Michigan Farm Bureau Insurance

Michigan Farm Bureau Insurance

Michigan Farm Bureau Insurance was founded in 1949 by farmer-members of Michigan Farm Bureau, itself established in 1919, to provide coverage for an agricultural membership unsatisfied with existing options. The firm operates as the insurance pillar within the Michigan Farm Bureau Family of Companies, under the leadership of Ben LaCross as President of the parent entity and Don Simon as CEO of the insurance arm. It serves Michigan exclusively, distributing personal, business, farm, and crop insurance through roughly 450 agents and 800 associates statewide. The general-account investment portfolio spans admitted assets held by Farm Bureau Mutual, a Life Company, and the Property/Casualty companies. Asset-class exposure includes commercial real estate via a direct mortgage-lending program concentrated in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, alongside fixed-income instruments typical of insurance general accounts. The firm also maintains a headquarters property at 7373 West Saginaw Highway in Lansing. National reinsurance and advocacy ties run through the American Farm Bureau Federation, positioning MFB Insurance within a federated network of state-level farm bureau insurers that share risk and policy coordination. Adjacent to its insurance operations, the broader group maintains Michigan Foundation for Agriculture, focused on agricultural education and rural-community grants, and holds a curated Ag Art Gallery Collection in Lansing. Total asset figures are not publicly disclosed; the firm does not report to common institutional databases. Known operational footprint spans admitted assets for the mutual, life, and P/C entities, plus the direct commercial mortgage portfolio, with no disclosed third-party or external LP capital — all assets serve policyholder obligations and the mutual structure. Ben LaCross continues as President of Michigan Farm Bureau, and Don Simon leads the insurance company. Structurally, Michigan Farm Bureau Insurance differs from a standalone insurer because it is embedded in a member-driven, federated agricultural advocacy system. The parent Michigan Farm Bureau is a membership organization representing conventional and organic farms of all sizes, across crops, livestock, and specialty agriculture, with 65 county-level bureaus. The insurance company exists to serve that membership, not public shareholders, aligning underwriting and investment decisions with the long-duration liabilities and conservative balance-sheet norms of a mutual insurer bound to a single state.