Was Your Farm Ready for Extreme Weather?
With the first named storms of the autumn and winter season, now behind us, you may well be taking stock of how it affected your farm.
Perhaps you escaped with little more than a few fallen branches and some surface water. Or perhaps you’re dealing with damaged fencing, flooded buildings, blocked access routes, or fields that remain waterlogged long after the rain has stopped.
Whatever your experience, storms like Austen and Boelo have a way of showing you things you may not have otherwise noticed.
Understanding your farm's vulnerabilities
While no one welcomes the disruption, storms like this can be a reminder of where your farm is most vulnerable. It may have exposed weaknesses, but it may also have highlighted practical steps you can take to help protect your farm before the next spell of severe weather arrives.
As the weather subsides, now could be a good time to walk the farm and assess what worked well and what didn’t. Could drainage be improved? Were farm buildings, feed stores or machinery left vulnerable? Are there simple changes that could reduce the impact of future storms or flooding?
Understanding your farm's vulnerabilities
Winter weather can quickly create slippery conditions around livestock buildings. Mud, standing water, feed spillages and damp concrete all have the potential to increase the risk of slips, trips and falls.
Entrances, collecting yards, feed passages and areas around water troughs are all locations where hazards can develop quickly if left unchecked.
Extreme weather is becoming a bigger challenge
For many UK farmers, extreme weather is no longer an occasional challenge. It’s becoming something you have to plan for. Heavy rainfall, flooding and strong winds against a backdrop of drought, can all affect your land, livestock, buildings and day-to-day operations, often with little warning.
It’s also worth thinking about how prepared you are if severe weather strikes again. If flooding cuts off access routes, do you have alternatives? If power is lost, what does that mean for your livestock or daily operations? Having a plan in place can make difficult situations that little bit easier to manage.
Of course, even with careful planning and maintenance, some things are beyond your control. When the weather turns severe, the costs can mount up quickly. Repairs to farm buildings, recovering from flood damage and dealing with business interruption can all place added pressure on you at a time when you’re already tackling the practical challenges of getting things back to normal.
Does your insurance still reflect your needs?
That’s why it’s worth taking a fresh look at your farm insurance.
Farm insurance may provide financial protection against a range of risks, but the level of cover will vary between policies. Depending on your individual policy and insurer, cover may be available for farm buildings, machinery, livestock, feed, and other important assets. Some policies may also provide protection against storm damage, flood damage and business interruption, subject to policy terms, conditions and exclusions.
The key is making sure your cover still reflects your farm and your needs. New machinery, building improvements, diversification projects and rising replacement costs can all affect whether your existing policy remains suitable. A regular review will be able to assist you in ensuring you understand the protection you have in place and identify any areas that may need updating.
A timely reminder…
None of us knows what the rest of the autumn and winter will bring, but the recent storms provided a timely reminder of how quickly conditions can change.
If the recent storms have prompted you to review your insurance arrangements, we’d be happy to help. Get in touch with the Farm & General team for a review of your existing cover and we can assist you understand whether it remains suitable for your farm’s needs and circumstances.
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