Specialty Risk Insurance Archives

Building a Risk Management Foundation in Cattle Operations

Posted on April 14, 2026April 14, 2026 by Weicks-Webmaster

Building a Risk Management Foundation in Today’s Cattle Operations

Cattle operators know raising cattle is a high-stakes business. Volatility is part of the daily equation — whether it’s by market swings, shifting input costs, weather extremes, or animal health events. While none of these risks can be fully eliminated, they can be anticipated and managed. That reality has made risk management more than just a safety net. Today, it’s a cornerstone of successful, long-term operation planning.

A solid risk management strategy involves more than watching the market or hoping for favorable conditions. It requires a proactive, layered approach. One that treats insurance as a planning tool rather than a last resort. In that sense, a trusted insurance agent belongs in the same circle as a feedyard’s accountant, attorney, or financial advisor. Each plays a role in helping protect capital, stabilize cash flow, and support smart decision-making.

Two of the most misunderstood, and often underutilized tools in cattle risk management are Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) and Livestock Gross Margin (LGM). While both are federally subsidized insurance programs, they serve different functions within a broader strategy and can complement one another when used intentionally.

LRPs design is to protect against declines in cattle prices at the time of sale. It allows producers to insure a floor price without locking them into actual delivery or margin calls, as futures contracts require. In volatile markets, LRP offers flexibility and peace of mind, helping feedyards protect projected revenue per head while maintaining operational freedom.

LGM, on the other hand, focuses on margin protection. Rather than insuring price alone, it protects the relationship between fed cattle prices and the cost of key inputs, primarily feeder cattle and corn. When input costs rise or markets become unpredictable, LGM can help stabilize margins and defend breakeven targets. This makes it especially valuable during periods of high feed costs or tight feeder cattle supplies.

Market and input risks, however, are only part of the picture. The cattle themselves represent one of the largest investments a feedyard makes, and livestock mortality insurance plays a critical role in protecting that asset. Losses stemming from contaminated feed or water, accidental poisoning, suffocation, weather-related events, or other unforeseen circumstances can be financially devastating if left uninsured.

Mortality coverage allows feedyards to recover from these losses without derailing cash flow, capital plans, or lender relationships. Instead of turning a single event into a long-term financial setback, insurance provides the ability to regroup, adjust, and move forward.

Risk in the cattle feeding business will always exist. But when feedyards take a comprehensive, layered approach. Protecting market value, managing input exposure, and insuring the livestock itself — they position their operation not just to withstand uncertainty, but to operate with greater clarity, confidence, and resilience in an ever-changing industry.

Why Cyber Insurance Is Critical for Cattle Producers

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Weicks-Webmaster

Why Cyber Insurance Is Critical for Feedyards & Cattle Producers

$10 million dollars.

That is what our customers in the agriculture industry have lost this year alone to cyber claims.

Invoice manipulation on feed bills sent to customers. Masked phone calls that trick employees into giving away bank information. Hacked emails delivering fraudulent wiring instructions that look legitimate in every way. These are not theoretical scenarios or issues happening “somewhere else.” These are real claims affecting real feedyards, cattle operations, and ag businesses. Costing them not only their own money, but in many cases, their customers’ money as well.

When most people think about claims in a feedyard, they picture a loader catching fire, wind or hail damage to a feed mill, or a structure loss from severe weather. Those risks are very real and very familiar. But one of the fastest‑growing and most underestimated threats facing agriculture today doesn’t involve fire, wind, or livestock at all.

It involves cybercrime.

The Growing Threat to Agriculture

Hackers are no longer focused solely on large corporations or national brands. In fact, small and mid‑sized agricultural businesses have become prime targets. Why? Because they often lack the robust cybersecurity systems and internal controls that larger organizations have in place.

Feedyards and cattle producers handle sensitive information every day; banking details, customer accounts, payroll data, vendor invoices, and proprietary operational records. A single compromised email account or fraudulent phone call can expose that information and open the door to significant financial loss.

Cybercriminals are also becoming more sophisticated. They study workflows, impersonate trusted vendors, and time their attacks to coincide with busy seasons. The result is a convincing scheme that causes even experienced employees to unknowingly “authorize” a fraudulent payment.

Financial and Operational Impact

The financial consequences of a cyber incident can be immediate and severe. Businesses may face direct losses from stolen funds, ransom demands, or unrecoverable payments. In some cases, legal expenses and regulatory costs follow close behind.

But the damage doesn’t stop with dollars lost.

System lockouts and compromised software can disrupt critical operations such as feed inventory tracking, billing, payroll, and market transactions. Even short periods of downtime can create ripple effects across the operation. Perhaps most damaging of all is the erosion of trust. When customers’ funds are impacted, relationships built over years can be strained in a matter of days.

