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Have Questions about Working with a Managing General Insurance Company?

  • Working with Stroud National
  • Administration & Service
  • Claims
  • Farm and Ranch Insurance
  • Irrigation Insurance
  • Commercial Agribusiness Insurance
  • Small Business Commercial Insurance
  • Manufactured Homes Insurance
  • General Insurance

Working with Stroud National

Stroud National Agency, Inc. is owned by the family of the late Steve L. Stroud. The Stroud family’s roots in the land date to at least the Oklahoma Land Run of 1892, and they have owned and worked ranches in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Saskatchewan.

Steve L. Stroud founded Stroud Crop Insurance in 1961 in his hometown of Weatherford, Oklahoma, and grew that company into one of the largest multi-peril crop insurance companies in the United States. While the focus later turned from crop insurance to farm and ranch insurance, Stroud National Agency, Inc. has been serving the insurance needs of American farmers and ranchers for over 60 years with a focus on financial strength, hard work, and helping others.

At Stroud National Agency, Inc. we see our work as “riding for the brand”. We are proud to unite our brand with those of our agents and our carriers in a common struggle to protect the legacies of farmers, ranchers and small business owners in local communities across the midwestern, southwestern and western United States.

To learn more about the history of Stroud National Agency, Inc. and the Stroud family, please visit: https://www.stroudga.com/about-us/ . For more information about the benefits of working with us, please visit: https://www.stroudga.com/about-us/why-stroud/ .

If you contract with Stroud National Agency, Inc. you will be dealing with a company that has helped independent insurance agents and their farmer, rancher, and small business clients overcome all kinds of challenges during the last 60+ years and is ready to do the same for at least another 60 more.

You will also receive access to top-rated carriers; competitive commissions and profit sharing; customized coverage options; trained, and experienced personnel who will advocate with our carriers on your behalf; all with no minimum volume requirements.

For more information about the benefits of working with Stroud National Agency, Inc., please visit: https://www.stroudga.com/about-us/why-stroud/ .

As a managing general agency company, we offer coverage via a network of agencies that extends from our roots in Oklahoma throughout Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, our adopted home of New Mexico, and 13 other states across the midwestern, southwestern, and western United States.

In all, our service area includes the following states: TX, OK, KS, NE, NM, AR, AZ, CO, IA, ID, MN, MO, MT, ND, OR, SD, UT, and WY.

For information about the availability of farm and ranch insurance, irrigation insurance, business owner policy (BOP) insurance, and manufactured homes insurance in those states, please visit: https://www.stroudga.com/where-is-stroud/ .

Stroud National Agency offers farm and ranch, irrigation, commercial agribusiness, small business commercial / BOP, and mobile home coverage through a network of independent insurance agencies.

For more information about our products, please visit: https://www.stroudga.com/products/ .

We proudly represent the following top-rated insurance carriers and markets:

– Travelers Agribusiness (Farm and Ranch Insurance)

– ARU (Non-Admitted Farm and Ranch Insurance)

– Liberty Mutual (Farm and Ranch Insurance, Small Business Commercial / BOP Insurance)

– Chubb (Irrigation Insurance, Commercial Agribusiness Insurance, Small Business Commercial / BOP Insurance)

– Aegis Ag (Irrigation Insurance)

– Aegis (Manufactured Homes Insurance)

– Accident Insurance Company (Farm Workers’ Compensation)

For more information about these carriers, please visit our Partners page, https://www.stroudga.com/partners/.

For more information on the lines of coverage options provided by these carriers and their risk appetite, please check out our Products page, https://www.stroudga.com/products/ .

If you are interested in obtaining a quote for farm and ranch insurance, we ask that you complete one of our farm and ranch quote request forms at https://www.stroudga.com/quote/.

If you are interested in submitting a quote for irrigation insurance, commercial agribusiness insurance, business owner policy (BOP) insurance, or mobile homes insurance, you can reach out to the underwriters that handle those lines from our Products page, https://www.stroudga.com/insurance-wholesale-products/.

We also encourage you to check out the quoting resources available on our Agent Tools page, https://www.stroudga.com/agent-tools/.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at 800-654-4056 or by email at stroud@stroudga.com.

In order to begin the contracting process, we’ll need for you to first complete our Become an Agent form, which is available at: https://www.stroudga.com/become-an-agent/. Once you’ve submitted the Become an Agent form, we will review the form and reach out with information and any additional requirements we’ll need to receive in order to complete our review.

While you work through the contracting process, we encourage you to submit quote requests in order to get a better feel for our coverage options, appetite, and processes.

Keep in mind, however, that we will need for you to be contracted with Stroud National Agency, Inc. in order to issue a policy for your clients. To begin the quoting process, please check out our Products page, https://www.stroudga.com/products/.

We’re proud to highlight a decades long relationship with Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT). We’re also a proud Affiliate Member of Big I Minnesota and a Bronze Premier Partner of Big I Oregon. In addition, we support local businesses in our area through our membership in the Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce.

While Stroud National Agency, Inc. has been based in Ruidoso, New Mexico for over 30 years, we are not a local insurance agency that works directly with clients. Rather, we are a managing general agency company and wholesale insurance broker. As such, we are unfortunately unable to assist with requests for insurance from clients in the Ruidoso area.

As a managing general agency company, we do not work directly with insureds or clients. If you are an insured in one of the 18 states we serve and you are interested in receiving coverage through Stroud National Agency, Inc., please let your local insurance agent know of your interest. We’ll be happy to assist them with the contracting and quoting process.

If you came to work with us via our program with IIAT, you have direct access to our underwriters and support staff like any direct agent of Stroud National Agency, Inc. However, since your contract is with IIAT, not with Stroud National, your benefits and responsibilities may vary at times from those of agents contracted directly with us.

For more detailed information about our program with IIAT, please visit https://www.iiat.org/get-markets-1/markets-for-your-clients/farm-ranch/stroud-national-agency and feel free to reach out to IIAT directly with questions.

We are incredibly proud of our past involvement in the crop insurance industry, but our focus has been on property and casualty (P&C) insurance since the early 2000’s, and we have no plans to reengage with the crop insurance industry.

