Insurance for farmers and arable holdings in Germany
One hailstorm in June can smash a whole year's harvest, and one spark in the combine can take the field and the machine with it. Add tractors on country roads, barns full of straw and crop spraying next to the neighbour's garden. This page shows what an arable farm in Germany should insure, what it costs per hectare and where the state helps pay.
Is hail or multi peril crop insurance worth it for my farm?
Hail insurance on its own costs around €15 to €25 per hectare a year for cereals and is part of the basic cover for many farms. Multi peril insurance covering heavy rain, storm, frost and drought costs more, but several German federal states subsidise it, Bavaria with up to 50 percent of the premium. Whether it pays depends on the crop, the location and your cash reserves. We work it out with you for your fields.
What goes wrong in this trade
01
Hail and storms
A single hailstorm smashes cereals, rapeseed or maize across entire fields. Heavy rain washes away seed and soil.
02
Drought and frost
Drought summers and late frosts are becoming more frequent. Yield losses of 30 percent or more are no longer unusual.
03
Fire at harvest
Hot bearings on the combine, dust and dry straw: a field fire catches the machine, the field and sometimes neighbouring land.
04
Tractor on the road
Wide implements, muddy roads and slow speeds lead to accidents with cars and cyclists.
05
Spraying and drift
Wind carries spray onto neighbouring crops, organic fields or gardens. The neighbour claims damages for the harvest.
06
Accidents at work
Farming has many serious and fatal accidents: rollovers, power take off shafts, falls from roofs or hay lofts.
The SVLFG covers accidents at work, but with limited benefits. Private accident insurance closes the gap, off duty too.
What it costs: example prices
In farming, many policies are priced by hectare, crop and location. Hail insurance also depends on the sum insured per hectare, which you set every year.
Insurance
Example
Typical range
Business liability
Arable farm without livestock, €30,000 turnover, €5 million cover
around €120 to €300 a year
Business liability
Arable farm with 200 hectares, contract work for neighbours
around €400 to €1,200 a year
Natural hazard cover
Hail insurance for cereals, per hectare
around €15 to €25 a year
Commercial buildings
Farm buildings and sheds with a new value of €1 million
around €1,500 to €4,000 a year
Machinery breakdown
Combine harvester with a new value of €400,000, breakdown, fire and accident
around €2,000 to €5,000 a year
Car insurance
Liability for one tractor
around €80 to €300 a year
For comparison: Hail insurance for 100 hectares of wheat costs about as much a year as 8 to 12 tonnes of wheat at the current farm gate price.
Guide figures excluding German insurance tax, as of September 2026.
Farm liability and hail are based on published examples; buildings,
machinery and tractor are guide figures from our own quoting.
Subsidy schemes in the federal states can cut the premium for multi peril insurance by up to half.
Six things that really happen to arable farms, all on one day at the end of July. Tap through and see who pays.
Damage so far€310,000
While spraying the rapeseed, a gust carries the product onto the neighbour's vegetable field. The crop can no longer be sold.
€14,000 · Paid by: Business liability
On the country road the tractor with its cultivator clips an oncoming van.
€11,000 · Paid by: Car insurance
An overheated bearing on the combine sets the machine and five hectares of wheat alight.
€180,000 · Paid by: Machinery breakdown
A hailstorm smashes 60 hectares of maize and the yield drops by half.
€48,000 · Paid by: Natural hazard cover
The storm behind the hail strips the roof off the machinery shed.
€35,000 · Paid by: Commercial buildings
Burglars take GPS receivers and terminals from three tractors in the shed.
€22,000 · Paid by: Business contents
Which package would you have had?
Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €310,000
Illustrative amounts before any excess.
What is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
Reset the per hectare values in your hail insurance every year; after price jumps for cereals or rapeseed you are otherwise underinsured.
Check the subsidy for multi peril insurance in your federal state and apply before the deadline.
Have contract work for neighbours, spraying on other people's land and winter road clearing expressly included in your farm liability.
Insure GPS equipment and terminals against theft; today they are often worth more than a small tractor.
In buildings insurance, look for index linked new value and declare new sheds and solar installations straight away.
Check what the SVLFG pays for you and your family; the pension after a serious accident is rarely enough to keep the farm going.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We calculate per hectare with you
Hail, multi peril cover and subsidies pay off differently depending on the crop. As a broker we obtain quotes from several insurers and work them out for your fields.
We know claims handling in practice
In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves, including storm damage. We know how much quick reporting, photos and loss adjusters matter after natural hazards.
Farm and family together
On a farm, the business, the farmhouse, the vehicles and your pension belong together. We look after all of it with one contact, in English if you prefer.
A family business since 1989
Like many farms we are a family business. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
Is farm liability insurance compulsory?
Not by law, but indispensable.
An accident caused by an escaped animal or spray drift onto a neighbour's crop can run to five
figures.
For tractors on public roads, motor liability is compulsory.
What does hail insurance cost?
Around €15 to €25 per hectare a year for cereals, much more for specialist crops.
What counts is location, crop and the sum insured per hectare.
What is multi peril crop insurance?
Besides hail, it covers heavy rain, storm, frost and sometimes drought.
Several federal states subsidise it, Bavaria for example with up to 50 percent of the premium.
Is the harvest in the barn covered?
Not by hail insurance, which ends at harvest.
Grain and straw in store belong in the farm's contents or buildings insurance.
Who pays if I am injured at work?
The SVLFG, the statutory accident insurer for agriculture.
It is compulsory for farmers, family members and employees, but it only pays part of your income.
Does every tractor need insurance?
Yes, if it is driven on public roads and is faster than 6 km/h.
This also applies to slow self propelled machines without registration.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Arable farming
The recommended covers are ticked.
Change what does not fit; we compare quotes, in English.
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We will be in touch within one working day. If it is urgent: +49 3375 29 12 77.
