Mid-Season Farm Check: Is Your Northern Michigan Operation Covered for Summer?

Posted: 5 hours, 3 minutes ago

By June, Northern Michigan farms are deep into the growing season. Transplants are in the ground, greenhouses are humming, CSA deliveries are underway, and for many operations the summer rush — u-pick fields, farm stands, agri-tourism weekends, custom hay work — is already here or just around the corner.

At Top O' Michigan Insurance Solutions, we've been working with Northern Michigan farm families for more than 50 years. And every summer, we have the same conversation with a handful of folks: I didn't realize I wasn't covered for that.

This post is here to help make sure that conversation doesn't happen to you this year.

What Changes at Mid-Season That Most Farmers Don't Think About

Farm risk isn't static. It shifts through the year — and mid-summer is when several exposures hit their peak at the same time.

Equipment is running hardest. Tractors, irrigation systems, hay equipment, greenhouse HVAC, cold storage — everything is under maximum load in June and July. Equipment breakdown coverage is one of the most underused protections on a farm policy, and one of the most valuable when something goes wrong at the worst possible time. If a piece of critical equipment fails during a heat wave or in the middle of harvest, the cost isn't just the repair — it's the crop loss, the spoiled product, the missed contracts. Check whether your farm policy includes equipment breakdown, and whether the coverage limit still matches the equipment you're actually running.

Seasonal workers are on-site. Many Northern Michigan farms hire seasonal help for summer planting, harvesting, and agri-tourism operations. Workers' compensation requirements apply once you cross the employee threshold set by Michigan law — and the rules are specific. If you're adding workers for the summer and haven't confirmed your workers' comp coverage reflects current staffing levels, now is the time. A workplace injury involving a seasonal employee without proper coverage is a liability problem on top of an already difficult situation.

Farm vehicles are putting on miles. Farm trucks and utility vehicles used to move product, transport workers, or haul equipment between properties may not be fully covered under a standard auto policy — especially if they're crossing public roads. Commercial farm auto coverage is designed for how farms actually use their vehicles. If your farm has grown or your vehicle use has changed, it's worth a quick review.

On-farm sales and agri-tourism create different liability. This is the one that surprises people most. If the public visits your property — for a u-pick field, a farm stand, a wedding, a weekend market, school group tours, or any other event — your farm liability exposure is different from a field-only operation. Slip-and-fall on a farm path, an allergic reaction from a sample at your stand, a child hurt during an on-farm event: these are general liability scenarios that may not be adequately covered under a basic farm policy. If you've added public-facing activities in the last year or two, your policy needs to reflect that.

Crop Insurance: The Mid-Season Reminder

If you carry crop insurance through an MPCI (Multi-Peril Crop Insurance) program, you already made your coverage decisions earlier in the season. But mid-season is still a good moment to:

Confirm your acreage reporting is accurate and current
Document conditions with dated photos if you're seeing unusual weather patterns (Northern Michigan had significant flooding and storm damage this spring — records matter if you need to file)
Know your adjuster contact and the process for reporting a loss before you need it in a hurry

If you're a specialty grower — vegetables, fruit, greenhouse crops, herbs — and you've been relying on a basic policy that was built for row crops, there may be coverage options better suited to what you're actually growing. That conversation is worth having while the season is still ahead of you, not after.

What About the Spring Flooding?

If your property was affected by Northern Michigan's April 2026 flooding — and many farm operations across Cheboygan, Alcona, Alpena, and surrounding counties were — we want to hear from you if you haven't been in touch. Water damage to farm structures, drainage tile, stored equipment, and cropland creates losses that fall into different parts of a farm policy. Making sure every piece of a flooding loss is captured correctly matters for your claim outcome.

Standard farm policies and standard homeowners policies typically do not cover flooding from external water sources without a separate flood endorsement or NFIP policy. If the spring flooding revealed a gap in your coverage, let's talk about how to close it before the next event.

We Know Your Farm Because We Know Northern Michigan

Top O' Michigan Insurance Solutions has been independently owned and operating in this region since 1974. We work with farm families across Alpena, Hillman, Oscoda, Gaylord, and the wider Northern Michigan territory — and we represent a wide range of carriers, which means we can look across the market for the program that fits your specific operation, rather than fitting you into a one-size policy.

If it's been more than a year since you reviewed your farm coverage — or if anything about your operation has changed — a mid-season conversation costs nothing and can catch a lot.

Give us a call at 800-686-8664 or email service@TheSpireTeam.com. We're local, we pick up, and we're glad to talk through what you've got.

Coverage availability and terms subject to underwriting approval. Licensed in Michigan.