Am I liable if folks are injured while on my farm?

This question looms over the owners of farm or ranch businesses of all shapes and sizes. You can get answers if you know the right questions to ask.

In a word: Maybe. While farmers have a deep understanding of farm safety, the people they invite on to the farm – for events, CSA pickups, shopping in the farm store etc. – may not have the same familiarity. They are staring off into the fields of kale and corn under the setting sun and may not take the time to watch their step. With more and more farmers venturing into on-farm events and the like, it becomes more and more important to make sure that you are adequately prepared in the event that guests and customers on your farm are injured.

Our free resource, Farm Insurance Basics, provides a helpful basic overview on insuring against injury to customers and guests. Hear directly from an experienced farmer on insurance coverage options for farm customers and guests in our free 16min. Podcast Episode Seven: Got Coverage?

Our print guide, Managing Farm Risks With Insurance includes a chapter on insurance coverage options for injuries to farm customers and guests, exploring on-farm injuries, off-farm injuries (e.g. CSA drop sites, farmers markets) and “non-farm” injuries (anything that is not related directly to the marketing or production of livestock or crops, e.g. goat yoga.

Or, if you prefer to watch or listen to learn, Managing Your Farming Legal Risks with Insurance: A Farm Commons Tutorial includes a module on injuries to customers and guests.

Resources

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Insurance and Liability

Guiding Resilience: A Legal Workshop for Ag Service Providers, Fall 2025

This five-week workshop empowers ag service providers in guiding
farmers and ranchers towards legal resiliency.
Join us in learning the 10 best practices of farm legal risk management.

Live sessions meet at 12 pm CDT on 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, and  10/14

Guiding Resilience: A Legal Workshop for Ag Service Providers, Fall 2025

This five-week workshop empowers ag service providers in guiding
farmers and ranchers towards legal resiliency.
Join us in learning the 10 best practices of farm legal risk management.

Live sessions meet at 12 pm CDT on 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, and  10/14