{"id":77,"date":"2026-07-31T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bhins.biz\/blog\/?p=77"},"modified":"2026-07-16T21:59:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T21:59:17","slug":"what-livestock-on-the-road-means-for-iowa-umbrella-insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bhins.biz\/blog\/what-livestock-on-the-road-means-for-iowa-umbrella-insurance\/","title":{"rendered":"What Livestock on the Road Means for Iowa Umbrella Insurance"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of your cows manages to scramble over the cattle guard and get loose onto a gravel road one evening. Then a driver comes along going 55 mph. If you raise livestock in Iowa, you’ve probably had nightmares about this exact scenario. Maybe you’ve even lived it.<\/p>\n

But what happens legally after a car collides with one of your cattle isn’t usually what people expect. Umbrella insurance can help bridge those gaps.<\/p>\n

Iowa’s Fence Law Was Repealed in 1994<\/h2>\n

In the past, Iowa had a law requiring livestock owners to fence in their animals, but the legislature repealed it more than three decades ago. Now, common law governs the standard, specifically "ordinary care," meaning the same level of care a reasonably careful farmer would use under similar circumstances.<\/p>\n

In other words, just because an animal is standing in the middle of the road doesn’t automatically mean its owner was negligent.<\/p>\n

The Driver Has to Prove You Were Careless<\/h2>\n

In a case that reached the Iowa Supreme Court, a truck collided with a cow that had wandered onto Interstate 80. The injured driver couldn’t prove the owner’s fence had a defect or that a gate had been left unlatched, and the court ultimately sided with the cattle owner, dismissing the negligence claim.<\/p>\n

If there had been documentation or witnesses establishing a history of cattle escaping that rancher’s property, the case likely would have gone to a jury. That’s exactly why umbrella insurance is worth having.<\/p>\n

Umbrella Insurance Adds an Extra Layer of Protection Over an Iowa Farm Policy<\/h2>\n

You already have an auto policy and a farm liability policy, both with their own coverage limits. Umbrella insurance sits above those policies and can extend the liability limits of both.<\/p>\n

When a high-speed vehicle collides with a 2,000-pound animal, the resulting claim can quickly reach the limits of your other policies. That’s why the team at Brown-Hurst Insurance Agency Inc. talks with clients who raise cattle or hogs about umbrella insurance.<\/p>\n

Be Sure You Know Where Your Limits Stop<\/h2>\n

Accidents are impossible to predict, but you can control how far your insurance protection extends when an attorney shows up and starts photographing your fence line.<\/p>\n

Brown-Hurst Insurance Agency Inc. can review your policy with you and ensure your umbrella insurance is up to the challenge.<\/p>\n

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One of your cows manages to scramble over the cattle guard and get loose onto a gravel road one evening. Then a driver comes along going 55 mph. If you raise livestock in Iowa, you’ve probably had nightmares about this exact scenario. Maybe you’ve even lived it. But what happens legally after a car collides […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[7,14,6,19],"class_list":["post-77","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-umbrella-insurance","tag-brown-hurst-insurance-agency-inc","tag-insurance","tag-iowa","tag-umbrella"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t