Five years of growth across 47 states points to a specialist market that standard carriers still largely avoid.
Livestock and equine coverage is a small, specialist market where standard carriers rarely compete. A Kentucky-based managing general underwriter has spent five years building the kind of footprint that gives brokers with agricultural clients a practical option across most of the country.
Rokstone Agriculture, part of the international specialty MGA Rokstone, announced it has written $125 million in premium since its 2021 launch, with $34 million in gross written premium in the 12 months to June 2026. It is now licensed across 47 US states and has processed 32,500 admitted and non-admitted transactions and 16,750 new policies over the period.
A specialist market with limited options
Agricultural insurance, and livestock and equine coverage in particular, has historically attracted a narrow field of carriers. Standard admitted markets rarely have the appetite or expertise to underwrite the complex exposures involved - disease, mortality, weather, and liability risks that require underwriters familiar with how a livestock operation actually works. The specialist wholesale channel has long filled that gap, but markets with genuine appetite and delegated claims authority have remained limited.
Rokstone Agriculture has attracted $30 million in A-rated Lloyd's capacity across four partners: Accelerant, Professional Solutions, Canopius, and AXA XL, all with full delegated underwriting and claims authority. The division runs its own in-house third-party administrator, Verus Claims Management, LLC, with 24/7 claims response and electronic check settlement. That matters for livestock accounts, where a casualty loss is often more time-sensitive than most commercial lines claims.
The division's broker base has more than doubled since launch. Fifteen percent of its brokers place in excess of $1 million per annum. That concentration reflects how agricultural insurance has long been distributed: through producers with sector expertise rather than generalist retail agents.
Demand driving distribution
The broker volume also signals something about conditions in the market. Weather volatility and expanding livestock operations have sharpened demand for specialist coverage, at a time when national brokers are actively acquiring agricultural specialists to meet it. The acquisition of farm and livestock specialist Thorn Creek Insurance Services by Relation Insurance in February cited demand for specialist agricultural advice as a driver.
Rokstone Agriculture has expanded its product range across owned and non-owned livestock and equine exposures. Its equine mortality product extended the division's reach into sport horses and thoroughbreds. It launched last year with capacity from Professional Solutions across 19 states. The division also includes Rokstone Farm and Ranch in Ohio, which reached $15 million in gross written premium earlier this year.
For brokers placing agricultural accounts, the practical question is whether a specialist wholesale market can offer genuine coverage with delegated claims authority, rather than a referral that leads to an extended settlement process. Rokstone Agriculture's structure is designed to address that. Its 47-state footprint means the option is accessible across the major livestock states in the Midwest and South.
Source - https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com