For assistance with crop insurance needs, please feel free to reach out to ProAg, https://www.proag.com/. We are not affiliated with ProAg, but we know them to be a reputable organization and a great resource on all things crop insurance.

We do not currently offer or have plans to offer animal mortality insurance. Our farm and ranch insurance carriers do provide some coverage for scheduled livestock, but that is not the main focus. Your clients may likely be best-served by applying for specific animal mortality coverage with another managing general agency company.

Yes, in many cases — but not on a farm and ranch policy, and not through our small business commercial markets. Ag-related business risks fall outside what a farm and ranch policy is built to cover, and our small business commercial carriers have no appetite for ag exposures.

 

Those accounts belong in our commercial agribusiness program with Chubb Agribusiness, subject to a $25,000 minimum premium per account. Named target classes include farm supply stores; grain, feed, seed, and fertilizer operations; livestock feed manufacturers; grain dealers and seed merchants; feedlots; diversified cooperatives; and a range of packing, storage, and processing operations tied to agriculture.

 

For more information, please visit our Commercial Agribusiness Insurance section further down this page and our Products page, https://www.stroudga.com/insurance-wholesale-products/#agribusiness.

We encourage you to check out our News page, https://www.stroudga.com/news/ .

You can also follow Stroud National Agency, Inc. on the following social media services:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STROUDNATIONALAGENCY

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stroudnationalagencyinc

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stroudnationalagencyinc/

X: https://twitter.com/StroudNational

Every policy your agency writes with Stroud National automatically earns an entry into that month’s drawing — no extra forms, no extra steps. Eligible new business includes accounts placed through any of our MGA and wholesale broker markets: farm and ranch (admitted with Travelers Agribusiness or Liberty Mutual, non-admitted with ARU), irrigation with Chubb or Aegis Ag, commercial agribusiness with Chubb, our small business commercial lines (Travelers Select, Liberty Mutual, or Chubb), or our manufactured homes program with Aegis General Insurance Agency.

Each month, two winning agencies are drawn at random and each receives a $100 gift card. All monthly winners then carry forward into a $1,000 year-end grand prize drawing, so the more you write throughout the year, the more chances you get.

These drawings are our way of saying thanks to the agents doing the work of protecting rural clients across our 18-state territory, one more reason writing with the Stroud Crowd pays off beyond the policy itself.

Yes. As a managing general insurance agency, we offer profit sharing to agents whose qualifying premium volume reaches $250,000 or more.

Full details are outlined in our Profit Sharing Agreement.

No. Stroud National does not have a minimum volume requirement for agents to apply for and maintain a contract with us. Whether you have a small handful of farm and ranch accounts or you’re building a large book of ag business, we’ll be glad to have you riding with us!

For more information about the benefits of working with Stroud National Agency, Inc., please visit: https://www.stroudga.com/about-us/why-stroud/.

In a word: Yes. Stroud National works with newer and smaller independent agencies just like we do with older and bigger agency partners. If you’re just getting started writing farm and ranch business, our team can help you learn the ropes as you build your book. See the next entry for more on how we support agents new to this line of business.

Farm and ranch underwriting has its own language — ag exposure, outbuilding types, PPC ratings, layup credits — and it takes time to get comfortable with it. Our team has spent decades in this specific niche, and a big part of our job is helping agents build that fluency, not just handing back a quote.

Whether you’re new to writing ag business or picking it up as a growing part of your book, we’re glad to walk through a submission with you, explain why an account is or isn’t in appetite, and help you get more comfortable placing farm and ranch coverage over time.

Large national wholesalers often have farm and ranch in their portfolio, but it’s one line among dozens. At Stroud National, agribusiness insurance — farm and ranch, irrigation, and commercial ag — is the core of what we do, not a side offering competing for attention with unrelated industries.

That focus is only part of the picture. We’re also committed to being accessible and treating every agent’s business as if it were our own. Agent reach us, directly, by phone or email, not a call center. And we compete hard, both to win new business and to keep the business we’ve already earned. You can read more about that commitment on our Why Stroud page.

“Riding for the brand” is a term with roots in the American West, where cowboys pledged their loyalty to the ranch they worked for — doing whatever it took to protect and promote that ranch’s interests, even at real cost to themselves.

Stroud National has been guided by this principle for over six decades. We see our work as uniting our brand with those of our agent and market partners in a shared effort to protect the legacies of farmers, ranchers, and small business owners across the communities we serve. Read more on our Why Stroud page.

“The Stroud Crowd” is a term long used to describe the people riding for the brand alongside us. Sometimes that means our own team here in Ruidoso, and sometimes we use it to mean our team and the independent agents who write the business, all of us riding together for a common cause. Either way, it’s shorthand for the same thing: people who show up for each other and for the farmers and ranchers we all serve.

Once we’ve reviewed your Become an Agent form, our Contracts & Commissions team will reach out with the paperwork needed to finish setting up your agency. In most cases, that includes the following:

– Signed Company Agreement – establishes the working relationship between your agency and Stroud National Agency, Inc.

– Signed Commission Schedule – outlines commission rates by line of business

– W-9

– Evidence of Errors & Omissions (E&O) coverage

– Agency License (P&C) – for each state in which you intend to write business with us

– Agent License (P&C) – for all producers at your agency who will be submitting business, covering each state in which they’ll be writing


If your contracting request results from a merger with or acquisition of an agency that already holds a contract with Stroud National, we’ll also need a copy of the Buy/Sell Agreement so we can confirm how the existing book is transferring.

Additional requirements may be necessary at our discretion based on the specifics of each contracting request. Our goal is to make the process as smooth as possible and get you writing business quickly.

Questions? Feel free to send a message to our Contracts & Commissions team or give them a call at 800-654-4056.

Administration & Service

To see which staff members handle specific responsibilities and lines of business, please consult our Meet the Staff page, https://www.stroudga.com/about-us/meet-the-staff/ .

This page has links to our Contact Us page, https://www.stroudga.com/contact-us/, which will allow you to send a message to a specific member of staff. You can also contact us by phone at 800-654-4056.

If you have a general query, you can submit the query from the Contact Us page, with “General Inquiry” selected.

