The Best Livestock Insurance American Family Insurance is our best overall pick for its broad coverage options By Kiah Treece Kiah Treece University of Toledo College of Law University of Florida University of Miami Kia Treece is a writer, scientist, and sustainability coach specializing in environmental policy, off-grid living, zero waste, and vegan lifestyle. She holds a J.D. with a certificate in Environmental Law from the University of Toledo. Learn about our editorial process Updated March 28, 2023 Fact checked by Haley Mast Fact checked by Haley Mast LinkedIn Harvard University Extension School Haley Mast is a freelance writer, fact-checker, and small organic farmer in the Columbia River Gorge. She enjoys gardening, reporting on environmental topics, and spending her time outside snowboarding or foraging. Topics of expertise and interest include agriculture, conservation, ecology, and climate science. Learn about our fact checking process Share Twitter Pinterest Email Treehugger Animals Wildlife Pets Animal Rights Endangered Species News Environment Home & Garden Business & Policy Science Clean Beauty Eco-Design Culture View More We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Treehugger / Design by Amelia Manley While the loss of an animal is always difficult, it can also have financial implications for farmers and other business owners who rely on those animals for income. Whether you have a small goat dairy farm, alpaca farm, or a larger operation, livestock insurance can protect you from the economic impacts of losing an animal. The best livestock insurance providers offer a breadth of coverage options, customizable policies, and robust customer support. To help farmers and other livestock owners choose the most appropriate coverage, we reviewed the best livestock insurance companies. Best Livestock Insurance of 2023 Best Overall: American Family Insurance Best for Specialized Coverage: The Hartford Best for Revenue Protection: Farm Bureau Financial Services Best for Whole Farm Coverage: Nationwide Best for Livestock Mortality Coverage: The Equestrian Group Best Overall: American Family Insurance American Family Insurance Get a Quote Key Specs Types of Insurance: Blanket and scheduled Online Quote Tool: Yes Animals Covered: Domestic and high-value Why We Chose It American Family Insurance is our top pick for livestock insurance because it offers a robust selection of flexible coverage options for numerous domestic and exotic animals. Pros & Cons Pros Insurance covers a wide variety of livestockOffers both scheduled and unscheduled coverageStellar rating by AM Best Cons Policies are only available in about 23 states Overview American Family Insurance is an insurance company with a top rating from AM Best (credit rating agency) and broad coverage across roughly 23 states. As our overall best livestock insurance provider, the company lets policyholders choose from both unscheduled (blanket) coverage for farms and livestock, and scheduled coverage that applies to specific animals. These customizable policies are available for a wide range of exotic and domestic animals, including but not limited to cattle, pigs, chickens, llamas, alpacas, and emus. AmFam’s livestock insurance covers losses due to a wide range of basic perils like accidents, natural disasters, weather events, crimes, and collisions during transit. That said, the company also offers an animal perils endorsement that covers broad events such as drowning and attacks by wild animals or dogs. Best for Specialized Coverage: The Hartford The Hartford Get a Quote Key Specs Types of Insurance: Blanket and scheduled Online Quote Tool: No Animals Covered: Domestic and high-value Why We Chose It We chose The Hartford because it offers broad livestock coverage options for everything from poultry and cattle insurance to horse and higher-valued animal insurance. Pros & Cons Pros Offers extensive coverage optionsMakes it easy to find a local livestock agentProvides 24-hour “always-on-call” claims handling Cons Does not offer an online quoting tool Overview Founded in 1810, The Hartford is a well-established investment and insurance company that sells products—including livestock insurance—through a network of independent agents across the country. Customers can choose from a wide range of livestock insurance solutions, including animal mortality coverage, animal mortality limited coverage, and optional major medical expense coverage. Coverage is also available for losses that occur during livestock auction, packing, and transit—including for international ocean marine transit. Policies also extend to swine and poultry farms, hatcheries, feedlots, pasture, and dairy cattle operations. Best for Revenue Protection: Farm Bureau Financial Services Farm Bureau Financial Services Get a Quote Key Specs Types of Insurance: Revenue protection Online Quote Tool: Yes Animals Covered: N/A Why We Chose It We chose Farm Bureau Financial Services (FBFS) because of its specialized gross margin, livestock risk protection, and dairy revenue protection coverage. Pros & Cons Pros Policyholders can protect their income with a range of coverage optionsWebsite makes it easy to find an agentTop AM Best rating Cons Coverage is not as extensive as other providers Overview Farm Bureau Financial Services livestock insurance policies are available in about eight states and are underwritten by Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company and Western Agricultural Insurance Company. Prospective policyholders who need coverage in states outside FBFS’s coverage area can also contact their local Farm Bureau office for local agent information. Farm Bureau Financial Services specializes in livestock gross margin, livestock risk protection, and dairy revenue protection policies that cover losses due to declining prices and increasing feed costs, among other risks. Policies are tailored to the unique needs of each policyholder and a Farm Bureau agent and Ag Underwriter will do an On-Site SuperCheck before creating an appropriate policy. Best for Whole Farm Coverage: Nationwide Nationwide Get a Quote Key Specs Types of Insurance: Blanket and scheduled Online Quote Tool: No Animals Covered: Domestic and high-value Why We Chose It Nationwide provides flexible farm coverage that makes it our best choice for farmers who need a policy that covers their farm operations as well as livestock. Pros & Cons Pros Includes coverage for cows, bulls, swine, goats, lambs, and