Do I need workers’ compensation on my farm or ranch?

Worker's compensation is powerful tool for limiting legal risk.

Workers’ Compensation is a valuable legal tool, but some farms and ranches are not required to carry it. Discover the specific rule for when your state requires farms to carry workers’ compensation in our Selected Essentials in Farm Employment Law resource for your state (10pgs).

Many farms choose to buy workers’ compensation even if it isn’t required as it limits exposure to injury liability lawsuits from workers. Read more about the legal role and benefits in the workers’ compensation chapter of our Farmers’ Guide to Hiring Obligations (20pgs).

If video-based learning is more your style, take our https://farmcommons.org/product/adv-employment-law-course/. This online, comprehensive course helps farmers understand and make decisions about workers’ compensation. We also discuss techniques to manage premium costs in both the Farmers’ Guide to Hiring Obligations and the online course.

New to farm employment law, not yet a member, or looking for an overview of issues? Try our Hiring Farm Workers Basics (6pgs), an FAQ-style resource that answers farmers’ most typical questions about hiring workers for the farm (available to members and non-members alike). This resource will help you discover what you didn’t realize you didn’t know.

Resources

Book + Download

4 chapters

Farmers’ Guide to Hiring Obligations

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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