As a managing general agency company, we work diligently with our agents to relay important policy documentation such as policies, ID cards, renewal information, etc. with the expectation that the agents will forward the information to their insureds in a prompt manner.

If you are an insured who hasn’t received documentation or who needs documentation to be resent to you, please contact your local agent.

If you have repeated difficulty in communicating with your agent or receiving requested documentation, please contact us so that we can look into the matter further.

If you are a policyholder, please contact your local agent and ask them to send Stroud National Agency, Inc. a written endorsement request.

If you are an agent, please submit a detailed endorsement request to forms@stroudga.com.

If additional documentation is needed, the Underwriter who reviews the endorsement request will reach out to the agent.

Premium payment specifics can vary greatly depending on whether the situation involves a new application, a renewing policy, a policy in need of reinstatement, etc. Premium payment specifics also vary based on the specific carrier involved. For assistance, please contact us. Please provide as much information as possible (insured name, policy number, status, etc.) so that we can best assist you.

For carrier Billing contact information, please visit our Carrier Partners page, https://www.stroudga.com/partners/.

To bind coverage on a quoted account, please send a binding request via email to the underwriter with whom you’ve been working. The underwriter will follow up with an email detailing the requirements needed to bind the account.

Coverage will not be bound until all requested requirements have been received and reviewed.

Additionally, an active agent contract with Stroud National Agency, Inc. is required.

For contracting info, please see the FAQ entry “I’m an insurance agent looking to contract with Stroud National Agency, Inc. What’s the first step?” and contact our Contracts & Commissions team with questions.

Keep in mind that coverage is bound based on the most recent quote provided.

Any changes to the quote or newly discovered information during the binding process may impact the account’s insurability or the previously quoted premium. 

Claims

Claims can be filed by contacting Stroud National Agency, Inc. Whenever possible, we prefer that policy holders contact their local insurance agent.

If you are an agent, please work with the policy holder to complete the standard ACORD forms 1, 2 or 3; and email the claim request.

For Claims contact information, please visit our Carrier Partners page, https://www.stroudga.com/partners/.

Farm and Ranch Insurance

As a managing general agency company that has served the insurance needs of American farmers and ranchers for 60+ years, we understand the importance of providing insurance options to people who live in rural areas more removed from fire department resources.

We can normally consider for coverage risks in areas with a Public Protection Classification (PPC) 10. This is subject to there being a satisfactory ag exposure on the property, an acceptable fireline score, good loss history, and all the requirements needed to complete the normal underwriting process.

These same requirements would be necessary for risks in areas with better fire protection classifications as well.

Having an agricultural (ag) exposure is crucial for qualifying for a farm and ranch insurance policy because these policies are specifically designed to address the unique risks and needs associated with agricultural operations.

Ag exposure refers to activities or assets tied to farming or ranching, such as crop production, livestock, equipment, or farm structures.

Without ag exposure, a property might not meet the criteria for this specialized coverage, as it would lack the operational risks that farm and ranch insurance is meant to protect. For example, these policies often cover things like machinery breakdowns, liability from farm-related activities, etc.—risks that wouldn’t apply to a standard residential property.

With larger agricultural operations, it is often clear what the ag exposure is on the property. However, many Americans enjoy living on land in more rural areas without necessarily depending on farming or ranching for their economic wellbeing.

Those “hobby farms” are typically in appetite for us as long as there is an ag exposure on the property. Examples of ag exposure might include, but aren’t limited to, owning horses, cows, or goats; raising crops such as hay; or leasing land to a third party that has that has that exposure.

A barndominium is a type of residential building that combines a barn-like structure with the comforts of a modern home. It’s a blend of “barn” and “condominium” in concept, though it isn’t a traditional condo. These structures typically use steel or metal frames for durability and are designed for versatility.

Barndos are popular for their open floor plans, cost-efficiency, and rustic charm. People often choose them for rural living, as vacation homes, or even as multifunctional spaces combining living quarters with workshops, garages, or stables.

From an insurance perspective, a dwelling typically refers to a residential structure designed for living, such as a traditional house. It includes the main building and any attached structures like garages or decks. Dwelling insurance covers the physical structure against risks like fire, storms, or vandalism.

The key difference between a barndo and a normal dwelling lies in the design and use: a normal dwelling is solely residential, while a barndo blends residential and functional spaces, requiring special considerations and tailored coverage to account for the mixed-use nature of the space.

Yes, we can typically consider barndos for coverage.

A few factors determine if we can rate a building as a dwelling or as a barndo. If the square footage of the living space is 50% or greater of the total square footage of the building, we can generally rate as a dwelling.  However, it’s also important to know what is stored/kept in the barndo section.

If hay or feed is stored in the building, the building has to be rated as an outbuilding, regardless of the square footage dedicated to living space.

In addition, it’s important to know if there is a firewall separating the living space from the rest of the building.

If the building is rated as a barndo, a cosmetic damage exclusion will apply and contents will be listed separately.

Yes, we can write secondary dwellings as long as the primary residence is on the same Stroud policy, there is a farm exposure at the location of the secondary dwelling, and the secondary dwelling is occupied at least bi-weekly.

If you have any additional questions, please contact us.

While both farm and ranch insurance and homeowners insurance provide coverage for your home and personal property, there are significant differences between the two. Homeowners insurance typically covers your home, its contents, and personal liability. However, it does not extend to farm or ranch operations, equipment, or livestock.

On the other hand, farm and ranch insurance offers a broader scope of protection. It covers not only your home and personal property but also farm equipment, tools, irrigation systems, harvested crops, and farm structures. Additionally, it includes liability coverage specific to farm operations.

For those involved in farming or ranching, farm and ranch insurance is essential to ensure comprehensive protection for both personal and commercial risks.

You can learn more about the differences between farm and ranch insurance and homeowner’s insurance at https://www.travelers.com/resources/business-industries/agribusiness/farm-and-ranch-insurance-vs-homeowners-insurance.

For more information about our farm and ranch insurance offering, please check out our Products page, https://www.stroudga.com/products/.

We are willing to consider dwellings worth $1 million or more as part of a farm and ranch policy.