sheepPolicyholders can choose from flexible coverage options Offers protection against unfounded animal abuse claims Cons Additional livestock mortality insurance required for certain coverage Overview With a stellar rating by AM Best, Nationwide offers whole farm coverage that includes livestock insurance. Nationwide’s AgriChoice farm insurance policy offers customers individual, blanket, and herd policies, making it easy to craft coverage that meets their unique needs. Livestock-specific policies include broad losses due to accidental shootings, attacks by dogs and wild animals, earthquakes, loading and unloading accidents, and sudden and accidental collisions. In addition to Nationwide’s standard coverage, policyholders get protection against unfounded animal abuse claims and animal cruelty lawsuits at no additional cost. Customers who are not found guilty of such claims are reimbursed for attorney fees up to their endorsement limits. Best for Livestock Mortality Coverage: The Equestrian Group The Equestrian Group Get a Quote Key Specs Types of Insurance: Blanket and scheduled Online Quote Tool: No Animals Covered: Domestic and high-value Why We Chose It Part of Allen Financial Insurance Group, The Equestrian Group is our number one pick for livestock mortality coverage because of the agency’s expertise in livestock underwriting. Pros & Cons Pros Coverage is available for any animals raised for profitPolicies can cover livestock in situ or in transitAvailable coverage limits are high Cons Website is somewhat outdated Overview Offered through Allen Financial Insurance Group, The Equestrian Group specializes in livestock mortality coverage for losses that occur on-site and in transit. Coverage limits are available up to roughly $1 million for any one animal and about $10 million for any one farm. The Equestrian Group also offers equine and equestrian insurance with a maximum line of roughly $2 million for high-valued horses. Customers can also choose from endorsements for specific classes of livestock, including policies tailored to cattle, poultry, pigs, aquatics and exotics, alpacas, llamas, and deer. Special coverage is also available for losses related to the storage of semen and embryos used in the breeding of livestock. Final Verdict Our overall best livestock insurance provider—American Family Insurance—stands out because of the company’s wide range of coverage, high AM Best rating, and excellent customer reviews. Not only can policyholders get protection against standard losses caused by accidents, natural disasters, and weather, but they can extend coverage with an animal perils endorsement and farm and ranch umbrella liability coverage. Compare the Best Livestock Insurance Company Types of Insurance Online Quote Tool Animals Covered American Family Insurance Best Overall Blanket and scheduled Yes Domestic and high-value The Hartford Best for Specialized Coverage Blanket and scheduled No Domestic and high-value Farm Bureau Financial Services Best for Revenue Protection Revenue protection Yes N/A Nationwide Best for Whole-Farm Coverage Blanket and scheduled No Domestic and high-value The Equestrian Group Best for Livestock Mortality Coverage Blanket and scheduled No Domestic and high-value Guide to Choosing Livestock Insurance Types of Coverage Livestock insurance is typically categorized as scheduled or unscheduled. Scheduled insurance covers specific animals, while unscheduled (blanket) insurance covers a group or herd of animals. Many farmers and livestock owners opt for scheduled coverage on high-value horses or specific animals used for breeding purposes. Unscheduled insurance is commonly chosen for herds of animals like cattle. Animals Covered Most companies cover domestic animals, like cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, horses, llamas, alpacas, deer, buffalo, elk, ostriches, and emus. Some livestock insurance companies also offer coverage for aquatic and exotic animals, like reptiles, birds, and aquatic species. Revenue Protection Revenue protection is a type of livestock insurance. Instead of insuring the actual animals, revenue protection covers potential losses in revenue from events like declining market prices for certain species, declines in dairy prices or milk production, or declining gross margins related to increased feed costs. Frequently Asked Questions What Is Livestock Insurance? Livestock insurance protects owners from the economic risks of losing an animal. By purchasing livestock insurance—as a standalone policy or as an endorsement on a standard farm policy—a farmer or rancher can protect their investment in animals raised for profit. What Does Livestock Insurance Cover? Livestock insurance extends beyond just cattle to sheep, goats, swine, poultry, alpacas, llamas, horses, mules, donkeys, and other domestic and exotic animals. Policies typically cover losses that occur on the farm and in-transit, and may include livestock collision insurance for when livestock is hit by a vehicle on a public road. Animals can be covered as a herd or on a per-head basis, especially more valuable animals that need additional coverage. Policyholders may also have the option of adjusting their coverage based on the season and the corresponding value of their herd. How Much Does Livestock Insurance Cost? The cost of livestock insurance depends on a number of factors, including the type and size of the operation being insured, the number of animals covered, and where the livestock are located. Methodology When evaluating the best livestock insurance, we compared 15 providers based on the breadth of coverage options, types of animals covered, and the flexibility of plans. As part of that review, we considered whether providers offer both unscheduled and scheduled livestock coverage, and whether an animal perils endorsement is available. We also reviewed factors like financial stability, customer service options, and the availability of online and in-person resources—like 24/7 claim support. Finally, we looked at each provider’s customer reviews, AM Best ratings, and the availability of online tools and resources. View Article Sources "AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of American Family Mutual Insurance Co., S.I., Its Affiliates and American Family Life Ins. Co." AM Best, 2021. "AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Its Key Operating Subsidiaries." AM Best. Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies