South Carolina's crops contribute $3 billion a year to the state's economy. With the top crops including corn, cotton, and soybeans, it's crucial that farmers protect their crops against dangerous perils like hail. In 2019 alone, crop hail insurance provided $7.2 million in liability to protect South Carolina crops.

Even though you can purchase crop hail insurance anytime, it's best to be prepared for any potential risks. It's also important to know the difference between crop hail insurance and general crop insurance.

A South Carolina independent insurance agent can help clarify the difference between these coverages while helping you find a crop hail coverage policy that works with your farm. But first, let's chat more about crop hail insurance.

Selected crop values in the United States from 2015-2019

(in billion U.S. dollars)

In 2019 the total value of corn in the US amounted to about $52 billion. Soybean value was $32 million, making corn and soybean the most valued crops. 

What Is South Carolina Crop Hail Insurance?

Crop hail insurance is a type of insurance that pays for any physical damage that is caused to your crops by hail. The policy will cover your crops that are still in the field and have yet to be harvested. Farmers can choose to expand their crop hail insurance to cover the following:

Unlike crop insurance, which can only be purchased through the Federal Crop Insurance Program, crop hail insurance is offered by private companies and sold on an acre-by-acre basis. 

How Does South Carolina Crop Hail Insurance Work?

When you decided to purchase crop hail insurance, you'll purchase it on an acre-by-acre basis. This means that you can choose to protect the highest-risk acres of your farm. You'll start by selecting a dollar amount of coverage and building upon that with options that have different deductibles in the event that a certain part of your farm is affected by an event if other areas are not. Once you've finalized your coverage, you can't transfer the coverage to different acres. You'll choose the value of your crops and the policy will pay up to that value, assuming that the event that caused the damage is a covered peril.

What Does Crop Hail Insurance Cover in South Carolina?

Hailstones can cause irreversible damage to fruit, seedlings, flowers and other crops, resulting in bruising that can completely ruin a crop. Hail can also result in wounds to crops that allow fungal infections or bacterial diseases to get into the crops. Crop hail insurance covers the financial losses you experience from your crops being destroyed or damaged by hail. Since you can choose to expand your coverage, you can also choose to have protection against damage from fire, lightning, wind, vandalism, and malicious mischief.

What Is Not Covered by South Carolina Crop Hail Insurance?

It's important not to confuse crop hail insurance with general crop insurance. Crop insurance is part of the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP), which covers large weather events that could ruin your crops, such as drought. For this reason, crop hail insurance will not cover weather-related events such as frost, drought, or excess moisture. It also doesn't cover changes in the prices of crops. All of this is covered under general crop insurance.

Are South Carolina Farmers Required to Have Crop Hail Insurance?

Farmers are not required to purchase crop hail insurance. However, with the possibility of an unexpected hailstorm and the potential damage it can cause, it's worth speaking to your South Carolina independent insurance agent about the coverage. The good news is that you can purchase crop hail insurance in South Carolina at any time during the growing season.

What Are the Most Common Disasters in South Carolina?

South Carolina is at the greatest risk of earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes. However, the state is also no stranger to hail. According to Interactive Hail Maps, Columbia, South Carolina has had 33 reports of on-the-ground hail, and has had 48 severe weather warnings during the last 12 months. That's just for one city in South Carolina. 

Crop damage from hail in the United States from 2014 to 2018

(in million US dollars)

The United States experienced $87.4 million in crop hail damage in 2018. This was $28 million more than was experienced the previous year.

How Can an Independent Insurance Agent Help?

No one can control the weather, so when it comes to protecting your farm against hazards like hail, fire, vandalism, and theft, a South Carolina independent insurance agent is the best person to help. They understand the importance of farming in South Carolina and the risks that your farm faces every day. They search through multiple carriers to find providers that specialize in crop hail insurance. They'll deliver you a variety of quotes so you can select the best coverage for you.