Approval is subject to normal underwriting review. In particular, a central alarm with notifications for detection of fire, smoke, heat, water leaks, freeze, burglary, and panic must already be installed at the time of Underwriting review or be installed in a timely manner.

In addition, we will need to have in our files a copy of the central alarm certificate showing that they are monitored and evidence that the necessary sensors have been installed.

No, we do not offer an umbrella policy that would sit on top of farm and farm auto policies from other carriers.

We do offer an excess policy that would only sit on top of Travelers or Liberty Mutual farm and farm auto policies written through Stroud National Agency, Inc., but not policies from other carriers.

Please note that we can’t write farm excess on a standalone basis; we would need to also have the underlying farm policy under the same carrier as well.

Stroud National Agency, Inc. does work with a monoline workers’ compensation, Accident Insurance Company (AIC), that has an appetite for ag risks that don’t utilize H2A employees (foreign ag workers). Depending on the state in which the operation is located, we may be able to help.

For additional information on our farm workers’ comp offering, please check out: https://www.stroudga.com/new-partnership-on-workers-comp-farm-workers-comp/.

If you have questions, please contact us.

Yes, our farm and ranch insurance policies can provide coverage for solar panels. This includes standalone solar panels installed on the property as well as solar panels mounted on roofs.

Solar panels are an increasingly popular investment for farms and ranches, as they help reduce energy costs and promote sustainability. In addition, solar panels offer a valuable layer of self-reliance for farm and ranch operations, particularly in areas prone to power outages or inconsistent energy supply. By generating their own electricity, property owners can maintain critical functions, such as irrigation systems, climate control for livestock, or the operation of essential machinery, even during disruptions to the power grid.

Coverage typically protects against risks such as damage caused by fire, wind, hail, or other covered perils under the policy. However, it’s important to review the specific terms and conditions of your policy, as coverage may vary depending on factors such as the location and use of the panels.

The classification of farm and ranch outbuildings into Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 reflects their construction, condition, and usage characteristics, which determine their eligibility for different levels of coverage.

Type 1 Outbuildings These are the highest-quality structures with superior characteristics and excellent maintenance. They must have a continuous foundation made of mortared masonry or concrete under all exterior walls (or the two longest walls in granaries or corncribs). Buildings framed on poles of minimum six-inch diameter at ground line, set a minimum of four feet below ground level, may be considered as acceptable when the poles have been pressure treated with wood preservative. Flooring must be incombustible throughout and no hay or straw storage is allowed.

Type 1 buildings are fully enclosed without any attached open sheds and are no taller than 26 feet. Grain storage structures may be considered as complying with these requirements when such structures are of all metal construction (tanks, bins and quonsets), are securely bolted on continuous mortared masonry or concrete foundation and are used exclusively for bulk storage of grain.

Type 2 Outbuildings: These buildings have better-than-average construction and maintenance but don’t quite meet Type 1 standards.

Like Type 1, Type 2 buildings must have a continuous foundation made of mortared masonry or concrete under all exterior walls (or the two longest walls in granaries or corncribs). Buildings framed on poles of minimum six-inch diameter at ground line, set a minimum of four feet below ground level, may be considered as acceptable when the poles have been pressure treated with wood preservative.

Type 2 buildings must be fully enclosed, although open sheds may be allowed for an additional premium. Hay or straw storage is permitted in Type 2 buildings, and all-metal or steel grain bins with dryers that don’t meet Type 1 requirements fall under the Type 2 category.

Type 3 Outbuildings Type 3 buildings are typically more specialized or less robust than Type 1 or Type 2 structures. Any outbuilding that doesn’t meet the requirements for Type 1 or Type 2 is classified as Type 3.

This includes structures occupied or constructed for crop drying, grain grinding, seed grain cleaning and drying, alfalfa or hay chopping; private greenhouses and portable buildings and structures.

No, our farm and ranch carriers do not include foundation coverage in their policies.

Foundation damage is often caused by gradual issues like settling, wear and tear, or poor construction—factors that are not considered “sudden and accidental” events. Insurance policies typically cover unexpected perils such as fires, windstorms, or vandalism, but exclude damage caused by long-term deterioration.

Proactive remediation of foundation issues remains the property owner’s responsibility unless linked to a covered peril.

Farm and ranch insurance policies categorize coverage into Basic, Broad, and Special perils, similar to homeowner’s insurance. However, unlike homeowner’s insurance, farm and ranch policies extend coverage to agricultural-specific property and risks, such as farm machinery, silos, fencing, barns, and outbuildings. Additionally, unique perils like damage caused by the weight of snow on farm structures may be included under Broad or Special coverage options.

Peril types:

Basic Perils: Provides coverage for explicitly named risks. It is the least comprehensive option. The perils typically included in the basic form are:

  • Fire
  • Lightning
  • Explosion
  • Windstorm or Hail
  • Smoke
  • Aircraft or Vehicles
  • Riot or Civil Commotion
  • Vandalism
  • Sprinkler Leakage
  • Sinkhole Collapse
  • Volcanic Activity

 

Broad Perils: Includes all Basic perils and expands coverage to additional named risks, like falling objects, weight of ice or snow, and freezing plumbing. Perils typically included in the broad form are:

  • Fire
  • Lightning
  • Windstorm or Hail
  • Explosion
  • Smoke
  • Vandalism
  • Aircraft or Vehicles
  • Riot or Civil Commotion
  • Sinkhole Collapse
  • Volcanic Activity
  • Sprinkler Leakage
  • Burglary/Break-in
  • Falling Objects
  • Weight of Ice, Snow or Sleet
  • Water Damage
  • Collapse

 

Special Perils: Offers the most comprehensive coverage, insuring against all risks except those explicitly excluded, such as floods, neglect, or war. Some of the perils typically excluded under the Special form are:

  • Ordinance of Law
  • Earthquake
  • Flood
  • Power Failure
  • Neglect
  • War
  • Nuclear Hazard
  • Intentional Acts

On a Stroud farm and ranch policy, the difference between Replacement Cost (RC) and Actual Cash Value (ACV) coverage is an important factor to consider when protecting your property.

Replacement Cost (RC) coverage is typically defined as the cost to replace damaged property with materials of like kind and quality, without any deduction for depreciation. This means RC coverage aims to restore the property to its original condition as new.

