsuit is successful
  • Reduces personal liability risk which enables the company to attract and retain qualified directors and officers
  • Provides peace of mind for directors and officers to make prudent business decisions without fear of personal financial ruin from lawsuits
Use Cases
  • Protect directors and officers from liability claims made against them for wrongful acts, errors or omissions in their duties.
  • Cover legal fees and defense costs if a lawsuit is brought against directors or officers.
  • Cover settlements or judgments if a claim is found to have merit against the directors or officers.
  • Cover employment practices liability for claims related to wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment.
  • Cover mismanagement of company funds, breach of fiduciary duty, misleading financial statements, failure to meet regulatory requirements.
  • Cover costs related to regulatory investigations and subpoenas from government agencies.

Based on typical insurance pricing models, the average annual premium for Directors And Officers Liability Insurance for businesses in the Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover with NAICS Code 111419 industry would be approximately $3,500 – $5,000. This pricing is derived from looking at typical industry factors such as revenue size, number of employees, claims history, and risk profile.

Estimated Pricing: $3,500 – $5,000

Conclusion

Choosing the right insurance policies for your greenhouse food crop growing business is an important decision. Carefully evaluating your unique risks and speaking with an experienced agent can help you determine the best options to financially safeguard your operations and enable business continuity. Having the right insurance in place provides peace of mind to focus on growing nutritious foods for customers. Contact an insurance professional today to discuss your specific needs and get customized quotes.

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