Cyber claims today are less about hackers “breaking in” and more about deception. Social engineering, invoice manipulation, and fraudulent wiring instructions are designed to convince people to voluntarily send money, making recovery even more difficult.

Why Cyber Insurance Matters

Many ag businesses believe they are covered because their package policy includes some form of cyber coverage. Unfortunately, those coverages are often limited and do not address the most common cyber losses seen in agriculture today.

Critical protections, such as coverage for social engineering, invoice manipulation, funds transfer fraud, and client funds which are frequently excluded or sub‑limited unless specifically added. Without the right cyber policy in place, a business may discover too late that a six‑figure loss is not covered.

Cyber insurance is not just about paying a claim. It often provides access to specialists who help investigate the incident, manage communications, and minimize long‑term damage.

A Strategic Investment in Your Operation

Think of cyber insurance the same way you think about insuring your livestock against disease or your equipment against physical damage. It is a strategic part of a comprehensive risk management plan.

In today’s ag industry, data and digital systems are just as critical as physical assets. Protecting them is no longer optional. Whether you operate a family ranch or manage a large feedyard, cyber coverage helps ensure your business can withstand modern threats and continue serving customers with confidence.

Cyber risk may be invisible, but the losses are not.

March 2026

Home – American Cattlemen

Specialty Risk Insurance: Producers Protecting Producers

Posted on October 17, 2025October 17, 2025 by Jessica Graham

In agriculture, especially in the cattle business, nothing comes with a guarantee. Markets shift, feed prices climb, weather turns on a dime, and the stakes are always high. Every day is a balancing act between opportunity and risk.

That’s where Specialty Risk Insurance comes in.

For more than 13 years, our team has worked alongside farmers, ranchers, and ag businesses across the country, helping protect the livelihoods that keep rural America running. We’re not a one-size-fits-all agency. We’re independent meaning we shop the entire market to find the coverage that fits your operation, not someone else’s.

Because no two cattle operations are the same. And your insurance shouldn’t be either.

Built by People Who Understand Agriculture

Roughly 80% of the clients Specialty Risk serves are tied directly to agriculture; cow-calf producers, backgrounders, feedyards, custom operators, truckers, processors, and the businesses that keep them moving.

Our agents and service team members are hands-on people who know what it takes to run a working operation. We speak the language, understand the risks, and know what happens when a claim hits in the middle of calving season or a drought cuts hay yields in half.

“Our job is to take problems off your plate,” says Kevin Charleston, Owner of Specialty Risk Insurance. “When something happens, we don’t wait for an email; we’re already on the phone, already on-site, already helping. Our clients don’t have time for red tape, and neither do we.”

Real Coverage for Real Operations

Specialty Risk Insurance offers protection across every corner of agriculture, including:

Farm & Ranch Insurance – property, liability, Auto, Equipment, and umbrella coverages for protection that fits the way you operate.

Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) – coverage for price declines on fed or feeder cattle.

Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) – helping manage the impact of low rainfall and drought.

Livestock Mortality & Equine Coverage – for breeding stock, show animals, and commercial herds.

Trucking & Cargo – keeping animals and equipment protected in transit.

What makes our livestock program stand out is that we manage it directly, in partnership with a London-based insurer. That means faster claims, clearer communication, and a team that knows exactly what’s at stake. Today, we insure over a million head of cattle and thousands of horses nationwide.

More Than a Policy—A Partner

When things go wrong, Specialty Risk doesn’t just send a claims form, we show up.
Recently, when a client experienced a serious workplace accident, one of our team members drove eight hours on a Sunday to be on-site. From ensuring the injured employee received the right care to managing OSHA compliance, our team was there every step of the way.

That’s what partnership looks like.

Beyond the Fenceline

While agriculture remains at the heart of Specialty Risk Insurance, our expertise also extends to construction and commercial industries, especially those that serve the ag sector. From contractors and grain-handling companies to trucking operations and equipment dealers, our commercial division helps protect the businesses that keep rural economies strong.

We also know that your people are your greatest asset. That’s why our Health & Benefits division provides group health, life, and enrollment support for employers, along with a dedicated HR and safety team that helps clients stay compliant and keep employees safe.

Growing Nationally, Staying Grounded Locally

Headquartered in the heart of the Midwest, Specialty Risk Insurance serves clients in all 50 states, with boots on the ground where producers live and work. The company is expanding westward into California, Arizona, Washington, and Oregon, and eastward into Tennessee and Kentucky, while continuing to strengthen its local presence in the central U.S. cattle country.

We still believe in hard work, handshakes, and relationships built on trust. Because when your livelihood depends on weather, markets, and livestock, you need more than an insurance company.

You need a team that knows your world and stands beside you every step of the way.

Specialty Risk Insurance
Protecting the people, property, and livestock that feed America.

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