On the other hand, Actual Cash Value (ACV) coverage factors in depreciation. It is calculated as the replacement cost of the property at the time of loss, minus any depreciation that has occurred due to factors like age, wear, and tear. ACV reflects the current market value of the property rather than its original value when new.

When given the opportunity to choose between RC and ACV, insurance agents help their farm and ranch clients understand the coverage type that best fits the clients’ needs and priorities. If maintaining the full value of farm and ranch assets is critical, RC coverage may be the better choice. If affordability is a priority, ACV coverage might make sense. Our team is here to insurance agents evaluate these options and tailor a policy that works best for their clients’ specific needs.

Placing business with ARU provides brokers with clear advantages.

As an E&S carrier, ARU offers the flexibility to place hard-to-insure risks, with options for new ventures and risks with prior losses and lapses in coverage.

ARU is an A-rated American insurer with a sustainable market built for long-term stability. Their streamlined coverage packages are designed to meet a range of needs for risks of all ages, whether your clients prioritize broad protection or cost-efficiency.

ARU writes in all 48 contiguous states, offers capacity up to $15 million TIV per location, and is backed by a highly specialized underwriting team with deep expertise in farm and agribusiness. They also provide collaborative loss control services and convenient direct bill options.

Unfortunately, none of our farm and ranch carriers will allow Stroud National to write farm and ranch policies in Hurricane Tiers 1 and 2. This means that we are unable to write coverage in any of the following counties in Texas:

Aransas, Bee, Brazoria, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Hardin, Harris, Hidalgo, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Liberty, Live Oak, Matagorda, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, Wharton, Willacy

A hobby farm is a small-scale agricultural property operated for personal satisfaction or lifestyle, not as the owner’s primary source of income.

Stroud National Agency, Inc. can consider hobby farms for coverage with Travelers Agribusiness, Liberty Mutual, and ARU, including properties with barndominiums and high value farm dwellings.

Keep in mind, there must be genuine ag exposure, such as owning livestock, raising crops, or leasing land for ag use. Essentially, properties must have some ongoing farm or ranch activity beyond rural living. You can learn more about ag exposure here and here.

If you have questions about whether a particular hobby farm risk is eligible, please reach out to us for guidance. Our team can help clarify the requirements and discuss your specific situation.

The single biggest thing that speeds up (or slows down) a quote is clarity. A vague submission leaves underwriting to guess, and guessing is never where anyone wants placement and underwriting decisions to start.

A few things worth confirming before you submit:

  • Describe operations clearly. What’s actually happening on the property, day to day?
  • Detail the property fully — dwellings, outbuildings, and equipment, not just a summary.
  • Flag liability-driving activity up front — livestock, custom work, public events, or anything else that shapes the exposure.
  • Spell out vehicle use — what’s on the property and how it’s actually used.
  • Confirm what’s sold, how often, and at what scale, along with any leased land, custom work, or side operations that might not be obvious from the application alone.

 

Our quoting platforms and supplemental questionnaires — available on our Agent Tools page — are built to help you gather this information up front rather than piecing it together after underwriting asks. The more organized and complete a submission is when it lands with us, the faster (and more accurately) we can evaluate it — and the fewer surprises there are for you and your client down the road.

Farm liability and personal liability usually both appear on the same farm and ranch policy, but they cover different sides of the property.

Personal liability covers the residence and the insured’s personal, non-business activities — a guest injured on the porch steps, or the family dog biting a neighbor. Farm liability covers the operation itself, including livestock, equipment, farm roads and ponds, and hired help, along with defense costs when a claim is filed.

The insured’s exposure sits in the seam between the two. Personal liability excludes business pursuits, and farm liability covers only the operations described on the application. Custom work for neighbors, agritourism, on-farm events, hunting leases, boarding and training, and side businesses run out of the shop can fall outside both unless they’re disclosed.

That makes one question worth asking every client: what else happens on this property besides farming? Put the answer in the submission, along with:

  • Ag activities, acreage, and livestock counts, including leased ground
  • Employees, seasonal help, and any labor performed for others
  • Custom work off the farm and roughly what share of income it represents
  • Public traffic of any kind — visitors, on-farm sales, events, hunting leases

 

Our underwriters review liability alongside the property and the structure of the operation, so a complete picture up front means fewer surprises at binding.

Have additional questions? Send us a message or call us at 800-654-4056.

Custom farming is field work performed for hire on someone else’s ground — planting, harvesting, spraying, baling, tillage, or hauling.

Some custom farming could be fine. It needs to be a portion of your insured’s business, not their primary business. Once custom receipts lead the operation, the account looks more like a commercial service contractor than a production farm, and farm liability forms limit or exclude that exposure. Chemical and fertilizer application raises drift and pollution questions at any volume.

So tell us up front:

  • What your insured farms and runs in their own right
  • What custom work they perform, and for how many operations
  • Annual custom receipts and roughly what share of farm income they represent
  • Whether chemical or fertilizer application is involved

 

With that in hand, we can give you a better idea if the account fits a farm package, needs endorsements, or might be better served by a commercial solution.

If you have questions, we’re happy to help. Send us a message or call us at 800-654-4056.

Hunting activity isn’t usually a problem, as long as the ag operation remains front and center and the hunting stays incidental. We like to say we’d like a ranch that has some hunting, not a hunting ranch that has some ranching.

Friends and family hunting the place is generally fine. Once your insured is charging for access, that’s something we need to look at — we may adjust the liability, and depending on the scale, it can put the account out of appetite. A seasonal lease to a handful of hunters typically still fits a farm form. Guided hunts, lodging, advertised packages, high-fence or game-farm operations, and steady volumes of paying guests generally don’t, and belong in an outfitter or hospitality market.

So tell us up front:

  • Acreage involved, how many hunters use it, and whether they pay
  • Whether the lease is written, and what it says about liability
  • Whether guides, outfitters, or lodging are involved, and whether they carry their own coverage
  • Annual hunting income and roughly what share of farm income it represents
  • Whether your insured furnishes ATVs, stands, or blinds

 

Have additional questions? Send us a message or call us at 800-654-4056.

