A team of adjusters specializing in poultry houses and large farm equipment is helping Alfa Insurance save money while streamlining farm-related claims.

“We introduced Poultry House/Farm Machinery adjusters in 2006 and saw some savings,” said District Claims Manager Robert Godsey. “They do inspections for underwriting on new and returning business for both new and old construction, including poultry houses. We saw savings go up, and the loss ratio went down tremendously.”

The savings in claims were the result of how adjusters assessed claims, Godsey explained.

“Previously on older poultry houses that were damaged, we would just do a major teardown and rebuild,” Godsey said. “The adjusters talked to some of the builders, and came up with engineer-approved ways to repair houses at lower costs.”

For Alfa’s policyholders, that’s good news, especially poultry farmers.

“As we work to increase Alfa’s poultry house business, these adjusters are going to play a critical roll in keeping expenses down for policyholders,” said Alfa President Jimmy Parnell.

The specialized adjusters, Marc Peters in Gadsden, Kent Skinner in Dothan and Arthur Young in Oneonta, agree the best part of their jobs is building close relationships with customers.

“Our customers feel they can be better served because we have specialized training for poultry houses and farm equipment,” Skinner said. “I feel we can have a quick response time because we are focusing on farm customers.”

Young, who has lived on a farm his whole life, understands time is money when it comes to farming. As an adjuster, his focus is to get farmers back in business as quickly as possible.

“You realize a large part of a farmer’s income comes from his poultry houses, and it is important we address those needs as fast as possible when a claim occurs,” Young said. “Similarly, a farmer who has a tractor or other equipment that needs repairs, needs them made as fast as possible. If a farmer has hay on the ground, he can’t wait an excessive amount of time for a claim to be processed, or the hay will ruin. Alfa realizes this and has the resources to respond in a timely manner to these situations.”

Focusing on fast claims service is a cornerstone of Alfa Insurance, Parnell said.

“The Alabama Farmers Federation and Alfa were started by farmers, and it’s important we are sensitive to the needs of farmers and all our policyholders,” he said. “These specialized adjusters help farmers get their claims settled fast so they can get back to making a living on the farm.”