As a very low baseline, Stroud National requires that agents submit a new application and updated photos at least every 5 years. However, experience has taught us that agents should review a farm and ranch account at least once a year. When time allows, sooner than that is even better. It’s also always best to do these reviews well in advance of a renewal, so there’s still time to act on what turns up.

Few accounts start out complicated. They get there gradually. An account written three years ago may not be the same account today, and you won’t know unless you’ve checked in with the insured. Even then, you should expect the insured to describe the operation the way it used to be and listen closely for what’s actually happening on the place.

Signs the exposure may have outgrown its original placement:

  • Incidental sales that have become regular sales
  • Pasture or land leased in or out
  • Custom work performed for other operations
  • Agritourism, public events, or other visitor traffic
  • Business use of buildings or vehicles
  • Employees or seasonal help added since the last renewal
  • Ownership changes — an LLC or trust formed, heirs brought into the operation

 

Any of these can change how we underwrite the account. More importantly, they can change the coverage the policy provides for the insured’s activities. Remember, when a claim comes, the policy either answers for what happened or it doesn’t, and nothing anyone learns afterward will change that.

Regular reviews don’t just help the policy do what it needs to do for the insured. They also keep files current and show the due diligence you’ve done, protecting you and your family along the way.

Learn more in Farm and Ranch Policy Review: The Importance for Agents.

A certificate of insurance (COI) is a one-page summary showing that a policy is in force. It identifies the insured, the carrier, the policy number, the effective dates, and the limits carried.

A certificate is evidence of coverage, not coverage itself. It doesn’t change what the policy covers, and it doesn’t grant rights to whoever receives it.

Farm and ranch clients get asked for certificates more often than agents new to the line expect. Common situations include:

– Leasing ground or pasture from another owner

– Custom work for hire, such as harvesting, spraying, hauling, or baling

– Delivering under contract to a grain elevator, co-op, processor, or packing house

– Equipment loans and leases, where the lender wants to be named as loss payee

– Renting facilities or space

– Agritourism operations, farmers markets, county fairs, and roadside stands

– Hunting and recreational leases

One distinction worth raising with a client before you request anything: a certificate holder is not an additional insured. Naming someone as certificate holder means they receive a copy of the certificate and nothing more. Adding a party as an additional insured or loss payee changes the policy and requires an endorsement, which goes through normal underwriting review. If your client’s contract requires additional insured status, send us an endorsement request rather than a certificate request.

If you are an agent, please submit a certificate of insurance request to forms@stroudga.com.

For more information on sending an endorsement request, please see “I need to submit changes for an active policy. What’s the process?“.

Yes. In most cases we can schedule multiple locations on a single farm package policy.

If most of your book is personal lines, this is one of the more useful differences between a farm policy and a homeowners policy. A homeowners form is built around one residence premises, and there’s no mechanism to attach another location to it. A farm and ranch policy is a package form that blends personal and commercial coverage, so there’s considerably more flexibility in what can be added.

On a single farm package policy, we can typically schedule:

– Additional locations, including owned and rented ground

– Dwellings at those locations, including secondary and weekend dwellings

– Barns and outbuildings

– Farm personal property and scheduled livestock

– Liability tied to the operation across the scheduled locations

Machinery, equipment, and ATVs and UTVs can be scheduled as well. See “Can equipment and ATVs be scheduled on a farm and ranch policy?” for how those should be classified on a submission.

Two things to keep in mind as you put a submission together. First, locations and property have to be scheduled — coverage doesn’t extend on its own to ground or structures we don’t know about, so it’s worth walking the client through everything they own or rent before you submit. Second, secondary dwellings carry their own requirements; see “Can Stroud National write secondary/weekend dwellings under a farm and ranch insurance policy?” for those.

If you’re not sure how a particular operation should be structured across locations, please contact us. We’re glad to talk through it before you build the submission.

Yes. Farm machinery, equipment, and ATVs and UTVs can generally be scheduled on a farm package policy, another thing a homeowners form can’t do.

The important part is classifying them correctly on the submission.

Equipment. Tell us the type, not just the value. Some equipment requires ingestion coverage and some doesn’t, and that distinction drives how a piece gets classified and rated. A submission that lists “farm equipment — $180,000” will come back with questions. A submission that identifies each piece by type moves faster and gets quoted accurately the first time.

ATVs and UTVs. Style matters here, and it’s where submissions most often run into trouble. Utility-style side-by-sides — Kawasaki Mules, Polaris Rangers, and similar machines built for work around the operation — are in appetite. Sport and off-road recreational models are generally not. If your client’s machine sits somewhere between the two, ask us before you submit rather than after.

If you’re unsure how a particular piece of equipment or a specific ATV or UTV should be classified, please contact us. A short conversation up front is faster than a revised submission later.

Yes, through ARU. As a non-admitted (E&S) carrier partner, ARU is built to handle complex and higher-hazard livestock risks — including poultry, hog confinement, dairy, and equine operations — that fall outside the guidelines of traditional admitted farm and ranch markets.

This is one of the clearest reasons to have ARU in your toolkit alongside Travelers Agribusiness and Liberty Mutual: it lets us say yes to risks that would otherwise be a hard decline elsewhere.

For more on ARU’s appetite and capacity, check out these resources:

Non-Admitted Insurance for Higher-Risk Farm and Ranch Operations

ARU Farm and Ranch Insurance with Proactive Loss Control

(Note: this is distinct from our Commercial Agribusiness program with Chubb, where poultry and hog confinement are a prohibited class — worth keeping straight for agents who work both programs.)

Admitted carriers, like Travelers Agribusiness and Liberty Mutual, are licensed and regulated by the state where the policy is written, and their rates and forms are filed with that state’s insurance department. Non-admitted, or excess and surplus (E&S), carriers — like our partner ARU — operate outside that state filing system, which gives them more flexibility in how they price and structure coverage for harder-to-place risks.

Stroud National uses both because farm and ranch risk doesn’t come in one size. Admitted markets are typically the right fit for standard operations, while ARU’s non-admitted flexibility lets us help agents place accounts with prior losses, lapses in coverage, unusual construction, or complex livestock exposures that admitted carriers aren’t positioned to write. Having both in our lineup means more of your submissions find a home with Stroud National instead of getting shopped elsewhere.

Have a farm and ranch quote you’d like to quote? Complete one of our online quote request forms or visit our Agent Tools page.

Often, yes. ARU, our non-admitted farm and ranch partner, is specifically built to offer flexibility for hard-to-insure risks — including accounts with prior losses or lapses in coverage. So, a cancellation or non-renewal elsewhere doesn’t automatically mean a decline with Stroud National.

We’d encourage you to submit the account for review rather than assume it’s not in appetite. Contact us or start a quote here and we’ll let you know where it might fit.

Irrigation Insurance

It may be possible for us to provide some coverage for center pivot irrigation systems as part of a farm and ranch policy on an actual cash value (ACV) basis. However, we also offer standalone irrigation insurance through Chubb and Aegis Agribusiness Division.

For more information about our irrigation offering, please check out our Products page, https://www.stroudga.com/products/.

If you have any questions regarding irrigation, please contact us.

We only have a special ACV program for the following states: Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, Idaho, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. The eligible states are subject to change and there are specific requirements to qualify.

If you have any questions regarding irrigation, please contact us.

Commercial Agribusiness Insurance

Commercial agribusiness refers to businesses that manufacture, process, store, distribute, or sell products and services for the agricultural industry, rather than traditional farm and ranch operations with dwellings and scheduled farm property.

Best‑fit accounts typically:

  • Have manufacturing, processing, distribution, storage, retail, or service exposures tied to agriculture.
  • Do not have a farm or ranch (with dwellings and scheduled farm property) as their primary exposure.​

Examples include: 

  • Feedlots
  • Diversified cooperatives
  • Grain, feed, seed, and fertilizer operations
  • Farm supply stores
  • Livestock feed manufacturers (feed only)
  • Grain dealers and seed merchants
  • A wide range of packing, storage, and processing operations tied to agriculture

This program is not intended for risks whose primary exposure is a farm or ranch, which are better served by our dedicated farm and ranch markets.

Territory:

Minimum premium:

  • Minimum premium of $25,000 per commercial agribusiness account, making the program best suited to established or growing commercial agribusiness operations rather than very small risks.

Chubb’s commercial agribusiness insurance can combine property, casualty, and specialty coverages into a coordinated package.

Key coverage options:

  • Property: Buildings, business personal property, computers, mobile equipment, stock, and business income
  • Casualty: General liability and commercial auto (typical GL/auto limits: $500,000–$1,000,000)
  • Workers’ compensation: Where available
  • Umbrella: Limits up to $2,000,000
  • Equipment Breakdown coverage

Many accounts can also access enhanced “Plus” endorsements on property, general liability, and auto to broaden important terms and sub‑limits.

Yes. Every eligible Commercial Ag quote from Chubb Agribusiness and Stroud National includes several built‑in specialty coverages designed for modern commercial agribusiness exposures.

Built‑in enhancements can include:

Product Withdrawal:

  • For insureds that grow, manufacture, or distribute consumable products
  • Helps cover withdrawal expenses and related crisis‑management support

Agriculture Premises Pollution Liability:

  • Options for certain gradual and sudden pollution events tied to fertilizers, chemicals, and other common ag materials

Employment Practices Liability (EPL):

  • Base limits geared to smaller employers
  • Addresses wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and related allegations

Information Security / Cyber:

  • Security breach liability
  • Data restoration
  • Business income and extra expense
  • Breach response costs and public relations support
  • Certain cyber extortion threats

These built‑in coverages help agents deliver a broader, more holistic story to commercial agribusiness clients without layering multiple monoline policies.

Like our farm and ranch markets, Chubb’s commercial agribusiness program has both restricted and prohibited classes.

Restricted classes include:

  • Aquaculture (fish farms)
  • Light food processing
  • Livestock auction barns
  • Dairy
  • Turf farms (no installation)
  • Cotton gins (casualty only)
  • Organic fertilizer

These risks face greater underwriting scrutiny, so clean, well‑documented submissions are especially important to improve the chance of approval.

Prohibited classes include:

  • Haul‑for‑hire transportation and 100% fuel cooperatives
  • Poultry and hog confinement, slaughter operations, and pet food or certain specialty feed manufacturing
  • Peanuts and certain processing/energy risks such as biodiesel/ethanol plants
  • Chemical fertilizer manufacturing
  • Heavy ag construction and erection, implement/equipment dealers and manufacturers, and irrigation repair and service

Lead time:

  • At least 45 days from the effective date of the policy
  • 60–90 days preferred due to underwriting detail and follow‑up needs

Typical submission package:

  • Completed ACORD applications for all requested lines
  • Any required Chubb Agribusiness supplemental applications
  • Statement of values per building (year built, construction, square footage, occupancy)
  • 3–5 years of currently valued loss runs
  • Drivers list and workers’ compensation experience mod worksheet, where applicable
  • Photos or diagrams as appropriate
  • Expiring and target premiums by line

Depending on the account, underwriting may also request:

  • A brief narrative of operations
  • Current financial statements
  • Stock and transportation information

Step 1 – Access tools:

  • Supplemental applications for Commercial Ag Insurance from Chubb & Stroud National are available on our Agent Tools page under the commercial ag tools section.​

Step 2 – Submit the package:

  • Once completed, submission packages can be emailed to forms@stroudga.com.
  • Our team will review the information, coordinate with Chubb Agribusiness, and follow up with any questions or next steps.​

If you have questions before or during the submission process, please feel free to reach out to us! We are happy to help you determine whether a particular account is a good fit for this program.

Small Business Commercial Insurance

Acord forms 125, 126 & 140. If there is a supplemental needed, we will forward it you.

For more information about our small business commercial insurance offering, please check out our Products page, https://www.stroudga.com/products/.

If you have about quoting small business commercial, please contact us.

As a managing general agency company, we can write LRO’s in most of our states within appetite guidelines.

For more information about our small business commercial insurance offering, please check out our Products page, https://www.stroudga.com/products/.

If you have any questions about our LRO appetite, please contact us.

Yes, as a managing general agency company we have the option to write Builder’s Risk coverage with Liberty Mutual.

For more information about our small business commercial insurance offering, please check out our Products page, https://www.stroudga.com/products/.

If you have any questions quoting Builder’s Risk, please contact us.

Manufactured Homes Insurance

Yes, Stroud National Agency, Inc. does offer coverage for mobile homes. We’re proud to provide insurance solutions specifically tailored to the needs of rural America, and our mobile homes program with Aegis is an important part of helping to meet those needs.

Whether your insured needs a standalone policy for their mobile home or combined coverage for the home and a farming or ranching operation, we’ve got you covered. We can help you write a policy for just the mobile home, or offer coverage through Aegis for the home, alongside a separate farm and ranch insurance policy for the agricultural operation.

To see if your insured lives in a state served by our program with AEGIS, please visit our Where is Stroud? page, https://www.stroudga.com/where-is-stroud/.

For more information about the mobile homes program, please visit our Products page, https://www.stroudga.com/products/ .

If you have any questions quoting Mobile Home Insurance, please contact us.

Yes, as a managing general agency company we can write tenant properties as part of our mobile homes program with Aegis.

The program allows for up to 12 single-family properties to be covered under a single Aegis policy. These properties can include both mobile homes and site-built homes, offering flexibility to meet diverse needs.

This ability to cover multiple single-family properties under one Aegis policy makes it easier for agents to provide comprehensive options to property owners in the rural areas we help them serve.

If you have any questions quoting Mobile Home Insurance, please contact us.

General Insurance

While managing general agency companies like Stroud National Agency, Inc. do operate in the insurance industry, they are not the same as local insurance agencies.

Local insurance agencies interact directly with clients in their local communities and help those customers to obtain the best insurance they can. Some local insurance agencies are “captive”, meaning they are contracted to only work with a specific insurance carrier, while others are “independent”, meaning they can be contracted with numerous insurance carriers and managing general agencies and have the freedom to shop their clients’ insurance with several carriers in order to provide the best possible solution.

A managing general agency company comes into the picture as a resource for both independent insurance agents and insurance carriers.

For independent agents, MGAs provide access to additional carrier markets to which those agents might not otherwise have access. They also have years of experience operating in the specialized lines of business they handle and can use their knowledge, skills, and relationships to guide the agents with whom they work.

From the perspective of carriers, a managing general agency company serves as a force multiplier. Carriers contract with MGAs in order to gain access to the independent insurance agents those MGAs work with.

For more information about the benefits of working with Stroud National Agency, Inc., please visit: https://www.stroudga.com/about-us/why-stroud/ .

Managing general agency companies (MGAs) are different from wholesale brokers in that MGAs have binding authority or “the pen” for a carrier, whereas wholesale brokers function as more of an intermediary between the carrier and the local retail agent.

With a managing general agency company, underwriting decisions are usually made by the MGA using their power of the pen, which makes the underwriting process quicker and more efficient. At Stroud National Agency, Inc., we pride ourselves on being an MGA, but we can also be considered a wholesale broker in some of our carrier relationships.

For more information about the benefits of working with Stroud National Agency, Inc., please visit: https://www.stroudga.com/about-us/why-stroud/ .

Managing general agency companies (MGAs) are different from wholesale brokers in that MGAs have binding authority or “the pen” for a carrier, whereas wholesale brokers function as more of an intermediary between the carrier and the local retail agent.

With a managing general agency company, underwriting decisions are usually made by the MGA using their power of the pen, which makes the underwriting process quicker and more efficient. At Stroud National Agency, Inc., we pride ourselves on being an MGA, but we can also be considered a wholesale broker in some of our carrier relationships.

For more information about the benefits of working with Stroud National Agency, Inc., please visit: https://www.stroudga.com/about-us/why-stroud/ .

The key difference between a managing general agency (MGA) and a general agency (GA) lies in the scope of authority and responsibilities they have within the insurance distribution chain.

An MGA operates with delegated authority from an insurance carrier. This means they can perform tasks typically handled by the insurer, particularly with regard to underwriting decisions, policy issuance, and the binding of coverage.

In general, a managing general agency company acts as intermediaries between insurers and local retail agents, helping insurers expand into new markets without needing to establish a full operational presence.

MGAs also provide local retail insurance agents access to specialized insurance markets that they might not be able to access otherwise. When agents work with an MGA, they typically have more direct access to the underwriters making decisions regarding their clients and can receive more specialized guidance on requirements and navigating the underwriting process.

On the other hand, general agencies (GAs) are more limited in scope. They primarily focus on sales and distribution of insurance products. They work with agents and brokers to market and sell policies, but do not have underwriting authority (“the power of the pen”).

For more information about the benefits of working with Stroud National Agency, Inc., please visit: https://www.stroudga.com/about-us/why-stroud/ .

A managing general agency company like Stroud National Agency, Inc. can help independent insurance agents gain access to carrier markets to which they may not otherwise have access.

Managing general agency companies  also often have access to several markets and can help independent agents easily provide multiple options for their clients to consider without the agent needing to interact with the carriers individually.

In addition, working with an MGA keeps the underwriting process more accessible to the agent in the field, rather than forcing agents to compete with larger numbers of other agents for access to the same carrier underwriting resources.

For more information about the benefits of working with Stroud National Agency, Inc., please visit: https://www.stroudga.com/about-us/why-stroud/ .

For most admitted business, an MGA’s compensation is built into the rate the carrier has already filed with the state — it isn’t a separate fee layered on top for the client. For non-admitted (E&S) placements, like those we place with ARU, standard state surplus lines taxes and fees apply, but those are a regulatory pass-through required on any E&S placement, not something unique to working through a wholesale broker.

More importantly, what an MGA brings to the table — access to specialized markets, underwriting expertise in a niche most retail agents don’t handle every day, and a faster, more efficient path to placement — is usually worth far more to the client than any marginal cost difference. For a hard-to-place farm or ranch risk, the real question usually isn’t “does this cost slightly more,” it’s “would this get placed well at all without a partner who knows this niche.”

Serving America’s Farmers & Ranchers for 60+ years.

Contact our dedicated team. We’re ready to help!